Property Scaling Relations for Nonpolar Hydrocarbons

Petroleum fluids are complex mixtures primarily composed of nonpolar hydrocarbons. Thus, a good knowledge of the properties of nonpolar hydrocarbons is required in predicting the overall fluid behavior of petroleum systems. In this article, generalized correlations for molecular polarizability, dielectric constant, critical temperature, critical pressure, and surface tension of nonpolar hydrocarbons and their mixtures, in terms of molecular weight, mass density, and normal boiling point, are derived. The scaling expressions reduce the number of fitting parameters and the need for extensive experimental data. As an extension of this work, the potential calculation of some thermophysical properties of the heaviest fraction of crude oil called asphaltene are also explored.