Estimation of surface tensions of paraffin hydrocarbons using a novel predictive tool approach and vandermonde matrix

Surface tension is an important property used in the design of fractionators, absorbers, two-phase pipelines, and petroleum reservoir engineering calculations, and it is an important property where foaming, wetting, emulsification, and droplet formation are likely to occur. The petroleum industry is especially interested in the surface tensions of paraffin hydrocarbons to improve production and increase oil yields. In this work, a simple Arrhenius-type function combined with Vandermonde matrix is presented for the estimation of the surface tensions of paraffin hydrocarbons as a function of molecular weight and temperature. The surface tension is calculated for temperatures in the range 250–420 K and molecular weights between 30 and 240. The proposed tool is superior, owing to its accuracy and clear numerical background, wherein the relevant coefficients can be retuned quickly if more data become available. Estimations are found to be in excellent agreement with the reliable data in the literature with average absolute deviation being less than 1.1%. The tool developed in this study can be of immense practical value for the engineers and scientists to have a quick check of the surface tension of the paraffin hydrocarbons at various conditions without opting for any experimental measurements. In particular, chemical and process engineers would find the approach to be user-friendly with transparent calculations involving no complex expressions.