Ben Jonson ITA

Integrated Technology Assessment
NUC 495
Benjamin Jonson
Student ID: 30636902
Term (August/2014)

Table of Contents
A. Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................... 4
B. Outcomes
Outcome 1 ......................................................................................................................... 9
Outcome 2 ......................................................................................................................... 17
Outcome 3 ......................................................................................................................... 22
Outcome 4 ......................................................................................................................... 28
Outcome 5 ......................................................................................................................... 34
Outcome 6 ......................................................................................................................... 38
Outcome 7 ......................................................................................................................... 42
Outcome 8 ......................................................................................................................... 50
Outcome 9 ......................................................................................................................... 59
Outcome 10 ....................................................................................................................... 63
Outcome 11 ....................................................................................................................... 68
Outcome 12 ....................................................................................................................... 74
Outcome 13 ....................................................................................................................... 76
C. Evidence Used to Support Learning Statements
Tab C-1 - Excelsior College: My Academic Plan ............................................................. 84
Tab C-2 - Joint Services Transcript ..................................................................................
Tab C-3 - Military Record Page 4: Qualifications ............................................................
Tab C-4 - Simpson Model 260-8 data sheet .....................................................................
Tab C-5 – Completion Certificate for Navy Recruiter Orientation Unit ..........................

C. Evidence Used to Support Learning Statements (continued)
Tab C-6 - Value Oriented Recruiting certificate …...........................................................
Tab C-7 - Military Evaluations .........................................................................................
Tab C-8 - College Writing II: Consumers Only Buy What They Think They Need.........
Tab C-9 - College Writing II: Pro/Con Worksheet …........................................................
Tab C-10 - Radiological Control Technician Qualification School Certificate ................
Tab C-11 - Trident Refit Facility RadCon Training Letter of Qualifications ...................
Tab C-12 - Completion Certificate for Naval Nuclear Power Training …........................
Tab C-13 - Completion Certificate for Nuclear Power Course ….....................................
Tab C-14 - Completion Certificate for Electronics Technician Nuclear Field 'A' School
Tab C-15 - Completion Certificate for Electronics Technician Maintenance School …...
Tab C-16 - Completion Certificate for CNRSE Auxiliary Security Force Academy …...
Tab C-17 - Letter of Commendation dated 18Aug2007 …...............................................
Tab C-18 - Navy Achievement Medal dated 10Mar2005 ….............................................
Tab C-19 - Controlled Industrial Facility RLW System Flow Schematic …....................
Tab C-20 - Navy Achievement Medal dated 5May2004 …..............................................
Tab C-21 - Business Ethics: Ethical Dilemmas in Terminating Employees ….................
Tab C-22 - Vehicle Titles …..............................................................................................
Tab C-23 - Homesteading Book List …............................................................................
Tab C-24 - Home brewing Book List …...........................................................................
Tab C-25 - BSNET to MBA Program …...........................................................................
Tab C-26 - Song Book List …...........................................................................................

Inert typical resume heading here
All things I don't want public on the internet
EDUCATION
• Excelsior College, studying towards Bachelors of Science
in Nuclear Engineering Technology.
October 2013 – Present
• POST University Associate of Science in Management
with High Honors
May 2012 - August 2013
• Navy Recruiting Orientation Unit Pensacola, FL, earned
NEC 9585
March 2011 – April 2011
• Electronics Technician Maintenance School Kings Bay,
GA, earned NEC 3373
March 2005 - April 2005
• Commander Navy Region Southeast Auxiliary Security
Force Academy Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, GA
October 2002 – November
2002
• Radiological Controls Technician Qualification School
Portsmouth, VA, earned NEC 3376
April 2002 – August 2002
• Thomas Nelson Community College Hampton, VA August 2001 – October 2002
• Naval Nuclear Power Training Command Charleston, SC
Nuclear Propulsion Plant Operator earned NEC 3383
July 1997 – January 1998
• Naval Nuclear Power Training Command Orlando, FL
Electronics Technician 'A' School and Nuclear Power
School
May 1996 – June 1997
• Community College of Allegheny County Monroeville, PA August 1995 – December 1995
PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION AND CERTIFICATIONS
• Advanced Recruiter Raleigh, NC: Recruits individuals into the U.S.
Navy and Naval Reserve. Communicates and relates effectively with
prospects, groups and the community. Personally cover 4 counties in
Western NC to include 5 High Schools and 6 colleges. Manage 2 junior
Sailors and an average of 30 Future Sailors awaiting to ship to Recruit
Training Command. Perform multiple presentations every month on the
Navy scholarship, nuclear field and special warfare opportunities. Work
in a military and civilian environment to process applicants into the
Navy. Earned multiple station awards and helped in junior Sailors
getting medals, recognition and other awards. Community involvement
to include speaking to children in the middle schools, Sea Cadets, Boy
and Cub Scouts. Also, judge every Junior ROTC competition in
western North Carolina.
July 2011 –
present
• Command Fitness Leader (CFL): Administered the Navy's Fitness
Enhancement Program to Sailors that did not meet the standards. Also
scheduled the Physical Fitness Assessment for reactor department.
June 2006 –
November 2008
• Surface Reactor Controls Supervisor (NEC 3393): Supervised the
operation and maintenance of surface ship Nuclear Propulsion Plants
reactor control equipment.
February 2007
• Reactor Operator (CVN 65) Norfolk, VA: Performed reactor startups
and shutdowns while monitoring plant parameters to ensure reactor
safety. Performed preventative and corrective maintenance on reactor
controls equipment.
November 2006

• Reactor Control Equipment Operator (CVN 65) Norfolk, VA:
Monitored, logged, and maintained nuclear instrumentation and other
reactor control equipment.
July 2006
• Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS): Provided sufficient
knowledge on Naval heritage, Navy organization, shipboard
organization, Deck, Operations, Combat Systems, and Engineering
department fundamentals, HAZMAT, hazardous waste, and pollution
controls on board a Naval vessel.
February 2006
• Nuclear Propulsion Plant Electronics Maintenance Supervisor (NEC
3373): Supervised the organizational and depot level maintenance on
reactor control systems.
May 2005
• Radiological Controls Shift Supervisor (RCSS) Trident Refit Facility
Kings Bay (TRFKB), GA: Military equivalent to Senior Radcon
Technician (SRCT).
July 2004
• Effluent Tank Operator TRFKB, GA: Operated and watched the
PRWCT as it received RLW. Tank pressure, hydrogen levels and flow
rate were all controlled.
November 2003
• DiOctylPhthalate (DOP) Equipment Operator TRFKB, GA: Performed
DOP testing of all HEPA filters in the CIF and maintained the DOP
equipment.
November 2003
• Radiological Controls Technician (RCT) TRFKB, GA July 2003
• Radioactive Liquid Waste System Operator TRFKB, GA: Purified
RLW into CPW and maintained the RLW system.
July 2003
• Controlled Industrial Facility Security Watch TRFKB, GA: Controlled
entry into the CIF and into the Radiologically Controlled Area.
May 2003
• Beretta M9 9mm qualification Expert TRFKB, GA November 2002
• Mossberg 500 shotgun qualification TRFKB, GA November 2002
• Oleoresin Capsicum qualification TRFKB, GA October 2002
• Reactor Operator (CVN 69) Norfolk, VA December 1999
• Shutdown Reactor Operator (CVN 69) Norfolk, VA July 1999
TECHNOLOGY-RELATED EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
United States Navy – Nuclear Electronics Technician:
• USS Enterprise CVN 65
• Station Office Leading Petty Officer (2008 – 2011): Managed
an 8 person multi-rate division that coordinated between the
shipyards, various contractors, Bettis Atomic Labs, Reactor
Plant Contracting Office, Naval Reactors Representatives
Office and the Ship's Force Division for all of the maintenance
and repair of an 8 nuclear reactor complex. Specific duties
were: writing temporary instructions to supplement existing
procedures for clarification, conducting research for incident
reports/fact findings, and maintaining the classified intranet.
• Reactor Controls Division 2 and 3 Plant Leading Petty Officer
(2006 -2008): Managed approximately 25 junior Sailors at a
time to perform the maintenance and operation of a dual nuclear
reactor and propulsion complex (A2W). Maintenance included
repair and upkeep of digital and analog systems.
Troubleshooting and repair was down to the component level.
February 1996 –
Present

Inspected and performed soldering jobs as required to NASA
standards. Wrote procedures that referenced multiple technical
manuals for use in nuclear and electrical repair work.
• USS George Washington CVN 73
• Reactor Controls Division Leading Petty Officer (2005):
Managed administrative issues for a 70 person division.
• Steam Dump Operator (2005): Operated the steam dump valve
for steam plant testing for post shipyard repairs.
• Trident Refit Facility Kings Bay (TRFKB)
• Radiological Controls Shift Supervisor - RCSS (2004 – 2005):
Responsible for the oversight of all nuclear work on tended
ships and the Controlled Industrial Facility (CIF).
• Radiological Controls Technician (2003 – 2005): Performed
nuclear work on tended ships and the CIF. Work included 3
submarine Ion Exchanger/Hot Filter media discharges, 3 high
rad nuclear lifts, 2 demineralizer resin replacements, 2 shielding
installation and removal inside the reactor compartment, 9
Discharge Retention Tank (DRT) gauge repairs, multiple
Portable Radioactive Liquid Waste Collection Tank (PRWCT)
movements, fills, maintenance and drains.
• Pure Water equipment operator (2003 – 2005): Performed
cleanliness inspections and maintained the pure water system
filter adapters for delivering pure water to tended submarines.
• Radioactive Liquid Waste (RLW) system operator (2003 –
2005): Maintained the RLW system as well as purified RLW
into Controlled Pure Water for use as make up water for tended
submarines and the CIF.
• USS Dwight D. Eisenhower CVN 69
• Work Controls Electronics Technician (2000 – 2002): Proving
and writing complex electrical and mechanical tag outs for
repair and upgrades to an A4W nuclear complex. Worked
extensively with MS Word, Access, Excel, Java, and Visual
Basic, as well as blueprints/microfiche provided by the
shipyards, contractors, and ship's force.
• Maintenance Personnel (1998 – 2002): Performed maintenance
and operated instrumentation and control equipment for a
single-reactor propulsion plant.
PROFESSIONALACTIVITIES OUTSIDE OF YOUR EMPLOYMENT SETTING
• Cub Scout Pack 218 Webelos I and II Leader 2009 - 2010
• Cub Scout Pack 320 Bears Leader 2008
• Asheville Sea Cadets regular guest speaker 2011 – present
CONTINUING EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
• Excelsior College, studying towards Bachelors of Science in Nuclear
Engineering Technology. Expected completion date: December 2014
October 2013 –
Present
AWARDS AND HONORS RECEIVED
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal while serving as
Reactor Controls Technician. Awarded for managing the pre-overseas
August 2007

