NUCLEAR POWER SCHOOL:
The first stage of a Nuclear Power Officer's specialized training takes place at Nuclear Power School in Charleston, SC. Here, each officer is given a 24-week course in science and technology designed to provide theoretical background knowledge of nuclear power. It is presumed each officer has successfully completed at least one year of college-level physics and calculus, including integral calculus.
The school week lasts from Monday through Friday with two-hour classes from 7:30 AM until 4:05 PM. Normally, four hours of homework per night are necessary.
Subjects studied include:
1. MATHEMATICS: (39 Hours) - Ordinary and partial differential equations, integral calculus, probability and distribution functions, etc.
2. PHYSICS: (71 Hours) - Atomic and nuclear physics, special relativity, reactor physics and neutron diffusion theory.
3. CHEMISTRY: (50 Hours) - Basic chemistry, reaction kinetics, boiler chemistry, radiation induced reactions, gases, oxidation-reduction.
4. THERMODYNAMICS: (87 Hours) - Heat transfer, fluid dynamics, steam thermodynamics, properties of water, Rankine cycle, conduction and convection.
5. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING: (Basic and Advanced) (138 Hours) - Circuit analysis, inductance and capacitance, solid state amplifiers, AC and DC motors and generators, digital and analog integrated circuits, reactor plant instrumentation, safety circuits and reactor control equipment design.
6. MATERIALS SCIENCE: (28 Hours) - Strength of materials, Nil Ductility Phenomenon, fuel and clad alloy composition, pressure vessel design, neutron embrittlement.
7. REACTOR DYNAMICS AND CORE CHARACTERISTICS: (86 Hours) - Basic nuclear engineering course.
8. REACTOR PLANT SYSTEMS: (13 Hours) - Design of steam system and reactor plant parameters.
9. SHIELDING AND RADIOLOGICAL FUNDAMENTALS: (46 Hours) - Study of materials, attenuation factors and geometry in shielding calculations.
10. ASPECTS OF REACTOR PLANT OPERATIONS: (115 Hours) - Study of reactor plant operations integrating knowledge from all above courses.
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UNITED STATES NAVY ENGINEERING
If you want more information, the best thing to do is call my office (916) 631-7596, from Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM and ask me.