Stefan Flow in Char Combustion: A Critical Review of Mass Transfer and Combustion Differences Between Air-Fuel and Oxy-Fuel Conditions

Wenfei Bao, Zongwei Gan, Yuzhong Li () and Yan Ma ()
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Wenfei Bao: School of Nuclear Science, Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
Zongwei Gan: School of Nuclear Science, Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
Yuzhong Li: School of Nuclear Science, Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250061, China
Yan Ma: Office for Xinglongshan Campus and Software Park Campus, Shandong University, Jinan 250002, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-20

Abstract: Fuel combustion is a crucial process in energy utilization. As a key bulk transport mechanism, Stefan flow significantly affects heat and mass transfer during char combustion. However, its physical nature and engineering implications have long been underestimated, and no systematic review has been conducted. This paper presents a comprehensive review of Stefan flow in char combustion, with a focus on its impact on mass transfer and combustion behavior under both air-fuel and oxy-fuel conditions. It also highlights the critical role of Stefan flow in enhancing energy conversion efficiency and optimizing carbon capture processes. The analysis reveals that Stefan flow has been widely neglected in traditional combustion models, resulting in significant errors in calculated mass transfer coefficients (up to 21% in air-fuel combustion and as high as 74% in oxy-fuel combustion). This long-overlooked deviation severely compromises the accuracy of combustion efficiency predictions and model reliability. In oxy-fuel combustion, the gasification reaction (C + CO 2 = 2CO) induces a much stronger outward Stefan flow, reducing CO 2 transport by up to 74%, weakening local CO 2 enrichment, and substantially increasing the energy cost of carbon capture. In contrast, the oxidation reaction (2C + O 2 = 2CO) results in only an 18% reduction in O 2 transport. Stefan flow hinders the inward mass transfer of O 2 and CO 2 toward the char surface and increases heat loss during combustion, resulting in reduced reaction rates and lower particle temperatures. These effects contribute to incomplete fuel conversion and diminished thermal efficiency. Simulation studies that neglect Stefan flow produce significant errors when predicting combustion characteristics, particularly under oxy-fuel conditions. The impact of Stefan flow on energy balance is more substantial in the kinetic/diffusion-controlled regime than in the diffusion-controlled regime. This review is the first to clearly identify Stefan flow as the fundamental physical mechanism responsible for the differences in combustion behavior between air-fuel and oxy-fuel environments. It addresses a key gap in current research and offers a novel theoretical framework for improving low-carbon combustion models, providing important theoretical support for efficient combustion and clean energy conversion.

Keywords: Stefan flow; char particle combustion; mass transfer; oxy-fuel combustion; air-fuel combustion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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