Ian's Topic:  Bechtel National, Inc. is designing, constructing, and commissioning the world’s largest radioactive waste treatment plant for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state. When complete, the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), also known as the Vit Plant, will process and stabilize million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste currently stored at the Hanford Site. The 56 million gallons of waste are a byproduct of national defense plutonium-production efforts during World War II and the Cold War era. The waste, which is stored in 176 underground tanks at Hanford, will be visited at WTP, or mixed with glass-forming materials and heated it to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit and poured it into stainless steel canisters to cool and solidify. In this glass form, the waste is stable and safe for disposal. The vitrification process has been used successfully elsewhere for decades but has never been attempted at the scale of or on waste as complex as that stored at Hanford. The Vit Plant is one of DOE’s most technically challenging clean-up projects.

What’s Included

In-Person Participation

Includes access to all technical sessions, tutorials, admission to exhibits, lunches & breaks, receptions, and recordings during the event and for four weeks after the event. Recordings of all sessions will be made available to conference participants after the event.

Registration Process

1. This year’s WSRC is hosted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which involves a few extra steps for registration. We want to note that:
   • Registration for non-USA citizens will be closed on August 1, so please register early.
   • Early Bird registration will close on August 1, as we highly encourage everyone to register early.
2. We offer a total of six exceptional tutorials and open registration for each. All the tutorials are designed for in-person attendance; however, a link for a virtual-registrants will be provided. The organizing committee and tutors can’t guarantee equivalency to an in-person experience.
3. The registration form includes a question on transportation. Please use the LINK for the indication for carpool options or other questions.
4. We will offer the INCOSE SEP exam during the WSRC to all. Please use the same link below to register (selecting just the exam or full registrations with the exam option).

• We offer three tours to our conference participants and guests – the Hanford historic B reactor, the LIGO experiment facility, and the PNNL Energy Sciences lab tours.

  You will select the tours you would like during the registration process.

  IMPORTANT: Some tours will require additional information prior to the event. PNNL personnel will reach out to attendees who sign up for PNNL lab tours for additional information. Registration for all tours will close on August 15.

  If you would like to register any guests for the tours, please contact [email protected]..

Virtual Participation

Includes access to the virtual technical program. Broadcasted sessions will be available live, with recordings available through the platform during the event and for four weeks after the event. Recordings of all sessions will be made available through the INCOSE website within 60 days post event.

Please contact [email protected] for any questions

Hotel Recommendations

A limited number of rooms are available at a reduced rate at several local hotels. A bus will be made available to transport conference attendees from the hotel to PNNL in the morning and evenings.

Please reach out to the following WSRC committee members for information and action: