Randle wins Best in Track for salt deliquescence research at Waste Management Symposia
October 23, 2024
Joshua Randle
Joshua Randle, a Mississippi State Institute for Clean Energy Technology research engineer, recently won Best in Track for his research in salt deliquescence at the 2024 Waste Management Symposia.
Held in Phoenix, Arizona, the international conference hosted professionals from over 25 countries to discuss radioactive waste management and similar topics.
Randle received Best in Track for Special Topics and Multi-Track Cross Cutting for his research poster, “A Study of Salt Deliquescence on HEPA Filter Media,” which he co-authored with ICET Director Jaime Rickert Gibson and Research Engineer John Wilson.
The project was a study of the effects of salt loading, air moisture content and deliquescence on HEPA filter performance and was conducted out of concerns for air quality and containment at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Operated by the U.S. Department of Energy, the WIPP is a salt mine used for underground storage of radioactive waste.
“We wanted to better understand the effects of salt deliquescence on HEPA filters in order to benefit the Department of Energy complex,” Randle said.
He said deliquescence occurs when a solid substance absorbs moisture from the atmosphere until it dissolves into a liquid. Machinery in the mine creates aerosolized salt that can collect on HEPA filters, which may degrade filter quality and result in loss of airflow and lack of containment.
Randle said the test results showed movement of salt particles through HEPA filter media.
“We believe this is due to structural changes in salt particles undergoing deliquescence while experiencing humid conditions under a specified flow rate,” he said.
Through the study, the team determined that further testing involving salt particles from the WIPP should be conducted to determine the risk of possible loss of containment in the facility.
Randle received a bachelor’s in computer science from Oregon State University and a bachelor’s in biology from MSU.