Effects of variation of environmental parameters on the performance of Resistive Plate Chamber detectors

Performance of single gap Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) detectors is investigated under variation of environmental parameters, such as temperature and relative humidity. Operational characteristics of the RPCs depend on both the environmental temperature and the relative humidity. Sensitivity to such dependence is found to be more on temperature rather than the relative humidity. Qualitative interpretation of some of the results obtained is given based on the known properties of the electrode materials and gases used in the detectors. - Highlights: • Performance of single gap bakelite Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) detectors is investigated under independent variation of environmental temperature and relative humidity. • Parameters such as leakage currents, noise rates, efficiency and timing characteristics of RPCs are investigated. • Operational characteristics of the RPCs depend on both the environmental temperature and the relative humidity. • Sensitivity of the operational parameters to variation of environmental parameters is found to be more on temperature rather than the relative humidity.