Was wondering if anyone here works in this field. Or knows of someone who does. Planning on getting into the program and looking for any feedback.
Thanks
I don’t know terribly too much, as I only occasionally work with radioactive/nuclear materials.
I know that, primarily, the regulatory code that deals with transportation of nuclear materials is Code of Federal Regulations number 42, commonly abbreviated as “CFR 42”.
You should look into the NRC codes, regulating radioactive items and the transport thereof.
I’m not a courier; that being said, any, and I mean any, time a nuclear device is transferred, moved, budged, nudged, etc., you will be required to have a dated bill of lading, copies of your firm’s licenses, etc. There’s always an ungodly amount of paperwork that must be present at all times.
Posting, or as I call it, advertising, on the transport vehicle that nuclear materials are present is no longer required for security purposes.
You’ll need to get a certification of some kind, depending on what type of materials you’ll be working with/transporting. Usually these are given through training programs offered through your employer.
Most radioactive materials are housed in a manner that limits your exposure. I believe the yearly permissable dose is 5,000 millirems, something you’ll probably never be exposed to, even in a lifetime as a courier, due to a lack of direct exposure. You’ll most likely get a film-strip badge that monitors your exposure monthly.
As I’ve stated, I’m not a courier, but the regualtory codes, IIRC, are pretty much universal, in regards to the transport of radiological devices.
The question he is asking was in regards to the federal agents that make up the security detail for the transportation of nuclear materials and the various components of the nuclear field, both weapons and power plant needs. Also the security of our various nuclear facilities.
My bad, broski.
My experience lies only in the private sector.
I assume you’ve seen these links before.
What would you like to know?
The couriers are Federal Agents, but do not enforce any laws outside of DOE property. They do not carry outside of their duties.
The course lasts about 6 months, and you won’t make much money during it, but afterwards you can rack up some road time.
They do not protect fixed sites, that is handled by contractors, but they maintain similar standards, and clearances.
You will need to be able to be granted a clearance thru DOE, and be certified in the HRP program. If you have any history of drug use, weapons violations, vehicle accidents, drinking or DUI’s, etc it will make it very difficult. You will need to pass a physical and psychological exam.
You will need to get a CDL, its part of the 6 month program.
What else?
BTW, fuel for a nuclear reactor the generates power for delivery to the grid, is not in the same category as Special Nuclear Material, category 1 and 2. It does not require the same level of protection, and the couriers do not transport it.
Bob
Nuclear power plant fuel is not activated until it is set into the reactor. It ships into here on regular tractor trailers… there is no security force following it or anything crazy.
I work for a nuclear power plant. I’m setting about 200 yards from the reactor right now :]
Activated?
It comes in not yet bombarded. Once it is loaded into the core and lowered it gets bombarded by the other fuel. Fuel rod changes are not done in mass, its a slow rotation of the oldest rods. So anyways, when the fuel comes in new it is giving off radiation, but nothing to write home about. Once it goes into the core and gets hit with massive electrons it goes crazy and that is how the fuel gets turned on… in VERY simple terms.
It’s like your wife… you have to excite it before it gets all hot and wild.
Sorry dude! Not a very good explanation of the physics or the process. Besides the fact that neutrons do the deed, not electrons, you have some other misunderstandings in your discussion.
BTW, I’m not a nuclear engineer, but I was in the control room of TMI 1 while it was being commissioned and obviously before the meltdown. Crawled through the reactor containment vessel of TMI 2 to debug some equipment I was working on. I don’t think I want to go back to either since the meltdown. :eek:
Then you know what it does and that the fuel needs excited to get goin.
I am the NDE dept, I look at welds. I don’t get involved with operations, I am engineering/technical services.
I just know that the fuel comes in soon on a tractor trailer (Last week I MT’ed the forks on the fork lift that will moving it) and the fuel will be staged for insertion. I know that after insertion the surrounding fuel will activate the new rods. Then we get pay checks. Big ones.
I am no scientist myself! But I slept at a holiday inn last year. Once. Well, it was a Holiday Inn Express. Does that count?
That’s my problem, I’ve been using electrons on her when I need bigger neutrons.
I hope I’m not boring everyone with this. If I am either publicly or privately let me know.
Uranium is always giving off neutrons. Some of them are captured by other uranium atoms so that they induce a fission which gives off neutrons. The trick is to create the density of neutrons (amount and speed) capable of being captured to create enough heat to be useful. You take this too far and you have a meltdown. You take this to the extreme and of course you have a bomb. The architecture of the reactor does not permit the density required for a bomb, but we know from experience that, if mismanaged, they can produce a meltdown.
Surrounding rods help create fission in the new rods and the new rods help create fission in the older rods. The difference is that the older rods accumulate fission products that are more radioactive and more dangerous to humans. One of which is plutonium. That’s why new rods have different transport requirements than used rods. That’s why you have cooling pools to store the old rods and you don’t need one for the new rods.
I have never heard of the term activation related to fuel rods. Perhaps “activation” refers to the creation of these more lethal byproducts and not their heat generation properties.
I’m a security officer at a DOE sight. The courriers or “agents” as they liked to be called, drive the big rigs and generally make the majority of their money when they’re on the road. I think they top out at GS 10 but I’m not sure on that. We actually make really good money protecting the facility but it comes from working alot of overtime. DOE is notorious for hiring a bunch of people and then a few years later, laying off a bunch. This usually happens when a Democrap takes office. I know the courriers have had layoffs too so it’s something to be aware of if you want to give up a career for this one.
OST Agents (Couriers) have never had a layoff yet. Can’t get enough people to stick with the rough travel schedule. Best job I ever had! Best firearms and fireams training bar none (I’ve attended numerous local, state, and federal firearms training events) and the equipment is top notch. It is the best single person’s job(person, cause we have one female).
Didn’t she quit?
Bob
Which site? Headin to SPOTC this year?
Couriers aren’t on the GS schedule anymore.
Bob
As to all the Nuclear reactor stuff…its still not the same stuff in a bomb, even after it been spent. It needs quite abit of further processing to be “weapons grade”, it does not require the same level of protection. And DOE couriers don’t have anything to do with it, as far as I know.
One of the projects goin on in DOE right now, is re-processing SNM into fuel. They call it burning it down.
Bob
Nuclear Materials Courier job listings. I’ve found this job search engine one of the best.
Yes it is, sort of. Enrichment is the process of increasing the density of the fissionable isotope of uranium relative to the non fissionable isotope. Density, in my remarks covers a host of nuclear physics concepts. I did not mean to imply the ratio of fissionable to non fissionable material used in the reactor could achieve the density required for a nuclear bomb.
Spent fuel is a vague concept. Generally it means no longer useful for producing power efficiently in a reactor of a given technology. Yet it may still contain considerable fissionable uranium. However the concentration is reduced as it is used up and the rods become polluted by the byproducts of fission. One of the byproducts is plutonium, which is a fissionable material suitable for reactors or bombs. Some reactors produce more, some less depending on the reactor technology.