Development of Software for Parametric Sensitivity Analysis in a Chemical Oxidation Process

The numerical solution of a mathematical model that describes the obtaining of sodium sulfate by the oxidation of sodium thiosulfate by hydrogen peroxide is presented, the partial differential equations (PDE) of the mathematical model are discretized using the finite difference method and the resulting ordinary differential equations (ODE) are integrated with the 4-order Runge-Kutta method through a software developed with the Fortran programming language. The sensitivity of parameters such as activation energy on composition and temperature profiles is evaluated. The results show that changes in parameters cause uncertainty in the chemical processes, increase the reaction rate, quickly depleting the limiting reagent, increasing energy and operating costs. Activation energy has negative effects on the temperature profile of the reactor, which affect the conversion of the reagents to desired products and puts operational safety at risk.