Sensitivity analysis of a reaction model for the radiation treatment of combustion gases

Sensitivity analyses were performed on chemical mechanisms for the treatment of combustion flue gases with high-energy radiation. The sensitivity analysis of the radical production reactions showed that the radical concentrations did not depend strongly on most of the ion-molecule reaction rates. A simplified radical production model was developed based on this result. Sensitivity analyses performed on the NOx and NOx/SO2 removal mechanisms showed that most of the radical-radical reactions could be removed from these mechanisms without affecting the predicted major species concentrations. The sensitivity analysis results provided a useful guide for model reduction, but some chemical knowledge was also required to interpret the implications of the sensitivity analysis correctly. (7 tabs., 3 figs., 39 refs.)