Nuclear Power Reactor Operator Operate or control nuclear reactors. Move control rods, start and stop equipment, monitor and adjust controls, and record data in logs. Implement emergency procedures when needed. May respond to abnormalities, determine cause, and recommend corrective action.
Nuclear Power Reactor Operator is Also Know as
In different settings, Nuclear Power Reactor Operator is titled as
- Licensed Reactor Operator
- Nuclear Control Operator
- Nuclear Control Room Operator
- Nuclear Plant Operator (NPO)
- Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
- Nuclear Reactor Operator
- Nuclear Station Operator (NSO)
- Nuclear Supervising Operator (NSO)
- Nuclear Unit Operator
- Reactor Operator (RO)
Education and Training of Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
Nuclear Power Reactor Operator is categorized in Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Experience Required for Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Education Required for Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Degrees Related to Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
- Bachelor in Nuclear/Nuclear Power Technology/Technician
- Associate Degree Courses in Nuclear/Nuclear Power Technology/Technician
- Masters Degree Courses in Nuclear/Nuclear Power Technology/Technician
Training Required for Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Related Ocuupations
Some Ocuupations related to Nuclear Power Reactor Operator in different industries are
- Nuclear Technicians
- Power Plant Operators
- Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
- Nuclear Monitoring Technicians
- Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators
- Chemical Plant and System Operators
- Power Distributors and Dispatchers
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
- Gas Plant Operators
- Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operators
- Nuclear Engineers
- Chemical Engineers
- Geothermal Technicians
- Biomass Plant Technicians
- Geothermal Production Managers
- Hydroelectric Production Managers
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
- Biomass Power Plant Managers
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians
What Do Nuclear Power Reactor Operator do?
- Adjust controls to position rod and to regulate flux level, reactor period, coolant temperature, or rate of power flow, following standard procedures.
- Respond to system or unit abnormalities, diagnosing the cause, and recommending or taking corrective action.
- Monitor all systems for normal running conditions, performing activities such as checking gauges to assess output or the effects of generator loading on other equipment.
- Implement operational procedures, such as those controlling start-up or shut-down activities.
- Note malfunctions of equipment, instruments, or controls and report these conditions to supervisors.
- Monitor or operate boilers, turbines, wells, or auxiliary power plant equipment.
- Dispatch orders or instructions to personnel through radiotelephone or intercommunication systems to coordinate auxiliary equipment operation.
- Record operating data, such as the results of surveillance tests.
- Participate in nuclear fuel element handling activities, such as preparation, transfer, loading, or unloading.
- Conduct inspections or operations outside of control rooms as necessary.
- Direct reactor operators in emergency situations, in accordance with emergency operating procedures.
- Authorize maintenance activities on units or changes in equipment or system operational status.
- Authorize actions to correct identified operational inefficiencies or hazards so that operating efficiency is maximized and potential environmental issues are minimized.
- Direct measurement of the intensity or types of radiation in work areas, equipment, or materials.
- Direct the collection and testing of air, water, gas, or solid samples to determine radioactivity levels or to ensure appropriate radioactive containment.
- Identify or direct implementation of appropriate decontamination procedures, based on equipment and the size, nature, and type of contamination.
- Operate nuclear power reactors in accordance with policies and procedures to protect workers from radiation and to ensure environmental safety.
- Supervise technicians' work activities to ensure that equipment is operated in accordance with policies and procedures that protect workers from radiation and ensure environmental safety.
- Develop or implement actions such as lockouts, tagouts, or clearances to allow equipment to be safely repaired.
- Review and edit standard operating procedures.
Qualities of Good Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
- Problem Sensitivity: The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Written Comprehension: The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Oral Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Oral Comprehension: The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Information Ordering: The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Near Vision: The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Deductive Reasoning: The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning: The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Perceptual Speed: The ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
- Written Expression: The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Speech Clarity: The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Flexibility of Closure: The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Selective Attention: The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Recognition: The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Category Flexibility: The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Far Vision: The ability to see details at a distance.
- Mathematical Reasoning: The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Fluency of Ideas: The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Auditory Attention: The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
- Hearing Sensitivity: The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
- Time Sharing: The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
- Visual Color Discrimination: The ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
- Originality: The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Number Facility: The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Reaction Time: The ability to quickly respond (with the hand, finger, or foot) to a signal (sound, light, picture) when it appears.
- Speed of Closure: The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Control Precision: The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
- Visualization: The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Arm-Hand Steadiness: The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
- Finger Dexterity: The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
- Memorization: The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
- Response Orientation: The ability to choose quickly between two or more movements in response to two or more different signals (lights, sounds, pictures). It includes the speed with which the correct response is started with the hand, foot, or other body part.
- Multilimb Coordination: The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
- Manual Dexterity: The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
- Depth Perception: The ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
- Rate Control: The ability to time your movements or the movement of a piece of equipment in anticipation of changes in the speed and/or direction of a moving object or scene.
- Wrist-Finger Speed: The ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
- Trunk Strength: The ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without "giving out" or fatiguing.
- Glare Sensitivity: The ability to see objects in the presence of a glare or bright lighting.
- Spatial Orientation: The ability to know your location in relation to the environment or to know where other objects are in relation to you.
- Gross Body Coordination: The ability to coordinate the movement of your arms, legs, and torso together when the whole body is in motion.
- Gross Body Equilibrium: The ability to keep or regain your body balance or stay upright when in an unstable position.
- Peripheral Vision: The ability to see objects or movement of objects to one's side when the eyes are looking ahead.
- Speed of Limb Movement: The ability to quickly move the arms and legs.
- Sound Localization: The ability to tell the direction from which a sound originated.
- Night Vision: The ability to see under low-light conditions.
- Explosive Strength: The ability to use short bursts of muscle force to propel oneself (as in jumping or sprinting), or to throw an object.
- Static Strength: The ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
- Dynamic Flexibility: The ability to quickly and repeatedly bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Extent Flexibility: The ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
- Stamina: The ability to exert yourself physically over long periods of time without getting winded or out of breath.
- Dynamic Strength: The ability to exert muscle force repeatedly or continuously over time. This involves muscular endurance and resistance to muscle fatigue.
Tools Used by Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
- Air compressors
- Air monitoring equipment
- Air purifying respirators
- Air sample collection equipment
- Area gamma monitors
- Automatic control systems
- Control rod drives
- Cooling towers
- Desktop computers
- Fuel handling systems
- Generator control panels
- Leak detection equipment
- Level transmitters
- Master-slave manipulators
- Nuclear plant hazard alarm systems
- Nuclear reactor control rod operation systems
- Personal computers
- pH testers
- Pipe camera inspection systems
- Pocket dosimeters
- Portable two way radios
- Portal monitors
- Power plant turbine control panels
- Protective shoe covers
- Radiation monitoring instruments
- Radiation survey meters
- Safety coveralls
- Safety gloves
- Seismic monitoring instruments
- Spent fuel handling machines
- Ventilation systems
- Video borescopes
- Water conductivity testers
- Water deionization equipment
- Water recirculation pumps
- Water samplers
- Water softeners
Technology Skills required for Nuclear Power Reactor Operator
- Data logging software
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Azure software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Power Automate
- Microsoft Power BI
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft SharePoint
- Outage management system OMS
- Plant information data entry software
- Structured query language SQL