movement ship's work list that included hundreds of maintenance
actions and dozens of pre-availability checks.
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal while serving as RCSS
and Nuclear Facilities Division Technician. Awarded due to the
implementation of a temporary RLW system so the CIF could process
RLW while maintenance was performed on the main system.
March 2005
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal while serving as
Nuclear Facilities Division Pure Water Equipment Operator. Awarded
for the improvement upon the system saving hundreds of man-hours,
performing 2 PRWCT cleanings, and 2 complex dual media
discharges and 2 Discharge Retention Tank gauge repairs.
May 2004
• Commanding Officer's Letter of Commendation for fourth gold
wreath award. The gold wreath is given for consistency in recruiting
applicants into the Navy over a 3 month range.
August 2013
• Commanding Officer's Letter of Commendation while serving as
Reactor Controls Technician. Awarded for expertly troubleshooting
noise in the 3A reactor source range nuclear instruments for 3 days
straight. The actions performed allowed the ship to fulfill her
operational commitment without delay.
August 2007
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
• Developed and presented sales of the Nuclear Power Program and the
Reserve Officers' Training Corps scholarship to the target audience
for recruiting applicants into the Navy.
2011 – present
• Developed and presented numerous work packages and work
authorization briefs for work on reactor control systems.
June 2005 –
February 2011
• Developed and presented numerous training presentations on Reactor
Plant systems and theory.
June 2005 –
February 2011
• Developed and presented numerous work packages, controlled work
packages, and work authorization briefs for work on radiological
systems.
September 2002 –
March 2005
SPECIAL COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS
• Computer programming: Java
• Windows XP, 7, 8 and 8.1
• MS Office 2010, 2013 and 365
• Shift Operations Management System (SOMS): Used for controlling
work packages and the tag out of systems for work.
• Rapid Data Management System (RDMS): Database system to track
training, qualifications, and personnel records.
• Quality Assurance handling including nuclear materials.
• Advanced first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
qualified

Program Outcome 1 – Select and apply appropriate knowledge, techniques, skills, and modern
tools of the natural sciences, including physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, atomic physics, and
nuclear physics, to solving problems in nuclear engineering technology areas.
Performance Indicators:
• Identify the specific scientific principles used
• Recognize the connections between the knowledge of natural sciences and your
discipline, job, hobby, or courses completed later
Learning Statements:
• I completed Physics I in college and earned credit for Physics II in Naval Nuclear Power
School (NNPS). An important concept that I took from those classes was the law of
conservation of energy and momentum. The conservation of momentum is described as:
P = mv, Σ Pinitial = Σ Pfinal
Where:
P is momentum
m is mass
v is velocity
The conservation of energy is described as:
KE = ½ mv2
, Energyinitial + Energyadded - Energyremoved = Energyfinal
Where:
KE is kenitic energy
Taking an object whose mass remains constant, the velocity will change as it loses energy
and momentum. These losses can be due to friction, collisions with other objects, or a
multitude of any other things, but all energy can be accounted for and is never lost. In
nuclear power we discuss in length the energy that a neutron transfers as it collides with
other matter. Understanding both of these formulas helped me grasp the concept of how the
neutron transfers its energy to surrounding matter – especially the moderator in pressurized

water reactors. Because energy is not lost, it is transferred to the moderator, the moderator's
energy increases and thus the average KE increases. My Excelsior College academic plan
and my Joint Services Transcript (JST) are used as evidence for completion of Physics I and
II.
• At NNPS I also took a chemistry class that introduced the chemicals added to the moderator
to maintain a basic pH. The main chemical that the Navy uses is ammonium hydroxide,
NH4OH. It undergoes the following reaction:
NH3 + H2O <
=> NH4OH <
=> NH4
+
+ OH-
This balance equation shows how adding NH4OH will stress the equation both ways making
more ammonia, NH3, and more hydroxide ions, OH-
, which will make pH become more
basic. One of the many specifications that the moderator must be within is hydrogen gas
concentration. Ammonia adds to this by the decomposition of ammonia from the gamma
flux of the reactor, thus adding nitrogen and hydrogen gas:
2NH3 + γ → N2 + 3H2
In order to lower the gas concentration, the moderator is degassed by venting off the
pressurizer. This ultimately lowers the concentration of ammonia as well. Knowing these
concepts helped me understand why we have to continually monitor and add NH4OH to the
reactor. My Excelsior College academic plan and my JST are used as evidence for
completion of Chemistry.
• One of the more challenging classes I took at NNPS was heat transfer and fluid flow. We
discussed the differences between laminar and turbulent flow in a pipe or channel. The way
heat is transferred across each environment is different, but follow concepts that I could
relate to. Laminar flow transfers heat similar to how conduction would:
Q̇ = k A (ΔT/Δx)
Where:
Q is power or heat generation ratė

k is the thermal conductivity
A is the contact area
ΔT is the change in temperature
Δx is the change in thickness
Turbulent flow transfers heat similar to how convection would:
Q = h Ȧ ΔT
Where:
h is the convection heat transfer coefficient
Heat being transferred across a pipe or channel of flowing water will have a temperature
profile that is curved in the laminar region and relatively constant in the turbulent region.
This is because of the constant mixing that occurs in the turbulent region. The fuel itself
generates heat so the shape of the temperature profile from the center of the fuel to the
cladding drops parabolically. Each material has a different ability to transfer heat. This is
called the R factor of the material. I would use a material that has a high R factor to insulate
my house because it does not transfer heat very well. It is explained further in its equation:
RMAT = Δx / kMAT
Where:
RMAT is the R factor for the material
Δx is the thickness of the material
kMAT is the thermal conductivity of the material
Understanding what the R factor of a material is led me into grasping the concept of heat
transfer across a system. The following formula explains how heat transfer works across
systems:
U = 1 / (RMAT1 + RMAT2 + … ), Q = U Ȧ ΔT
Where:
U is the overall heat transfer coefficient

Putting all of this knowledge together helped me understand the overall temperature profile
of a fuel cell from the center of the fuel all the way to the coolant. This allows us to be able
to calculate the peak central temperature (PCT) based on coolant flow and temperature:
Radial Temperature Profile Across a Fuel
Rod and Coolant Channel. Taken from:
http://nuclearpowertraining.tpub.com/h101
2v2/css/h1012v2_71.htm
My Excelsior College academic plan and my JST is used as evidence for completion of
Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer and Fluids.
• One of my favorite classes at NNPS talked about atomic physics. I learned that electrons
have different energy states inside of an atom. We described them as potential “wells” that
must be overcome in order to escape from the atom or change energy states. One of the most
interesting parts of the class was when we discussed the nuclear force. It solved my
unanswered question of how the protons and neutrons stayed together within the atom's
nucleus. When those two concepts were put together, I was able to understand how the
nuclear force took over when an atomic particle got close enough to the nucleus of the atom.
The electrostatic force between two charged objects can be described as:
Fe = (K Q1 Q2) / d2
Where:
Fe is the electrostatic force in newtons
K is 8.99 x 109
Nm2
/c2
Q is the charge of an object in coulombs

d is the distance between the objects in meters
The nuclear force between two subatomic particles can be described by the equation:
Fn = -H e^(d/d0) / d2
Where:
H is 1.9257 x 10-25
Nm2
d0 is 1.522 x 10-15
m
Putting the two equations together to come up with the total force exerted upon particles at
the atomic level will give us:
FTotal = [(K Q1 Q2) - H e^(d/d0)] / d2
Looking at the two equations does not do them any justice because the numbers are so
different. I took the liberty of graphing the two equations using Microsoft Mathematics. I
based the graph on the collision of two protons whose charge is 1.60 x 10-19
coulombs. The
y-axis is force in newtons vs. the x axis which is distance in meters. The break over is a little
over 1N of force. That is over 100 grams of force on an object that weighs as little as 1.67 x
10-24
grams. Notice the sudden drop off once the nuclear force takes control:

My Excelsior College academic plan and my JST are used as further evidence for
completion of classical and atomic physics.
• Another exciting class at NNPS taught me about nuclear and reactor physics. One of the
major concepts learned was the different types of induced nuclear reactions. Scattering
reactions involved a neutron interacting with a nucleus, exciting the nucleus, but the neutron
carries on and may or may not cause the nucleus to emit a gamma:
1
0n + A
ZX → (A+1
ZX)*
→ 1
0n + A
ZX , elastic
1
0n + A
ZX → (A+1
ZX)*
→ 1
0n + A
ZX + 0
0γ , inelastic
Absorption reactions are just that: they absorb the incoming particle and the result can differ
depending on the nucleus and the energy of the particle:
1
0n + A
ZX → (A+1
ZX)*
→ A+1
ZX + 0
0γ , capture (fusion)
1
0n + A
ZX → (A+1
ZX)*
→ A
Z-1Y + 1
1p , particle ejection
0
0γ + A
ZX → (A+1
ZX)*
→ A-1
ZX + 1
0n , particle ejection

