Cleaning and recirculation of perfluorohexane (C6F14) in the STAR-RICH detector

A RICH detector with a CsI photo-cathode and liquid perfluorohexane radiator has been installed in the STAR experiment at RHIC. The liquid is continuously cleaned and distributed to a quartz containment vessel within the detector by a closed recirculation system. A VUV spectrometer is connected to the system which monitors the optical transparency of the liquid. This measurement provides one of the pieces of information necessary to model the number of Cherenkov photons which reach the pad plane. A description of the liquid recirculation system and the cleaning procedure for the liquid as well as the spectrometer is presented along with results of their performance.