Mechanism of ignition by non-equilibrium plasma

The kinetics of ignition in stoichiometric C_nH_2n+2:O₂:Ar mixtures with 90% dilution for n = 1-5 has been studied experimentally and numerically under the action of a high-voltage nanosecond discharge. It was shown that the initiation of the discharge by a high-voltage pulse 115 kV in amplitude with a specific deposited energy of 10-30 mJ/cm³ leads to more than an order of magnitude decrease in the ignition delay time. The generation of atoms, radicals and excited and charged particles by the discharge was numerically described. The role of different atoms and radicals (O, H and C_nH_2n+1) was analyzed. The temporal evolution of the densities of intermediate components in the plasma assisted ignition was discussed.