Physico-chemical modeling of corona discharge in SF/sub 6/

Negative corona discharge in SF/sub 6/ is simulated by using a model that combines both the physical and chemical aspects of the problem. The corona discharge is assumed to occur inside a wire-to-cylinder reactor filled with pure SF/sub 6/ at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperature. The chemical model of the corona includes both elementary plasma processes and chemical reactions between molecules and radicals. As result of the simulation, the radial distribution of electrons, ions and neutral species are predicted as a function of the applied voltage and current intensity.