This work applies sensitivity analysis to a kinetic model of hydrotreating processes. The proposed approach is subdivided into several steps: The first step is to build the kinetic model. The second step is to develop a simplified model (meta model) on which easy calculations can be performed in the next step. The third step is to use the meta model to estimate the influence of each input on the model output without Monte Carlo methods which are difficult to manage. Sensitivity analyses are very useful for model comparison and uncertainties estimation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.