1
0n + A
ZX → (A+1
ZX)*
→ FF1 + FF2 + 1
0n's + 0
0γ's , fission
When specifically talking about the thermal fuel U-235, one on which we dwell on
because of its use in Naval nuclear power plants, the reaction that it undergoes depends on
the energy level of the neutron interacting with it. We learned a unit called barns and a term
called thermal flux. To relate the terms together, we thought of throwing a baseball at the
side of a barn – the bigger the barn, the more likely that the baseball would hit it; Where the
baseballs related to the thermal flux and the chance to hit the barn was microscopic cross
section. Going back to U-235, it has a different number of barns for different reactions
called microscopic cross sections for absorption, scattering and fission. These are:
σ25
a0 = 681b, σ25
s0 = 13.8b, σ25
f0 = 582b
These values are based on a neutron velocity of 2200 m/s which corresponds to about
0.0253 eV. This energy is in the thermal region for U-235 and is great for fission. Absorption
greatly decreases as the energy of the neutron increases:
σ = σ0 (v0 / v)
The following graph represents the three different energy regions for a neutron concerning
U-235 – Thermal region < ~1 eV, Fast region > 100 eV, Resonance region is in between:
Taken from DOE-HDBK-1019/1-93 Module 2, Page 9

My Excelsior College academic plan, JST and page 4 of my military record are submitted as
evidence for my completion of nuclear physics and qualification of rector operator.
Evidence Used to Support Learning Statements:
• Tab C-1 - Joint Service Transcript
• Tab C-2 - Excelsior College Academic Plan
• Tab C-3 - Military Record Page 4: Qualifications

Program Outcome 2 – Demonstrate the ability to understand, measure, and provide quantitative
expressions of natural science phenomena, including observation, standard tests, experimentation
and accurate measurement.
• Determine the types of data needed; the instrumentation needed to record the data; and
the documentation, analysis, and presentation (both oral and written) of results
• Demonstrate competencies in using lab instrumentation that measures physical
quantities including error, accuracy, precision, and resolution
• Demonstrate recording and reporting skills
• My first school after recruit training command was Nuclear Electronics Technician 'A'
School. That is where I learned most of everything that I know about electronics. I further
expounded upon the elements of troubleshooting electronics at Electronics Technician
Maintenance School (ETMS). A fundamental concept that is used in almost every aspect of
electronics is Ohm's Law and how to calculate total resistance in a circuit. Ohm's Law is as
follows:
E = IR
Where:
E is voltage
I is current
R is resistance
Finding total resistance in a series circuit is done by the following formula:
RT = R1 + R2 + … + Rn
When working with a parallel circuit, it becomes a little more difficult:
1 / RT = 1 / (R1 + R2 + …+ Rn)

In the Navy, we often use an analog Simpson or a digital Fluke multimeter. For a Simpson,
I pulled up the data sheet for a 260-8 analog VOM from www.simpsonelectronic.com. It is
important to select test equipment that will be appropriate for the job. You want test
equipment whose sensitivity is close to that of the equipment that you are measuring. On the
data sheet, I can see what the VOM's sensitivity and accuracy is for the ranges that I will be
using. For the 260-8, measuring a DC voltage, the sensitivity is 20kΩ per volt and the
accuracy is 2% of full scale. Meter accuracy is a ratio of the voltage measured when the
meter is in the circuit to true voltage:
KV = VW / V0
This makes percent error:
% error = 100% * (V0 – VW) / V0
Meter sensitivity is simply the ratio of meter resistance to the voltage range used. I will
demonstrate how adding a VOM to a circuit will measure a voltage that is slightly different
than true voltage. Using a simple circuit to demonstrate the above concepts, I performed a
circuit lab at www.docircuits.com:
To find what the true voltage drop across R2 without the meter installed, I must first find
the total resistance of the circuit. RT = R2 + 1/(1/R0 + 1/R1) = 21.6667 Ohms. Using Ohm's
Law, I find the current to be E/RT = 0.5538 Amps. This gives a true voltage drop across R2:
E = I*R2 = 8.3077 Volts. When we add in a VOM to measure the voltage drop, we are
adding a parallel resistance into the circuit. I would use the 10 Volt DC range on the VOM.

The meter resistance, RM, is the sensitivity times the range, which is (20kΩ/V)(10V) =
200kΩ. This changes RT slightly: 1/(1/R2 + 1/RM) + 1/(1/R0 + 1/R1) = 21.6655 Ohms. Only
a 0.0012Ω difference. Total current is then 0.5539 Amps. The voltage measured is then
8.3075 Volts. These concepts helped me understand that test equipment can't be 100%
accurate and that picking the right test equipment is vital to measuring circuit parameters.
Also, these concepts are essential to understanding how measurements can change due to
fluctuation in the power supply, a currently calibrated VOM, a properly charged DMM,
properly insulated test leads, et cetera. There are many environmental factors that can
change the reading of a multimeter so it is vital to the success of the technician to take
multiple readings and to make sure that they make sense. My JST for completing Electronics
Technician 'A' School and ETMS, and the data sheet for the Simpson 280-6 VOM are
submitted as evidence.
• I continued to understand the importance of taking multiple measurements when I
completed Statistics at Post University. In a real life scenario, not in a lab, there are
variances in the readings that can't be avoided. An average, or mean, of the readings can be
determined to get a more accurate reading. The sample mean can be calculated by the
following formula:
x =̄ ∑xi / n
Where:
x is the sample mean̄
∑xi is the sum of the readings
n is the number of readings taken
As the number of test readings are taken increases, the standard deviation, s, decreases:
s = √(∑(xi – x)̄ 2
/ (n -1))

This results in a data set that makes a bell curve that is taller and skinnier. This allows the
technician to see outliers and a more accurate mean. My college transcripts are provided as
evidence for completing Statistics.
• In the Navy, I had a chance to attend Electronics Technician Maintenance School (ETMS).
There I continued to hone my skills as a technician by troubleshooting complicated
scenarios, learning to perform complex soldering jobs, and to make simple circuit board
repairs. I also learned better maintenance ethics and a good job briefing standard. Our main
technical manual was the Reactor Plant Instrumentation and Control Equipment
Maintenance manual, NAVSEA 0989-031-4000. In addition, we took from many other
manuals for performing maintenance such as Naval Ships' Technical Manual Chapter 300
Electric Plant, OPNAVINST 5100.19D Navy Occupational Safety & Health Program
Manual, NSN 0910-LP-110-8193 Tag-out Users Manual, COMUSFLTFORCOMINST
4790.3 Joint Fleet Maintenance Manual, NAVSEAINST 4790.8C 3-M Manual, NAVSHIPS
0967-000-0150 Electronics Installation & Maintenance Book, and the Naval Ships'
Technical Manual Chapter 491 Electrical Measuring & Test Equipment manual. The list is
by far not all inclusive, but they are the major manuals that we learned to use.
The maintenance personnel ethics that I use to this day are the point, read, verify, operate
method of doing maintenance, reader and performer to include data recording and
maintenance man signatures, “circle and X” method for procedural steps, the 7 step
procedure for performing troubleshooting, and verbatim repeat-backs.
Pre and post job briefing was a very useful tool. In a brief, I learned to lead a team of
technicians to discuss the scope of the work, safety items, equipment used, the experience of
the workers, the man-hours involved, system limitations due to the maintenance, any
radiation precautions, any stopping points, the duration of the work, identified workers and
supervisors, worker qualifications, how tag outs affect different systems, any paperwork

involved, how the paperwork needs to be reviewed and routed, and any required conditions
to perform the work. My JST is provided as evidence for completion of ETMS.
• Tab C-4 - Simpson model 260-8 data sheet

Program Outcome 3 – Select and apply the appropriate knowledge, techniques, skills and
modern tools of algebra, trigonometry, and calculus to solving problems in nuclear engineering
technology areas.
• Recognize and identify the mathematics used in problem-solving experiences
• Apply the fundamental of mathematics to either: coursework, job, or other life
experiences
• I have completed many math classes throughout my career. I took trigonometry, algebra and
calculus in high school, calculus again in NNPS and studied all the way up to calculus III in
college. Taking these classes without having practical use of the knowledge is useless. At
NNPS, I was able to apply most of what I learned. One of the first examples of using algebra
was applying it to dilution and concentration problems concerning static and dynamic
systems. When I was learning it, I thought that it was a very simple problem. Since then I
have had numerous situations where I needed to use that application. The most common
situation that I found myself in was reviewing the chemistry calculations for the primary
when we were going to do a chemical addition. Taking an example from previous
experience, I want to figure out how many bottles of ammonium hydroxide we need to
add to raise the pH to 10.20. We added by the bottle since we couldn't add a partial bottle.
The primary is assumed to be 10,000 gal and the initial pH was 9.80. Each quart bottle
contains 99.9% NH4OH. The formulas involved are:
pH = -log[H3O+
] pOH = -log[OH-
] pH + pOH = 14
Where:
[H3O+
] is the molarity of the hydronium ion in moles/L
[OH-
] is the molarity of the hydroxide ion in moles/L

The initial concentration of OH-
, [OH-
]0, can be figured out by the pH since pH + pOH = 14,
the initial pOH must be 14 – 9.80 = 4.20. [OH-
]0 = 10-pOH
= 10-4.20
= 6.31x10-5
M. The answer
is in moles per liter so we must convert the volume of the primary from gallons to liters.
Since there are 3.7854 liters per gallon, there are 37,854 liters in the primary. Using the
same method as before, our target pH is 10.20 which gives us a pOH of 3.80. The target
concentration, [OH-
]f, is then 10-3.80
= 15.85x10-5
M. Since the quart bottle is insignificant
when compared to the volume of the primary, I will assume that the final and initial volumes
are the same. To find how many moles we need to add, I will multiply the concentration by
the volume for both final and initial and then subtract the two values. This gives us [OH-
]f *
Vf – [OH-
]0 * V0 = 3.611 moles of OH-
. Since NH4OH completely disassociates in water, we
need to add 3.611 moles of NH4OH. Depending on the size and concentration of the bottles,
we would add enough bottles to meet that requirement without going over the target pH. Of
course each platform has local thumb rules to quickly determine how many bottles to add
without going over, but it is different for each platform. I submit page 4 of my military
record showing that I qualified reactor operator and shutdown reactor operator as evidence
as well as my JST and Excelsior College academic plan to show that I completed algebra.
• At NNPS, I learned that the Navy uses water as a moderator. One of the reasons that water is
used is because the hydrogen atoms in the water molecule allow for the best transfer of
energy from a colliding neutron because they are nearly the same size. To understand this
further, I used trigonometry and the law of the conservation of energy. In the real world,
nothing hits another object exactly dead on so I must use trigonometry in order to calculate
the energy imparted. The equation that we used was a ratio of total final KE to total initial
KE. It can be used for any object that a neutron hits:
KEf / KE0 = (A2
+ 2Aμ + 1) / (A + 1)2
Where:
A is the atomic mass in amu of the element that the neutron is colliding with

