Speaker
Description
Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) detectors used in CERN’s LHC experiments traditionally operate with a gas mixture containing C2H2F4 (R134a) and SF6, both of which are greenhouse gases with high Global Warming Potential (GWP). In Europe, the production of these fluorinated gases is being phased out, making the identification of environmentally friendly alternatives increasingly urgent.
This study evaluates the performance of RPC detectors when R134a or SF6 are replaced with candidate gases featuring a lower GWP. The investigation also extends to Multigap RPC detectors, where SF6 concentrations can reach up to 10%. Detector tests are first conducted in a controlled laboratory environment using cosmic muons, followed by beam tests at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility. There, a muon beam is combined with background irradiation from a 14 TBq 137Cs source to emulate LHC-like conditions.
Key detector parameters under investigation include efficiency, dark current, streamer probability, mean prompt charge, cluster size, and time resolution. The results aim to provide an initial selection of promising eco-friendly gas mixtures, paving the way for future long-term ageing tests to assess their durability and operational stability.
This work presents the results obtained with these alternative gas mixtures, focusing on how changes in composition affect detector performance compared to the standard RPC gas mixture.
| Workshop topics | Detector systems |
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