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Modelling of RTO heat recovery with liquid desiccant technology [dataset] Open Access

Regenerative thermal oxidisers (RTOs) are widely used for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) abatement in automotive paint shops. They produce significant heat with variable exhaust temperatures, complicating the conversion of this energy source into a stable and usable service. This study assesses whether using liquid desiccant solutions to recover RTO stack heat, store it thermochemically through changes in solution concentration and supply temperature and humidity control is techno-economically viable. An annual performance model coupled with a techno-economic assessment was developed for two utilisation strategies in a paint shop: on-site for flash-off drying and off-site for climate control in a nearby gym via pipeline transport. The analysis considers aqueous lithium chloride (LiCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl2), outdoor air conditions, RTO exhaust temperature variability and operational adjustments, including regenerator exhaust air recirculation and auxiliary heat, to balance dehumidification and regeneration year-round. Results show that coupling RTO heat recovery with liquid desiccant regeneration is technically feasible and that on-site flash-off drying offers the strongest economic case, with payback periods of 5.3 years (NPV £134.4k, IRR 18.1%) and 10.9 years (NPV £22.9k, IRR 6.6%) for aqueous CaCl2 and LiCl, respectively. The off-site gym application is less favourable for the investigated distance and end-user demand. Sensitivity analysis confirms that viability is strongly dependent on energy prices, pipeline distance and working fluid. The results indicate that on-site utilisation should always be prioritised, while off-site applications require larger end-user demand and/or shorter distances, together with more favourable operating conditions.

Descriptions

Resource type

Dataset

Contributors

Creator: Giampieri, Alessandro ¹
Data curator: Giampieri, Alessandro ¹

¹ Durham University, UK

Funder

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Research methods

Techno-economic modelling

Other description

Keyword

Liquid desiccants
Heat recovery and transport
Thermochemical storage
Temperature and humidity control
Techno-economic analysis
Regenerative thermal oxidisers

Subject

Thermochemistry--Research
Oxides--Thermal properties
Volatile organic compounds--Health aspects
Automobiles--Painting--Safety measures
Heat recovery

Location

Language

Cited in

Identifier

ark:/32150/r2mc87pq33p
doi:10.15128/r2mc87pq33p

Rights

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY)

Publisher

Durham University

Date Created

File Details

Depositor

A. Giampieri

Date Uploaded

13 April 2026, 15:04:22

Date Modified

14 April 2026, 10:04:58

Audit Status

Audits have not yet been run on this file.

Characterization

File format: zip (ZIP Format)

Mime type: application/zip

File size: 8693506

Last modified: 2026:04:13 16:45:03+01:00

Filename: Data_RTO heat recovery with Liquid Desiccant.zip

Original checksum: 21f9dba8981e27b6301fb864141bf53b