How to determine the K value of light hydrocarbons

Just use process simulation software to calculate it

Thermal conductivity (k-value) is a measure of a material’s ability to conduct heat; the higher the thermal conductivity, the less heat is lost within that material. Thermal conductivity is defined as the amount of heat conducted directly per unit time, per unit temperature difference, through a unit cross-section and length of material; its unit in the metric system is watts per meter-kelvin (W/m-K). Thermal conductivity is usually denoted by k or λ. The conversion formulas for thermal conductivity across different units are as follows: 1 BTU/ft hr°F = 1.73 W/m-K = 1730 mW/m-K; 12 BTU-in/ft² hr°F = 1 BTU/ft hr°F = 1.73 W/m-K; 1 BTU-in/ft² hr°F = 0.144 W/m-K = 144 mW/m-K. Corresponding to thermal conductivity is thermal resistivity, which indicates a material’s ability to prevent heat from conducting in a certain direction. The unit of the thermal resistance coefficient is meters·kelvin per watt (m-K/W). The thermal resistance value (R value) is defined as the ability of a material, at a specified temperature, to prevent heat from passing through it per unit area. The higher the R value of a material, the more suitable it is as an insulating material. The unit of thermal resistance is m2·K/W (in imperial units: ft2·hr·F/BTU). The value of R is equal to the material thickness divided by k. The R values of consecutive insulating materials can be added together. There is a linear relationship between R and material thickness. R per inch = 144/k (mW/m-K), which is equivalent to 12 mW/m-K. The thermal conductivity, whose unit is W/m2·K, corresponds to the thermal resistance value; in systems, this value is usually referred to as the overall heat transfer coefficient (OHTC). Thermal resistance values are often used in construction projects to evaluate the relative insulation capacity of materials or systems. Thermal conductivity (U-value): The U-value is used to measure the ability of a material to conduct heat, indicating its capacity to allow heat to pass through per unit area, with the unit being W/m2·K. The U value is the reciprocal of the R value, that is, U=1/R. The lower the U value, the better the insulation properties of the material (similar to the concept of k value). OHTC and U value are often considered synonymous.