μ is (1 + A cos θ) / √(1 + 2A cos θ + A2
)
θ is the scattering angle
This equation uses mass in atomic mass units and since the neutron is 1amu, it is not present
in the equation. So for a 30º angle of incident with another hydrogen atom at rest:
The KEf / KE0 = 0.983. That means that the traveling neutron gave the neutron at rest 1.7%
of it's kinetic energy. When the angle is a true 180º angle, μ is removed from the equation.
Another example of a neutron hitting an oxygen atom at a 180º angle gives a KEf / KE0 =
0.801. Because the oxygen atom is so much bigger than the neutron, the neutron only
imparts about 20% of its energy with a head on collision. Being able to see and understand
how energy is transferred by the use of algebra and trigonometry is an immense help in
understanding how the basis of nuclear power works. Provided as evidence of completion of
trigonometry is my JST and my Excelsior College academic plan.
• I had mentioned that I took calculus all the way up to calculus III but I have not had a use
for anything other than the basic building blocks learned in calculus I. Being able to
understand the relationship of a curve and how it changes over time just by looking at the
curve has been an important tool. In NNPS we were required to draw what the rate of
change curve would look like for various curves. One of the ways we discussed changes in a
curve was by looking at each term in the equation. Using arrow analysis of major and minor
terms helped us understand how, over time, the curve should look like. Specifically, I recall
deriving the xenon balance equation from the rate of change of xenon and iodine in the
reactor. The equation for iodine is as follows:
dNI
/ dt = γI ε Σf
fuel
ϕth – λI NI
Where:
dNI
/ dt is the rate of change of iodine concentration in the reactor
γI ε Σf
fuel
ϕth is the production of iodine from fission of U-235
λI NI
is the loss of iodine through natural decay

The production of iodine through fission is affected by fission. So, as power changes in the
reactor, ϕth changes accordingly and thus so does the concentration of iodine, NI
. The
formula for the change in xenon is similar:
dNXe
/ dt = γXe ε Σf
fuel
ϕth - λXe NXe
+ λI NI
- σa
Xe
NXe
ϕth
Where:
dNXe
/ dt is the rate of change of xenon concentration in the reactor
γXe ε Σf
fuel
ϕth is the production of xenon from U-235
λI NI
is the production of xenon from the decay of iodine
λXe NXe
is the loss of xenon through natural decay
σa
Xe
NXe
ϕth is the loss of xenon through absorption called burnout
When the reactor is at steady state, the rate of change for each equation is zero and we can
manipulate each to find the xenon equilibrium equation:
γI ε Σf
fuel
ϕth = λI NI
eq
γXe ε Σf
fuel
ϕth + λI NI
eq = σa
Xe
NXe
eq ϕth + λXe Nxe
eq
Substituting γI ε Σf
fuel
ϕth for λI Ni
eq in the xenon equation gives us:
γXe ε Σf
fuel
ϕth + γI ε Σf
fuel
ϕth = σa
Xe
NXe
eq ϕth + λXe Nxe
eq
ε Σf
fuel
ϕth (γXe + γI) = NXe
eq (σa
Xe
ϕth + λXe)
Which gives us the final equations of:
Nxe
eq = ε Σf
fuel
ϕth (γXe + γI) / (σa
Xe
ϕth + λXe)
NI
eq = γI ε Σf
fuel
ϕth / λI
Here, I was taught to use arrow analysis for different points of time of power change to
determine what the change in concentration over time looked like. For xenon, when reactor
power would initially increase, ϕth increases immediately so burnout was the major
contributor to the equation so concentration would go down. As time went on, the
concentration would bottom out as the production from fission and iodine would equal the
burnout rate (Approximately 3 hours). Eventually, the production terms would overwhelm

the loss due to burnout and decay and reach a new, higher concentration (Approximately 50
hours). For a down power in the reactor, the opposite is true, but the concentration peaks at
about 6 hours after the change in power. Shutting down the reactor completely removes the
ϕth term so burnout is completely removed and xenon concentration spikes after about 9
hours until it decays away to a more steady state level after about 70 hours. Knowing how
the rate of change of these poisons in the reactor greatly helps in understanding and
operating the reactor. Evidence of completing calculus is in my JST and my Excelsior
College status report and evidence of qualifying reactor operator is in my page 4 of my
military record.

Program Outcome 4 - Make oral technical presentations in Standard English using graphics and
language appropriate to the audience.
• Demonstrate good use of the English language in the presentation of technical topics
• Demonstrate good use of graphics in the presentation of technical topics
• Identify how the presentation was appropriately adapted to the audience
• Throughout my time in the Navy, I have had to both attend and give training for personnel
in my division and for people outside of my division. One of my main training audiences
was the people in my division who were still qualifying or they were newly qualified reactor
operators. For the most part, they had the basic knowledge of operating and maintaining
equipment associated with a Navy nuclear power plant. What I would train on was unit
specific details and basics that needed to be reiterated upon in order to continue in their
qualifications. Having attended hundreds of training sessions myself, I have learned a great
bit about what works in the classroom. One of the best ways that I have found that works is
bringing in the actual test equipment that we use as technicians. The equipment that we
learned in our schooling is different than what we actually use on the ship. This helps keep
the lecture interactive. Bringing up actual maintenance items that use the test equipment to
help relate how it is used is another method that I use to keep the listeners listening. Because
everyone in my division goes to these trainings, I have to keep the senior personnel involved
as well. I do this by doing some research and add in some deep knowledge tidbits that make
them get involved and think. It may go over some of the newer personnel's heads, but I have
been very surprised by the amount that people will absorb in training. I know that when I
attend training, I look for things that I did not know already. When presenting the the same
lecture to personnel that are outside of my division, I focus only on what is required for
them to know since all of us have to maintain a certain level of knowledge for out-of-rate

topics. When this is the case, I use a training guide provided to me from the training
department. Depending on who I am talking to, I relate the topic to things that they should
already have a good grasp on. For instance, when I am talking to mechanics about
electronics, I will relate diodes to check valves, zener diodes to relief valves, a resistor to an
inline orifice, batteries to pumps, et cetera. It is a great lecturing tool to relate the topic to
already known topics so the audience has a basis for remembering what they are learning.
Another thing that I have learned and that I avoid doing is to overwhelm the audience with
excessively detailed diagrams. I say this because I have been to many electronics technician
lectures that have the whole circuit projected up on the board. I have seen this with some
mechanic lectures where the whole system is presented in a slide. Our systems are too
complicated to present in that way. I, instead, use a simplified line diagram that uses the
main components to portray the concept that needs to be learned. In a case where specifics
need to be addressed, I will break the circuit down into parts such that they are clear and
presentable and not overwhelming. It is required as being a qualified reactor operator that I
provide training to the division. As evidence, I have my page 4 of my military record for
being qualified reactor operator and my JST.
• A major part of working in a shipyard environment is how civilian shipyard workers such as
shift test engineers (STE's) and the ship's force interact. One of the changes is how watch
turnover is conducted. We typically perform a pre-watch briefing that is performed in a
temporary classroom like a trailer in the hangar bay. Everyone that is going to relieve the on-
watch watch team attends this briefing. We go over current plant conditions, any evolutions
that we are going to perform on our watch, and any mishaps that have happened in the past
24 hours with lessons learned. These briefs are led by the watch officer (PPWO), the watch
supervisor (PPWS), and the STE. This ensures that the watch team is ready to assume the
watch because every watch stander is questioned about his or her watch station. As the
senior technician, I operate the reactor plant in the absence of the PPWO and PPWS. Any

evolutions that involve changes in reactor plant parameters, I conduct the brief on how it
will be performed and ensure that the watch standers know what they need to do as well. I
detail the brief to an audience that consists of every rate associated with operating a nuclear
power plant. There is nothing that is taught, but rather we check the knowledge of the watch
standers. I do have to change how I explain evolutions to the watch team. I go over what
needs to be done to the reactor plant parameters while the PPWO/PPWS/STE check the
knowledge of the individual watch standers. The way that we conduct pre-watch briefs
allows us to back each other up. When I do a one-on-one turnover with the on-watch watch
stander, I am much more detailed. We go over watch specific items such as tagged out
switches on our panel or any divisional maintenance that is non-intrusive to the watch team.
While sitting reactor operator, I also lead the maintenance, including the brief, that my
division is doing in the reactor plant.
This list is similar to what is covered in a brief:
◦ Current temperature/pressure/level:
◦ Current temperature/pressure/level bands:
◦ Current chemistry and bands:
◦ Current tank levels:
◦ Current equipment tagged out:
◦ Evolutions in progress:
◦ Major equipment status:
◦ Electric plant line up:
◦ Temporary systems installed:
◦ Evolutions to be performed:
◦ Expected changes in plant conditions:
◦ Expected difficulties and stopping points:

