Bechtel employees Jared Thomas (left) and Brian Tyrrell at WTP.

Bechtel employees, left to right, Micah Hart, Brian Tyrrell, Jared Thomas, and Aaron Rackleff (in background) at WTP.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Jared Thomas has been hard to find at his desk lately. And that’s a good thing.

   As a field engineer with EM contractor Bechtel National Inc. at the Office of River Protection (ORP) Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), Thomas spends more time working in the facilities under construction thanks to recent deployment of hybrid tablets.

   The tablets allow hundreds of WTP engineers, like Thomas, to perform their work from any safe, Wi-Fi-enabled location at the 65-acre construction site. The flexibility is saving time, increasing efficiency, and improving quality at the massive construction project.

   “Anything I was doing on my desk workstation I can now do in the field,” Thomas said. “As a field engineer, spending more time with my crew allows me to be more efficient in doing my work, more proactive in identifying issues, and more accessible to answer questions.”

   WTP management has been searching to equip employees with a single remote-computing device that is powerful enough to fully integrate critical project software and secure enough to operate within stringent DOE and Bechtel security protocols.

   With the hybrid tablet in hand, Thomas submits and signs inspection records, generates field changes, and documents corrective actions on the spot. He saves printing costs by pulling up the latest documents, drawings, and 3-D models electronically. Instant access to the WTP network ensures quality by allowing him to always pull up the most current revisions.

   He also is connected instantly via webcam and instant messaging. By firing up the front- or rear-facing camera, Thomas can have real-time discussions about issue resolution with project employees in Richland, Reston, Va., or San Francisco.

   WTP will be the world’s largest radioactive nuclear waste vitrification facility and is being designed and constructed by Bechtel for ORP. When complete, it will vitrify most of the 56 million gallons of the country’s most complex nuclear waste currently stored in tanks on the Hanford site.

   “I am encouraged to see cutting-edge technology be applied to the construction of WTP,” ORP WTP Project Assistant Manager Bill Hamel said.

   The portable device can function as a laptop through use of a detachable keyboard or as a standalone tablet with full-touch interface. It also can perform as a desktop workstation through wireless docking that connects a keyboard and dual monitor setup. 

   The technology also has prompted field engineers to further innovate. Emergent capabilities involving electronic forms, automated reporting, and use of 360-degree video are enhancing quality and task efficiency. 

   “The time and budget resources applied to automation will promote efficient execution of the WTP mission, which will bring us closer to treating Hanford’s tank waste,” said Mike Costas, Bechtel’s manager of quality and functions at the WTP project. “Clearly, innovation within WTP construction is on course.”