External heating and hydrogen-assisted catalytic ignition characteristics of n-butane (n-C4H10) were studied experimentally in a Pt-coated monolith catalytic reactor. Special attention was paid to the chemical effect of hydrogen on hydrogen-assisted ignition. A comparison of the ignition temperature for these two ignition methods shows hydrogen can lower ignition temperature. Furthermore, the ignition experiment at low hydrogen mole fraction (1.5%) shows that hydrogen has a positive chemical effect on hydrogen-assisted ignition. At constant n-butane/air flow and within certain limits of hydrogen mole fraction of mixtures, the ignition temperature changes little, whereas the time required for ignition and the cumulative amount of hydrogen decrease substantially. Consequently, high hydrogen mole fraction is favorable to hydrogen-assisted ignition. Two startup methods and thermal insulation are discussed. The co-feed method (n-butane/air/hydrogen mixtures are fed into reactor) and thermal insulation were found to be beneficial to hydrogen-assisted ignition. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.