◦ Related incident reports:
◦ Previous difficulties:
My involvement ensures that everyone on the watch team is on the same page. Also, my
position as the leading petty officer of the Station Office, I oversaw the production of the
briefing sheet that was used. The above list is a condensed version of what was actually
used. As continued evidence, I have provided my evaluations showing my position as
leading petty officer of the station office and my experience in the shipyards, and my page 4
of my military record to show my qualifications as reactor operator and shutdown reactor
operator.
• During my time as a Navy recruiter, I learned in recruiting school (NORU) many lecturing
techniques that capture your audience's attention. One of the major items was body
language. We were taught the acronym VEGA that works for any audience. It stands for
Voice, Eye contact, Gestures and Attitude. We learned to talk directly to the audience. It is
hard to keep the attention of students when you have your back turned to them so we did
very little on the board. This is different than what I did on the ship because we had to write
a lot of notes on the board for personnel to copy down. We also had to talk loud enough to
bounce our voice off of the black board so we could be heard.
In a high school classroom, we were taught to look at the audience, but to not focus our eyes
on one particular person or section. It is important to scan the audience which will give eyes
on every student.
The next part is our gestures. There are many things that we do when we are nervous that we
don't even know we do. We were made aware of our own nervous habits like pacing, pen
clicking, saying “um” or “like” or “you know” over and over again.
The last part of body language is attitude. We were taught to smile no matter how we were
really feeling. I had a supervisor that would constantly tell us to look good, smell good and
feel good. That was something that he put in the back of our minds to bring us around and

make others want to talk to us.
For the actual lecture itself, we were taught a simple set up. Each presentation had a simple
structure of introduction, body and close. We would first do a short introduction of ourselves
and what we were going to cover. Then we would perform the lecture saving questions for
when we prompt for them. Finally we would close out the lecture with final questions from
both the students and the teacher. The body changed according to our audience. When we
were talking to a class that was part of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM) program, we would focus our lecture on the Navy's advanced programs like nuclear
power, special warfare and recruit officer training corps (ROTC). For a general class, we
would talk about setting yourself up for life. We called this the MATTRESS presentation. It
stood for money, adventure, travel, training, recreation, education, security, and success.
These are the topics that peak every high school student's interest. The acronym is written
long ways down the board and as each topic is hit, we fill out the word. We finally label it as
the bed of life. This entices students because now their thought process is that as long as
they have a check in the box for each letter of the acronym, they will be successful in life.
This is a great selling point for the military but we, of course, tailor our discussions to what
the Navy has to offer. These specific items are covered one on one with students after the
lecture. Evidence is my certificate for completion of NORU and value oriented recruiting
training (VALOR) as well as the page 4 of my military record showing that I was qualified
advanced recruiter.
• Tab C-5 - Navy Recruiter Orientation Unit (NORU) graduation certificate
• Tab C-6 - Value Oriented Recruiting certificate

Program Outcome 5 - Demonstrate proficiency in the written and graphical communication of
technical information supported by appropriate technical references using Standard English.
• Demonstrate the ability to organize and be concise in written communication
• Use effective grammar that does not impede meaning
• Use language appropriate to the audience
• Demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate grasp of technical concepts
• Based on knowledge of material science in college and NNPS, I will demonstrate how I
would write a quick guide on the brittle fracture prevention limits (BFPL) of a platform
specific nuclear reactor. I have performed many lectures on the BFPL derivation throughout
my Naval career. I will address this report to an audience that has taken material science
type classes. The first thing addressed is the importance of the BFPL for a reactor plant. The
report is broken up into three sections: Fracture Toughness (KIC), Nil-Ductility Transition
(NDT) Temperature, and tie together with cyclic stress and fatigue failure. In section I:
◦ What stresses go into total stress: thermal, pressure, residual
◦ Overlay the stresses on a pressure vessel wall as a graph
◦ Why limits on heat-up and cool-down rates are BFPL limits and why cool-down is
more limiting
◦ Maintain total stress (σTotal) < absolute total tensile stress (σa)
◦ KIC = Y σf √(π a), explain every part as a refresher.
◦ Explain design margin: KIC = Y σa DM √(π a)
◦ Explain crack arrest: KIA = Y σarrest √(π a) and why it is important to know for casualty
response.

In section II, I will lead in by talking about requirements for brittle fracture to occur –
preexisting flaw, tensile stress, little to no plastic deformation. Section II will consist of:
◦ Explain how different materials will break at different temperatures. Show it using a
charpy energy (impact energy) vs temperature graph.
◦ Point out the change in the curve going from ductile failure to brittle fracture.
◦ Point out NDT temperature and explain how adding 60˚F is approximately the
temperature at which crack arrest stress vs temperature curve intersects with the yield
stress vs. temperature curve. Explain why this is important.
◦ Show how irradiation moves the curve on a graph of impact energy vs. temperature to
the right. Also show how the shape of the curve is not affected and NDT moves
accordingly.
In section III, I will tie in the fact that irradiation affects different parts of the reactor
differently and that is why even though it may be made of the same material, the limits are
different. Section III will consist of:
◦ Explain how σa is different for different parts of the reactor: Reactor vessel, spray
nozzle, surge line, and pressurizer.
◦ Explain why we limit cycling of the spray valve and why it constantly trickles water
through it. - cyclic stress leads to fatigue failure.
◦ Explain why we want to maintain a constant direction of water surging into or out of
the pressurizer.
◦ Explain how allowable stress and NDT make up the BFPL by assuming maximum
thermal stress at all times, the only stress is pressure stress.
◦ Show pressure curves vs temperature for various reactor components. Draw an
outline that fits all of the curves into one curve and call it the BFPL.
This is the layout that I have used in the past to explain the hard concept of the BFPL to
qualifying technicians. It takes the knowledge that they have learned in schooling and

applies it specifically to the platform that they are qualifying on. Evidence to support my
ability to write reports will consist of my evaluations showing my position as the Station
Office leading petty officer where I wrote procedures using technical manuals to be able to
operate the reactor plant components safely in an unorthodox environment like the
shipyards, my page 4 of my military record for being qualified reactor operator where is it
required to understand and be able to present knowledge concerning BFPL derivation.
• Earlier in my college education, I took College Writing II and wrote an argumentative paper
on consumers and advertisements. I started off with choosing a claim. The claim was:
Honest advertisements do not make the consumer think that they need a product if they truly
do not need it. We broke down our argument into a pro/con check list. This allowed us to be
able to anticipate and counter any arguments that may be made against our claim. In the
paper I sympathized with the audience by presenting what most people think about
advertisements: It is a gimmick to get people to buy things that they don't need. From there,
I continued with personal experiences to relate even further with the audience. I broke my
experiences down to coincide with my claim. This way, I do not offend or insult the
audience, only myself. From there, I backed up my statements with published research from
a source that was credible in the field. In class, we covered how the television series “Mad
Men” related to our paper. So, I incorporated how the characters in the series support my
argument as well. Then I explained how I think when I go shopping by making a list of what
I need based on price, quality and tradition. I made note that those three aspects of making a
shopping list are very important to the consumer. Tradition plays a role because there are
some things that our parents bought that we are used to using and will continue to use.
Backing up my claim even further, I brought in a commercial that most everyone can relate
to, the Alka-Seltzer “Spicy Meatball”. The commercial was designed to let the consumer
remember that there is a product out there that can handle how one feels after having

indigestion. When we feel that way, the memory of the commercial is triggered and we
naturally want to feel better so we go for the Alka-Seltzer.
Now that I have had more education, I would drastically improve upon what I wrote. I
would make more references to back up my claim and expound upon every topic rather than
hit one and go on. Evidence is my report Consumers Only Buy What They Think They Need
from college, my pro/con worksheet, and my Excelsior College Academic Plan.
• Tab C-7 - Military Evaluations
• Tab C-8 - College Writing II: Consumers Only Buy What They Think They Need
• Tab C-9 - College Writing II: Pro/Con Worksheet

Program Outcome 6 - Demonstrate a working knowledge of computer applications or
documentation of the use of one or more computer software packages for technical problem
solving appropriate to the nuclear engineering technology discipline.
• Identify the problem solved through using a computer application/software package
• Discuss the rationale for choosing the described software/computer application
• Discuss how the described computer software package was used to solve a particular
problem
• Identify issues that arose and their resolution while using the described computer
software package
• While serving as the Leading Petty Officer for the Station Office on board USS Enterprise,
we implemented many programs that helped the Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW)
to track the many aspects of operating the reactor plants on the ship. We used Microsoft
Excel as a spreadsheet and database to allow each PPWO to input multiple parameters about
the reactor plant:
◦ Tank levels
◦ Electric plant lineup
◦ Reactor power
◦ Pump configurations
◦ Valve positions
◦ Primary chemistry
◦ Secondary chemistry
◦ Reactor plant parameters (Temperature, Pressure, Level)
◦ Out of commission equipment

This is a short list, but there were many other important items depending on the status of the
reactor plant. The PPWO's inputs also updated a main Microsoft Excel file that the EOOW
is able to look at and make decisions for operating the ship and use for turnover from watch
to watch. We made the Microsoft Excel file protected such that old parameters could not be
changed unless if an administrator did it and only fields in a new file could be manipulated
but the formulas for other fields could not be changed. This kept the program safe from
accidental changes to formulas and also kept the reports looking the same so it is easy to
compare day to day events for trend analysis. Microsoft Excel was used because it is a
familiar program to everyone that would maintain it making it easy for a newcomer to
understand and change if needed. The PPWO's and EOOW's who are inputting and reading
the data are also familiar with Microsoft Excel so there isn't a learning curve to use the
program. It also makes it easy to make reports from the data when the anyone needs to look
at data over a longer period of time. Before the online version, each PPWO had their own
version that contained the information needed, but it could be manipulated, formulas could
be broken and there was no master file that was updated so reports could not be made. This
made trend analysis very hard to do since the various reports were printed out and given to
the EOOW fro analysis so long term trends were easily missed. The system was initially
made with with the fields that needed to be entered as a highlighted cell with no protection
over the rest of the file. Our assumption that a PPWO or EOOW qualified person would
only enter what they needed and save the file was incorrect. It was a lot harder than it
sounds, but we were eventually able to make each file protected except for the required
fields to be entered. Also we had to limit access to the PPWO to his or her appropriate files
(Before, they had access to everything including the EOOW's master file). Since the files are
on the reactor plant classified LAN, computer log-ins and computer location determined the
access that was granted. I have supplied my evaluations showing that I was the leading petty

