Performance of resistive plate counter with non-ozone depletion freon

The standard gas mixture used for RPCs contains [approximately]60% Ar, [approximately]40% iso[C.sub.4][H.sub.10] and several percent of [CF.sub.3]Br(Haron1301) as quenching agent. [CF.sub.3]Br is known to destroy the atmospheric ozone layer. For this reason its use is discouraged, and prohibited by law in the near future. [C.sub.2][F.sub.6](FC116) and [C.sub.2][H.sub.2][F.sub.4](HFC134A) seem to be an ideal candidate from an environment point of view since its ozone depletion potential is very low. We present the results of a test performance on RPC(glass) operating with non-ozone depletion freon gas and butane-silver.