An approximate method for numerically solving PDEs in chemical kinetics using Laplace transformation

An algorithm to calculate analytical functions for concentration distributions in flow-tube experiments dealing with chemical kinetics studies is presented. The considered processes, i.e. convection, diffusion, wall loss processes and chemical reactions are described by means of the continuity equations for the chemical species which take the form of partial differential equations (PDEs). The given approach, which is based on the Laplace transformation, allows an unrestricted analysis of systems with first-order kinetics for the chemical reaction term for appropriate boundary conditions. For systems with second-order kinetics, a limited application is possible. A comparison with an accessible finite difference reference method shows that the found solutions each are in a reasonable agreement.