Sealed (zero gas flow) resistive plate chambers

The phase-out of hydro-fluorocarbons, due to their high Global Warming Potential (GWP), affecting the main gas used in Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs), tetrafluoroethane C _2 H _2 F _4 , has increased pressure on existing systems and imposes strong restrictions on its use in new systems. A possible solution to the problem is the substitution of this gas by others with a much lower GWP. Another possibility would be sealed RPCs, i.e., RPCs that do not require a continuous gas flow for their operation. This paper shows the construction structure and test results of a sealed multi-gap RPC operated without gas flow for about 1 year. The results show a stable efficiency of more than 95