Nuclear Engineer

Also known as:

Atomic Engineer
Engineer, Nuclear

Introduction

Nuclear engineers research, design, develop and manage the systems for producing electricity from nuclear energy. As well as running nuclear installations they also have responsibility for waste management, radiological safety and protection and decommissioning (closing down) nuclear power stations.

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Work Activities

In a nuclear power station, some nuclear engineers are responsible for operations engineering. They work in the central control room, where they operate and monitor all the essential plant systems on a round-the-clock basis. Nuclear engineers deal with routine operations such as starting up and shutting down the plant. They must also deal with emergency operations and plant faults.

Nuclear engineers manage a wide range of electro-mechanical systems, including boilers, turbines, fuelling machines, diesel electrical generators and seawater cooling pumps.

They are responsible for all aspects of safety in and around the installation. They study the likely causes of accidents and prepare reports on how best to tackle or avoid them. They also ensure that staff are aware and well trained in health and safety.

Nuclear engineers manage the process by which nuclear power plants are shut down for routine maintenance and inspection. These periods are known as outages.

They must make sure that the installation, testing and commissioning of all machinery and systems meets time, budget and quality targets. Some nuclear engineers are responsible for business plans and financial budgets.

They provide engineering solutions to technical issues as they occur, as well as planning and delivering programmed plant upgrades and modifications and managing maintenance and repair programmes.

Other long-term work involves thinking of ways to close down and make safe redundant nuclear reactors - this is called decommissioning. Nuclear engineers think about how to retrieve, treat and store any waste from the site. At the start of a decommissioning project, nuclear engineers weigh up all the options and work out a timetable, budget and risk-assessment strategy.

Environmental safety and radiological protection are essential concerns for nuclear engineers. Nuclear engineers advise on all aspects of radioactive waste management. They develop waste management strategies, such as designing and developing special containers (or flasks) to transport used or 'spent' fuel to scientists for recycling. It is vital that the containers are secure and made from the right materials, to stop the radioactive waste from leaking.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

You must have excellent engineering knowledge and a logical, methodical and thorough approach to solving problems.

You need good team working skills to support colleagues; you must be able to communicate well with other engineers and scientists.

You must be committed to protecting the safety of the public and the environment. You must be willing to learn and develop new knowledge, to keep up-to-date with environmental issues and public concerns about nuclear safety.

To plan timetables and budgets, you need good organisational, written and number skills. The ability to stay calm and work well under pressure is very important.

You will need strong computer skills to use, and sometimes develop, a wide range of sophisticated technology. You may supervise or train maintenance teams, so you must have good leadership skills; you need to be able to encourage and motivate others.

You usually need good colour vision.

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Pay and Opportunities

Salaries for nuclear engineers vary, depending on employer, role and responsibilities.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Nuclear engineers earn in the range of £24,000 - £27,500 a year, rising to £34,000 - £42,000. Higher earners can make around £50,000 a year, and higher salaries are possible.

Nuclear engineers usually work 35-40 hours, Monday to Friday. However, many engineers in power stations work on shift rotas to provide 24 hour plant operation. You may need to start early, finish late or work weekends.

Opportunities for nuclear engineers are likely to be with:

• the electricity supply companies who operate the nuclear power stations, either at the stations or in central support
• consultants providing technical support to the supply companies
• construction companies that design, develop and build the power plant
• the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) in research and consultancy work
• companies handling radioactive materials
• bodies overseeing the operational safety and environmental aspects of the nuclear industry.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or HND course, a college or university Access course (eg, Access to Engineering) could be the way in.

These courses are designed for people who have not followed the usual routes into higher education. No formal qualifications are usually needed, but you should check this with individual colleges.

Funding for postgraduate courses is available through universities from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

There are other pathways through which adults can register as Chartered or Incorporated Engineers, such as career progression and routes based on the achievement of occupational standards.

• 14% of people in occupations such as nuclear engineer are self-employed.
• 6% work part-time.
• 10% of employees have flexible hours.

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