officer of the Station Office where one of our main purposes was to maintain the propulsion
plant LAN.
• While on board the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, one of my collateral duties was to maintain
and improve upon the Microsoft Access database for the Pump Noise Monitor (PNM). I had
taken over the collateral duty of maintaining the database for the PNM for number 2 reactor
plant. The PNM monitored the sound level of the Reactor Coolant Pumps (RCP) using
lead zirconium titanate crystals positioned in an x, y, and z axis atop the RCP. These
piezoelectric crystals produced an electric signal from the vibrations of the RCP which, in
turn, were converted to read out in decibels on the meter on the panel of the PNM itself.
Watch standers recorded PNM levels every hour in both plants, for each of the 8 total RCP's,
as required when operating. I would take old logs and manually type in the sound level (in
dB) and RCP frequency (in Hz) into the database for each RCP. This allowed for trend
analysis and casualty response for any of the 8 RCP's. It allowed watch standers to judge
whether or not the RCP's were operating normally or if failure was imminent because of the
baseline chart for common operating frequencies that I was able to produce from the data
that was taken. If a RCP was acting abnormally, I or anyone else who had access to the
reactor plant LAN would be able to generate a chart based on the frequency that the RCP
was operating at and compare and take immediate actions if necessary. Not many of us had
experience with Microsoft Access and it was hard to work with. To get around this problem,
I was able to export the data that I requested to a MS Excel file and from there I was able to
manipulate the data to be presented in a useful manner that everyone was accustomed to.
Another problem that arose was that the database files could not be e-mailed because of their
extension. The security of the LAN did not allow such files to be attachments. We would
sometimes need to send this data off ship to Bettis Atomic Labs for analysis. Our own
security protocol would not allow us to send such a file. To get around this, we would
simply remove the extension and change it to a *.txt file and inform the recipient that they

needed to change it back to a Microsoft Access database file extension in order to view the
data. Microsoft Access was chosen because it was easier to enter the data because of the
sheer amount that was presented every day – approximately 768 entries every day depending
on if the RCP was secured or not. Even though it was not a user friendly program, we could
still export it to a program that is: Microsoft Excel. As evidence, I submit my military
evaluation that shows that my collateral duty was to maintain number 2 plant PNM data.

Program Outcome 7 - Demonstrate technical competency in electrical theory, nuclear and
engineering materials, reactor core fundamentals, plant systems, heat transfer, fluids, health
physics/radiation protection, and radiation measurement.
• Show technical competencies / samples in all areas listed in objective
• Demonstrate knowledge and comprehension of fundamental technical concepts in all
listed areas
• Demonstrate problem solving skills in all listed areas
• My electrical theory background consists of the classes taken at my 'A' School. We covered
AC and DC circuits all the way up to digital electronics and radar systems. Part of my AC
circuits class, I learned about induction motors and synchros. One of the most fundamental
concepts learned was induction and electromotive force. This came into play when we
focused on how pole slippage can occur in these types of motors. Synchros, specifically, use
induction but in a different way. They come as a pair because as one synchro is moved
mechanically, the electrical signal moves the other synchro the same amount. The signal is a
voltage that is induced because the synchro, when it is moved, cuts across the
electromagnetic lines of force when it is out of phase. The voltage induced is known by this
formula:
Eg = K ϕfield N
Where:
Eg is induced voltage
K is a fixed constant
Φfield is the flux strength of the electromagnet field
N is the speed

A practical application of this is how the throttle valves are manipulated remotely from
the Enclosed Operating Station (EOS) on a nuclear powered aircraft carrier. On the
Propulsion Control Console (PCC), the Throttleman watch operates a hand wheel that is a
synchro that sends an electrical signal to a hydraulic power unit (HPU). At the HPU is a
receiver that turns the electrical signal into a hydraulic signal which moves the main engine's
throttles accordingly. If the throttleman were to move the hand wheel too fast, he or she
might slip the poles in the synchro because it may not be able to overcome the torque fast
enough. This action will cause the HPU and the PCC to not be synchronized and the
throttles will be in an unknown position. The receiver requires a certain amount of torque to
get it to initially spin. The formula for torque is similar to induced voltage such that:
Torque, T = K ϕfield Ia
Where:
T is the torque
Ia is the current
As evidence, I have supplied my page 4 of my military record showing that I was qualified
Throttleman and my JST showing my military schooling.
• In my reactor technology class at NNPS, I learned about the type of nuclear fuel that the
Navy uses for its pressurized water reactors. The Navy uses the thermal fuel of enriched
uranium 235. They are made into uranium oxide pellets which are coated with niobium to
minimize reacting with surrounding metals and to help prevent crushing the pellet during the
roll bonding process. The pellets are zoned both axially and radially inside of a zirconium-2
matrix. The zoning is performed to help even out the flux distribution of the core throughout
core life. For even more corrosion prevention, zirconium-4 is roll bonded to the outside of
the fuel rods. Zirconium-4 is less susceptible to steam corrosion if by chance there was a
critical heat flux violation and steam formed in the channel. I have supplied my JST as
evidence for completion of the reactor technology class.

• In my nuclear materials class at NNPS and my materials science for engineers class at
Excelsior, I learned about the importance of managing the level of hydrogen in the reactor.
Hydrogen embrittlement can occur when heating up the reactor from low temperatures if the
reactor was not cooled down properly. As the reactor is heated up from low temperatures,
typically below 300F, hydrogen that has been absorbed into the reactor plant materials
through microscopic cracks will also heat up, expand and cause pressure within the metal
causing crack propagation and eventually fracture if severe enough. A specific metal that is
very susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement is Inconel X-750. Hydrogen embrittlement can
be prevented by performing a slow cool-down and lowering the hydrogen concentration.
The lowered concentration minimizes the amount of hydrogen that travels at the atomic
level through microscopic cracks in the metals that make up the reactor. As a reactor
operator, I must understand the importance of hydrogen embrittlement and all of the X-750
components since I control the heat up and cool down of the reactor as well as monitor the
chemistry. I have provided my page 4 of my military record showing that I was qualified
reactor operator and my JST.
• For my reactor systems practicum at the Nuclear Power Training Unit (NPTU), I learned
about the importance of the decay heat removal. As an operator I was required to know all of
the different modes of removing decay heat to include emergency situations. When a reactor
is shut down, either normally or for an emergency, radionuclides are still present in the
reactor which generate heat. These radionuclides are formed from activation of various
reactor plant components and fission products from the fuel. Some may decay away to a
stable isotope with minutes to a few hours, but others may not decay away for many years
such. The biggest radionuclide of concern in Navy nuclear power plants is cobalt 60. It is
formed from the activation of cobalt 59 which is used as a lubricant in many parts of the
reactor plant system. It takes approximately 5.27 years for half of it to decay away. Its
relatively long half life is one of the reasons that it is used extensively in radiology.

One type of method for decay heat removal used at NPTU was the supplemental water
injection system (SWIS). It was a means of emergency decay heat removal. I was to
required to draw out the complete system to include every pump, valve, detector and tank
associated with it. I was also required to know the power supply to each component and its
back up power supply if the normal was to fail. Even though reactor power was limited to
40% of rated power, the reactor could stay at that power for a very long time. This would
create a large amount of decay heat if the reactor were to suddenly shut down. The SWIS
system was designed to be able to handle any amount of decay heat that the reactor could
produce throughout its core life.
On an A4W/A2W plant, we relied on many different modes of decay heat removal. Their
version of SWIS was called the safety injection system (SJ). But of course, the SWIS and SJ
systems were meant to be used for the most extreme casualty when all else fails. The most
common heat removal method was using the installed RCP's and removing the heat
through either the steam generators, the coolant purification system, or natural circulation
(NC). What mode we used depended upon the temperature of the reactor and what
components were available. Evidence is shown in my page 4 of my military record as a
reactor operator on the above platforms as well as my JST.
• In my heat transfer and fluid flow class at NNPS is where I learned about natural circulation
and how/why it is performed. The concepts of siphoning and that heat rises play a vital role
for removing heat from the reactor. The reactor plant is designed such that the core is low in
the system and the steam generators are high in the system. This places the heat source low
and the heat sink high – exactly what is needed to make a differential temperature across the
system to promote natural circulation. It is also designed with smooth piping with very little
bends. This helps in the natural movement of the coolant within the pipes. It is a delicate
process to get natural circulation to begin because even with the above designs in the
reactor, it is still easy to cold trap a coolant loop if NC is not initiated quickly. A coolant loop

can become cold trapped if some sort of flow is not initiated and a section of piping is left to
cool off to the surrounding environment.
In the event that there is no power or maintenance has to be done on system components,
an operator can still draw steam off of the steam generator which removes heat from the
reactor coolant. If the temperature is too low, another way to remove heat is to circulate
cooler feed water through the steam generator which will have the same effect. Both of these
methods will initiate NC if done promptly after the removal of power. The difference in
height from the cooler, more dense water in steam generator and the hotter, less dense water
in the reactor, cause a thermal siphoning effect that causes NC in the reactor. I have provided
my JST and my page 4 of my military record as evidence.
• While going to radiological controls technician qualification school (RCTQS) I had
extensive training on the importance of shielding and exposure control. Typical shielding
jobs were to shield from a point source that was created due to a build up of contamination
in a part of a reactor plant system that needed to be worked on or around. For a point source:
I D2
= I0 D0
2
Where:
I is the dose rate
D is the distance from the point source
We learned that different material thicknesses were needed to lower the dose rate by one
tenth, called a tenth thickness or TVL. The formula for shielding is:
I = I0 / 10N
Where:
N is the number of TVL's = thickness / 1TVL
Lead blankets were commonly used as shielding and held together with zip ties through the
corner grommets. One lead TVL = 2 inches. This meant that in order to decrease the dose

