Formative time of breakdown modeled for the ignition of air and n -butane mixtures using effective ionization coefficients

It is shown that simulations of ignition by electric arc discharge in n -butane and air mixtures have interesting features, which deviate from results obtained by simple extension of calculations based on methanelike fuels. In particular, it is demonstrated that lowering the temperature of the n -butane-air mixture before ignition under certain conditions will actually decrease the ignition stage time as well as the required electric field.