The training and education required to work with nuclear power supplies varies depending on the level of work. While engineering and management positions may require more advanced degrees, operating equipment for nuclear power plants may only require a 2-year or 4-year higher education degree in any math or science related field.

Aside from higher education credentials, you can become qualified to work with nuclear power equipment by completing an apprenticeship or getting licensed. Professionals in the field of atomic energy equipment can further their education by joining nuclear power technology societies and attending conferences.

To begin your nuclear power equipment education and training, consider the following options:

1. Earn a higher education degree to work with nuclear power equipment.
2. Get a license or experience working with nuclear energy equipment.
3. Join a professional society and attend conferences to stay current on atomic energy devices.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Prepare to work with nuclear power plant equipment with a higher education degree

Engineering and designing nuclear power equipment requires an advanced engineering degree. Many positions for technicians to work with nuclear power equipment also require an applied science degree. Although nuclear power operator positions also may require that you have several years of experience, a higher education degree is the place to get started.

I recommend: Excelsior College offers a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering technology, which can be earned online, to prepare for work as a nuclear power technician. Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a master's degree program in nuclear science and engineering for those interested in designing and engineering nuclear power plant equipment.

Get a license or apprenticeship for working with equipment for nuclear power

Working for a nuclear power manufacturer also may require a license or apprenticeship experience to validate technician training. If you plan to work with nuclear power supplies, gaining apprenticeship experience as a nuclear technician and becoming certified are some avenues to pursue in place of or in addition to higher education credentials.

I recommend: The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission provides licensing requirements for various types of work with nuclear power equipment. Find apprenticeships for nuclear power technicians by searching SkilledWorkers.com for available positions.

Update your nuclear power equipment education and training with conferences

Another way to continue your education in nuclear power equipment is to join professional organizations and attend conferences regularly. Nuclear technology conferences include the latest developments in nuclear energy supplies as well as the dimensions of safety, regulation and policy.

I recommend: Learn about technology advances in nuclear energy equipment by attending a conference sponsored by the newly formed society Nuclear Power International. Their conference topics include everything from new equipment technologies to equipment safety and risk management. The International Atomic Energy Agency also sponsors conferences and is the leading publisher in the atomic energy field, with publications of conference proceedings, as well as equipment manuals and guides.

In an industry with relatively little growth for the past thirty years, the Nuclear Power 2010 Program has brought nuclear power equipment back to the forefront of the energy industry. Largely touted as a source of green energy, the atomic energy industry remains controversial to many because of the energy or carbon costs of building the power plants and mining fuel for them.

Currently, nuclear power supplies a significant percentage of the United States' energy needs with power plants in several states; nuclear power plants provide a greater proportion of power in some states than in others. The government and industry cost-shared effort of Nuclear Power 2010 makes this one of the most exciting times to get involved with nuclear power. Before you leap into the atomic industry, remember these key points:

1. Getting the right nuclear energy supplies means having the right people on your side

2. Many nuclear industry suppliers also offer services or training for your personnel

3. Communities being considered for a nuclear power plant are rightly concerned about safety and security.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Let consultants connect you with nuclear industry suppliers

If you don't have staff dedicated specifically to handling nuclear power equipment issues, you need to either make a few hires or hire the right consultant to make sure the expertise you need is readily available.

I recommend: Gilbert Consultant Services provides staffing and consulting solutions for the nuclear power and electronics industries. They can find the people to help you connect with a nuclear power plant manufacturer or parts supplier. Nuclear Energy Consultants offers a wide range of services and consulting to fit your nuclear energy needs, including training sessions for existing employees.

Look for nuclear energy equipment in all the right places

Finding the right suppliers will help your company be more efficient as you rush to join the nuclear boom.

I recommend: General Electric (GE) offers nuclear power plant equipment and construction, plus maintenance and optimization services to help keep your nuclear power plant running at peak efficiency. Preferred Engineering, a subsidiary of Preferred Utilities Manufacturing, provides nuclear energy supplies and accessories and develops shutdown and maintenance procedures.

Look before you leap at atomic energy devices

Learn from the past. If you happen to be building in one of the states that already has a nuclear power plant, your public relations department can capitalize on both the successes and the failures of other nuclear energy equipment owners. Even if you're pioneering nuclear energy in a new state, you can still sway public opinion in your direction by addressing how you'll avoid past mistakes and emulate past successes.

I recommend: Put your PR people to work making use of a wealth of statistics about operative atomic energy equipment, including location, output, operating capacities, and their impact on local communities through the Energy Information Administration's statistics page. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulars where reactors get built, how they're built, and how they're operated, so your consultants, designers and engineers will be working closely with them for the life of your nuclear energy equipment.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use the American Nuclear Society, the Nuclear Energy Institute and other industry organizations to double-check credentials, affiliations and background for contractors, engineers and designers of equipment for nuclear power before you bring them aboard, whether for building a new reactor or maintaining a current one.

Nuclear power plants generate nearly one-fifth of the energy in the United States, and as new plants are built, staffed and commissioned, more people will need to know nuclear power equipment key terms. With more than 100 reactors in 31 states, nuclear power generation may very well be one answer to ever-increasing American energy needs. As the nuclear power industry grows, so, too, will the need for citizens well-versed in the nuclear production of electricity and nuclear-related jobs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Pressurized-water reactor (PWR)

Of the two types of nuclear power plants in the United States, nearly three-fourths of the nation's reactors are pressurized-water reactors (PWRs). A PWR operates using water that remains under pressure as it passes through the core, keeping the water in liquid form instead of immediately turning it to steam to turn the turbine-generator. A PWR then requires the superheated water to pass through a steam generator where clean water turns to steam and powers the turbine-generator.

I recommend: Read about the inner workings of a pressurized-water reactor at the Energy Information Administration's energy kid's page.

Boiling-water reactor (BWR)

Less efficient than a PWR, a boiling-water reactor converts water to steam within the reactor building itself, producing massive amounts of high-energy steam. Steam separators above the core then capture the steam and separate it from larger water droplets, transferring it to the steam line and eventually to the turbine-generators, which begin converting the energy to electricity.

I recommend: Visit The Virtual Nuclear Tourist to see a full-color diagram of a boiling-water reactor.

Core

The core of a nuclear reactor is the place where the fission of atomic nuclei takes place, producing massive amounts of radioactive energy in the form of heat. The core is cooled in the energy-production process, which involves the circulation of water either in a boiling-water or pressurized-water reactor, and many layers of safety and emergency operations procedures are in place to avoid core overheating, or 'meltdown.'

I recommend: Look inside the core of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Nuclear Reactor Laboratory to understand how a core structure looks and how equipment within it operates.

Steam generator

A steam generator is the part of a pressurized-water reactor that uses the heat of nuclear fission to convert water into steam. Steam generators can be five stories high and weigh up to 800 tons, and they house an intricate system of small tubes that carry hot, radioactive water under tremendous pressure to prevent boiling. Outside the tubing, non-radioactive water then begins to boil and turn to steam, which turns large turbines to generate electricity.

I recommend: Find out what the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is doing to inspect and prevent steam generator tube degradation in nuclear power plants.

Turbine generator

Both PWRs and BWRs employ the resultant steam from a nuclear reaction to turn turbine generators. The large, propeller-like pieces of equipment convert the heat of a nuclear reaction -- via the energy of steam -- into huge amounts of electricity, which is then distributed to many power substations nearby.

I recommend: Watch experts replace a nuclear turbine generator in a seven-minute video at National Geographic Channel.

Integrated used-fuel management

Nuclear waste ranges from low-level radioactive waste, such as contaminated tools and supplies used within a nuclear power plant, to highly radioactive used uranium pellets. Within the scope of integrated used-fuel management, those pellets are generally stored at a reactor site, either in water or in a specially designed facility with cooling-air circulation. Plant safety systems are designed to handle spent uranium storage for as long as 100 years, but the U.S. government has plans for long-term nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

I recommend: Learn more about integrated used-fuel management programs and long-term storage at Yucca Mountain from the Nuclear Energy Institute.