rate of the point source by one tenth, two inches of lead were required to be placed around
the point source.
It was important to calculate man-rem hours to see if it was worth it to put in shielding. If
the total man-rem to do the job was less than the total man-rem to put in shielding and do the
job, then we did not install the shielding. Every job was closely monitored and practiced
before hand to ensure that the worker stayed at a maximum distance using natural shielding
when possible from object already inside the reactor. This practice followed the ALARA, as
low as reasonably achievable, paradigm by using time, distance and shielding. Evidence of
graduating RCTQS is my graduation certificate, JST and page 4 of my military record.
• Also in RCTQS and working as a radiological controls shift supervisor (RCSS), I had to
take many radiological surveys. Depending on the type of survey that I was to perform
determined the type of detector that I would use. We used multifunction radiacs (MFR) that
replaced the A/N-PDR-27's that we used in the fleet. They are typical Geiger-Muller radiacs
that work in the G-M region of the gas amplification curve. This is the region when radiation
interacts with the chamber wall and gas, it creates ion pairs. The negative ion is attracted to
the anode and the positive is attracted to the wall. Because the voltage difference is so high,
secondary ion pairs are formed which do the same thing. This causes a domino effect that
will completely saturate the G-M chamber. The negative ions collected create a pulse that is
counted and calculated as a radiation level.
The Navy still uses A/N-PDR-56's to measure alpha radiation. It is a scintillation detector.
It works by creating light from radiation that interacts with the phosphorus coating inside the
detector. To prevent the detector from being saturated all of the time from natural light, there
is a Mylar shield that allows radiation through and keeps light out. Once a photon is made
from photoluminescence, it goes through a photo-multiplier that enhances the signal so it
can be counted and displayed. To ensure that the contamination is an alpha, we place a piece
of paper over the detector. The paper shields against the alpha but lets other radiation

through. These surveys are performed to record and map what the radiation levels are in an
area. This provides very useful information for radiation workers so they can minimize their
exposure. Evidence of graduating RCTQS is my graduation certificate, JST and page 4
of my military record.
• Tab C-2 - Joint Services Transcript
• Tab C-10 - Radiological Control Technician Qualification School Certificate

Program Outcome 8 - Demonstrate comprehension of currently applicable rules and regulations
in the areas of: radiation protection, operations, maintenance, quality control, quality assurance,
and safety.
Demonstrate a commitment to: quality, timeliness, and continuous improvement.
• Indicate knowledge of current rules and regulations in the field.
• Indicate how a commitment to control, timeliness, and continuous improvement is
achieved.
• As part of qualifying as a RCT and RCSS, I was required to show my knowledge, in an oral
qualifying board, the various rules and regulations associated with radiation protection. I
first learned about radiation protection at NNPS when we were taught health physics. One of
the major parts of radiation protection was top have good radiological work practices. The
Navy uses the Radiological Work Practices Handbook, NAVSEA 389-0362. From this book,
we learned how to standardize our work practices so every radiation worker was on the same
page for radiological controls. I also learned the federal, Navy and local programs for
radiation protection. The federal requirements are located in 10CFR20.1101 Radiation
protection programs and 29CFR1920.1096 Occupational Safety and Health Standards: Toxic
and Hazardous Substances: Ionizing radiation. The Navy requirements are located in the
Radiological Controls Manual: NAVSEA 389-0288. Any local programs were self generated
and did not exceed any of the above programs. For the most part, the Navy took the federal
exposure limits and reduced them by one tenth. For instance, yearly exposure for federal is 5
rem and for the Navy it is 500 mrem. Part of our required reading as a RCT was the
Radiation Health Protection Manual: NAVMEDCOM P-5055. It contained yearly and
quarterly statistics for radiation exposure to the Navy personnel and to the contractors that
work on our vessels.

Dosimetry is a large part of being a radiation worker and as a RCT. At RCTQS and NPTU
we learned how to operate and wear thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD) and pocket
dosimeters (PD). Knowing their construction was a required element of our training as well.
For the Navy, we wore the TLD on out chest or on our belt, double captured.
Picture of a DT-526/PD
Taken from https://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/radiac/navybulbtld.htm
If we were entering a high radiation area, it was required that we were able to monitor our
radiation exposure constantly so we wore a PD.
Picture of an IM-235 pocket dosimeter (PD)
Taken from https://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/radiac/IM235.htm

The PD's location was always next to the TLD but the double capturing consisted of a very
long string since we had to constantly take it off and read our exposure. Depending on the
strength of the radiation field that we were entering determined what scale PD we were to
use. The PD's were typically issued by some sort of control point access watch who
controlled access in and out of the radiation area.
Depending on a worker's day to day job, they may have a radiation limit of 80mrem to
300mrem per quarter. These represent typical radiation exposure limits for different types of
workers. When a worker approaches this level, it is then reasonable to examine closer as to
why. It was required that each personnel knows their own total lifetime and current yearly
exposure. This helps the worker be self-aware as to how close they are to their limit and
make decisions based on that knowledge. Upon entry into a high radiation area, it is
common practice to know where any hot spots are, the frequent monitoring of the PD, and to
be efficient in execution of the job. If any abnormalities occur with radiation monitoring
equipment, worker well being, or any radiological casualty, they are to be immediately
reported. Maintaining the principle of ALARA, as low as reasonably achievable, keeps
radiation workers looking for ways to minimize their exposure. Improvements to radiation
detection has included the upgrading of dosimeters from the CaF TLD to the LiF TLD (DT-
648/PD) and changing the placing of the dosimeter on the body from mid waist in the front
to the center of the chest with double capture. The page 4 of my military record, my
qualification record at Trident Refit Facility Kings Bay, and my JST are provided as
evidence.
• The qualifying process for reactor operator and shutdown reactor operator is lengthy and
requires a lot of integrated knowledge. After qualifying on the prototype reactors in Goose
Creek, SC on board the MTU Samuel Rayburn, I ventured on to qualify for the first time
on an A4W plant on board USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Once my initial qualifications were
complete, I was allowed to start qualifying reactor operator. It is a six month qualification

where your level of knowledge is checked for every signature on the qualification card. On
top of book knowledge, there is a minimum under instruction time that must be completed
involving a list of required evolutions. There is a three hour written exam, oral boards for
the divisional and departmental level, and a final oral board certification with the
commanding officer for the ship. The requirements for qualifying as a Naval reactor
operator are listed in the Engineering Department Manual (EDM) as well as the surface
fleet's version called the Reactor Department Organizational Manual (RDOM). In the
civilian community, the conditions for obtaining an operator's license is covered under
10CFR55.53, requalification under 10CFR55.59, written exams under 55.41, 55.43 and
55.45. In the Navy, recertification is performed every 2 years by a written exam, practical
factors, and an oral board with the department head.
In order to maintain a high level of knowledge for each operator, in the Navy, the training
that is received is tested upon on a monthly basis. These tests are the continual training
exams (CTE) that are part of the training program and are a requirement of the EDM. If an
operator fails a CTE, then they are not able to stand watch until they complete a knowledge
upgrade and pass a CTE. The training and the CTE's keep the operators up to date with
current topics of interest and any changes to protocol. If an operator fails to recertify in the
two year time frame then something similar happens as failing a CTE. The operator is
removed from standing watch until he or she completes the recertification. If the operator
fails any part of the recertification, they must also do an upgrade. Any exam that is taken is a
timed test, essay type, and proctored. As operators study for exams, they will go over
previously learned material. By doing so, they may have a better understanding of the
subject or learn something new that they had missed before. This practice builds the
operator's knowledge base making them better operators. The page 4 of my military record
and my evaluations are evidence.

• During my time in the Navy, I have had to perform and supervise hundreds of maintenance
items. Being a senior reactor operator, a divisional leading petty officer, and being a
graduate of ETMS, I have the expertise to perform or to properly supervise any reactor
controls division maintenance item. It is a part of our training program to have monitored
evolutions that are graded by the observer. Observers vary from in house to outside of the
department like the commanding officer. In the civilian community, 10CFR50.65 covers
monitoring maintenance. This regulation ensures that the maintenance that is performed
coincides with standard practices and it is performed effectively. The different items that I
either performed or supervised consists of radiation monitoring equipment, nuclear
instrumentation, reactor instrumentation and control equipment, steam generator water level
and control equipment, chemical injection equipment, and reactor ventilation and control
equipment. Each maintenance item was performed by a qualified reactor operator as
required by the EDM and RDOM. Post maintenance checks are performed to ensure that the
maintenance was performed satisfactorily.
Whenever a maintenance item is performed, there is a standard of quality and timeliness
to ensure that there is minimum downtime of equipment. All maintenance is documented
and the paperwork is scrutinized for accuracy and legibility. Each worker shall perform a
maintenance brief that includes any increased risks to personnel health or equipment. Also,
there is always supervision of every maintenance item. To maintain minimum time that
workers are at risk or plant operations are limited, workers are prepared ahead of time for all
necessary test equipment and tools at the work area. When maintenance items are monitored
from sources outside of the division, it keeps the workers fresh and maintains the
maintenance monitoring from being incestuous or complacent. Evolution monitor sheets are
provided as feedback to the workers and their supervision. This feedback keeps workers and
supervision aware of their maintenance habits and shows them where there is room for

improvement. Evidence is my graduation certificate from ETMS, the page 4 of my military
record, and my military evaluations.
• One of the biggest changes over the years for nuclear power is the incorporation of quality
assurance and quality control. It has saved the lives of many people and the functionality of
many pieces of equipment. I have a personal hand in the quality assurance and control
program as a graduate from ETMS. Because I hold a 3373 NEC, I monitor repairs and
troubleshooting done to all nuclear equipment. Some of the items that I specifically inspect
are:
◦ Solder joints
◦ Troubleshooting procedure compliance
◦ Wire removal compliance
◦ Component replacement criteria compliance
While I am not required to perform the maintenance, I ensure that the maintenance done
is within the specifications of the Reactor Plant Instrumentation and Control Equipment
manual (NAVSEA 0989-031-4000) also known as the Rx I&C manual, the Joint Fleet
Maintenance Manual (COMUSFLTFORCOMINST 4790.3), the Cleanliness Requirements
for Nuclear Propulsion Plain Maintenance manual (NAVSEA 0989-064-3000), and the
Steam Plant Cleanliness Control instruction (NAVSEAINST 9210.36). In the civilian
community, quality control and assurance is covered by 10CFR50 Appendix B for Quality
Assurance Criteria for Nuclear Power Plants and Fuel Reprocessing Plants. All equipment
used to perform maintenance is approved per the Rx I&C manual, the Reactor Plant Manual,
or the Steam Plant Manual as applicable. I ensure that all replacement parts are tested and
inspected prior to use and are tested after they are installed.
While performing the maintenance itself may not take much time at all, incorporating the
quality control and assurance makes the process much longer. This is a grudge that I have
seen in many technicians and have personally felt. This feeling is not from not wanting to

