Stefan number

The Stefan number[1] (St or Ste) is defined as the ratio of sensible heat to latent heat. It is given by the formula

${\displaystyle \mathrm {Ste} ={\frac {c_{p}\Delta T}{L}},}$

where

• c_p is the specific heat,
  • c_p is the specific heat of solid phase in the freezing process while c_p is the specific heat of liquid phase in the melting process.
• ∆T is the temperature difference between phases,
• L is the latent heat of melting.

It is a dimensionless parameter that is useful in analyzing a Stefan problem. The parameter was developed from Josef Stefan's calculations of the rate of phase change of water into ice on the polar ice caps.