perform the maintenance correctly, it stems from the Navy environment of wanting to get
things done quickly. Over the years I have found that in the long run, less time is wasted if
everything is done correctly with proper quality control and assurance. There is no time that
safety should be jeopardized. Performing rework because a maintenance item wasn't
perform correctly the first time is one of the biggest wastes of time.
I perform and instill in my subordinates good work practices. One of the ways that I do
this is ensuring that when a piece of equipment fails that it is troubleshot down to the
component level. Every testing method and part used is documented extensively in the
divisional material history for that piece of equipment. Once the cause of failure is known, I
ensure that the proper people are informed weather it be the manufacturer or Naval Sea
Command or both. Evidence is the page 4 of my military record, my evaluations, and my
ETMS graduation certificate.
• An integral part of Navy watch standing in the nuclear community is the turnover between
watch standers. This is the last self check to ensure that the oncoming watch stander is fit to
take the watch. Not only is the knowledge of current plant parameters checked, but the
sobriety of the Sailor is checked as well. When I say sober, I mean that the Sailor has to be
rested, alert, drug and alcohol free. The civilian community covers this very thing with
10CFR26.31 with Drug and Alcohol testing for the Fit For Duty (FFD) program. The Navy
ensures that all Sailors are drug free by performing random drug tests and each Sailor can be
tested for alcohol on the spot when they board the ship.
I completely believe in and enforce a drug free and sober watch team. It is because safety
is paramount to everyone and everything. A drug free and sober operator is the only way to
ensure that operator action is not encumbered. This practice ensures that operators are alert
and that their work is performed at an optimal level. Even prior to obtaining a license, a
criminal background check, credit check, and a psychological assessment is performed to
mitigate the risks that may lead to substance abuse or impaired integrity.

The system is not perfect and people will still try to bend the rules. It is up to everyone to
watch each others backs to make the work place safe. At any rate, if an operator decides to
break the rules, he or she will be caught. In order to maintain personnel up to date on the
current rules and regulations, they are continually trained on the program per the guidelines
of 10CFR26.29, consequences to violators, and actions to be done if someone is suspected
of abuse. Evidence includes my military evaluations and the page 4 of my military record.
• Tab C-2 - Joint Services Transcript
• Tab C-15 - Completion Certificate for Electronics Technician Maintenance School

Program Outcome 9 - Integrate and apply knowledge of the functional areas of nuclear
engineering technology to the safe operation and maintenance of nuclear systems.
• Identify and describe work and life experiences that use multiple engineering technology
functional areas.
• Show how the technical areas are interrelated.
• While serving as the 3 plant Leading Petty Officer on board USS Enterprise, we were
starting up the reactors after a brief shutdown period for maintenance while underway in the
Mediterranean sea. Part of starting up the reactors is a pre-critical checkoff to ensure that the
propulsion plant and nuclear instrumentation is working properly and that they are setup for
critical operations. The check did not find any faults, but the shutdown reactor operator saw
that there was noise on one channel of the the source range nuclear instrument (SRNI) for
the 3A reactor. Any nuclear instrument has a power supply that is separated from the ship's
main power by use of a transformer to provide and maintain a very steady power. They are
very sensitive and can pick up noise from anywhere, especially the SRNI's. I have seen noise
before but it has usually been because someone was welding near by or there was a loose
coaxial cable in the SRNI. The welding machine is grounded to the same metal frame that
all of nuclear instrumentation is mounted on. It produces a signal that even an isolated
instrument such as the SRNI will pick up. But since this was only on one channel, we
suspected a loose cable inside the drawer. If the reactor is shutdown, this is tolerable, but for
a reactor start up, this violates our minimum instrumentation requirements. It is required that
both SRNI's be working for a start up to supply redundancy to provide protection of the
reactor against excessive start up rate.
The SRNI takes input from a gamma/neutron detector, uses a pulse height discriminator
to measure only neutron pulses, converts the signal to a rate and a power level. The rate

signal has a bistable that activates if the start up rate is too high which shuts down the
reactor. This is required because operator action is too slow to protect against excessive start
up rate because it rises exponentially and it can be so fast that the meters can't keep up. I led
a team of troubleshooters that started with a simple alignment check that passed so we
continued with the seven step troubleshooting procedure. The problem was found to be
interconnecting wires in the actual instrument drawer itself. We had exhausted all means of
technical manual wisdom until it was suggested that we swap the whole drawer with one
that is working and see if the fault follows. This was not how we normally would
troubleshoot because we did not have the luxury of ordering a new drawer on the off chance
that it was the problem. This outside-of-the-box thinking showed us that the fault was in the
drawer with taking any monetary risks and expediting the process. Important to note that
everyone was exhausted because we could not stop until it was fixed because we were
severely affecting the mission of the ship. The troubleshooting lasted for three days. I
learned that fatigue can severely affect one's judgment because the suggestion was made
from a fresh set of eyes from a junior technician. I submit my Letter of Commendation from
the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise and my military evaluations as evidence.
• While standing radioactive liquid waste (RLW) watch in the Controlled Industrial Facility
(CIF) at Trident Refit Facility (TRF), I was taking a routine radiological survey of the
installed filter train. Part of the CIF's responsibility is to take RLW from the tended
submarines and purify the water into controlled pure water (CPW). The system contained
two 10,000gal RLW tanks, two PLW (processed liquid waste) tanks, two CPW tanks, two
filter trains, six pumps (one for each tank) and various control switch panels that showed
flow rate, conductivity and pump status. The RLW tank to be processed was recirculated
first to mix up any settled contamination at the bottom of the tank. Flow rate was controlled
while processing to prevent channeling out the filters.

It is TRF policy to replace a filter if it exceeds 80 mrem/hr on contact to prevent going
over the 100 mrem/hr which would make a hot spot in the CIF. My measurements recorded
the on contact reading of slightly over 80mrem/hr. The activity of the filter was known to be
high but after processing a lot of RLW that day, the filter collected a lot of the contamination
in the water, mainly Co-60. I immediately stopped processing RLW into CPW and informed
my chain of command. There were already established controlled work packages to change
out the resin in any of the filters in the train. I supplied the specifics and the package team
made up the package and ordered the parts. In the meantime, we were able to continue to
process RLW using a parallel train of filters already installed. I worked in a team that
replaced the resin and charcoal (media) in the filter. The used media was added to a 55
gallon drum that was mixed with CPW and concrete. The new media was prepared in a vat
of CPW and added via a peristaltic pump. Mock up scenarios were performed for the
evolution to minimize time and exposure to personnel. I had specific training of this scenario
from RCTQS which I used extensively in making the job go smoothly. I submit the system
flow schematic of the CIF RLW system, may Navy Achievement Medal dated 10Mar2005,
and my military evaluations as evidence.
• Tab C-17 - Letter of Commendation dated 18Aug2007
• Tab C-18 - Navy Achievement Medal dated 10Mar2005
• Tab C-19 - Controlled Industrial Facility RLW System Flow Schematic

Program Outcome 10 - Design concepts, components or processes while demonstrating a
commitment to quality, timeliness, and continuous improvement of the design and operation of
nuclear systems.
• Take design specifications and turn them into a device or system.
• Test, modify, evaluate, and improve (if necessary) an existing design.
• Integrate several functional units into a larger system (i.e. microprocessor, interface).
• Discuss the use of trade offs resulting from creativity in applying balance, accuracy, and
confidence limits in the development of a successful operating system.
• In a Navy PWR, the temperature coefficient of reactivity is negative. This means that as
temperature increases in the reactor, the total reactivity goes down. During a down power
transient, the water entering the core is warmer because less heat was taken away from the
steam generators. This causes power to lower. This is an important aspect of maintaining the
reactor inherently stable. The main advantage of this is that there is little to no rod control
movement to maintain reactor power. Rather, rod control movement is used to change
temperature. The biggest disadvantage to this design is that an injection of cold water would
cause power to spike uncontrollably. Protective measures have been established to prevent
cold water casualties.
Possible cold water casualties include an unbalanced coolant flow through the core or an
accidental initiation of the safety injection system while the reactor is still operating.
Unbalanced flow can be caused by a mismatch in RCP frequencies. This has been a problem
because each set of RCP's on an A4W/A2W platform are supplied power from two different
coolant turbine generators (CTG). This condition can cause the check valve of the lower
frequency pump to shut causing the loop to cool drastically especially if steaming off of that
loop. Matching frequencies will initiate flow in the lower frequency pump causing a cold

water casualty. Between 2Hz and 10Hz difference, a manual fast insertion (check FI) is
initiated to lower power, the higher frequency pump is lowered to match. Above a 10hz
mismatch, the reactor is manually shut down (SCRAM) and actions are taken to fix the
problem. The CTG's operate in volts/Hz and the design isn't exact between the two CTG's so
they may change at slightly different rates. I understand that having multiple power supplies
is very important because if you lose one, then there is a way to recover flow using the other
power supply. Being able to recover flow is much more important than having one power
supply for the pumps. All it takes is training operators in that risk and taking actions to
mitigate it as mentioned above.
The safety injection (SJ) system is designed to initiate automatically on a loss of pressure
casualty. If the reactor were still operating when it initiates, the SJ water temperature is so
cold in comparison that it would make the core go prompt critical, thus a cold water
casualty. Operator action is to manually shutdown the reactor if it is still operating when the
SJ system initiates. There are multiple interlocks that exist to scram the reactor if the manual
switch to operate the SJ system is manipulated first. Also, if the SJ system initiates
automatically, it has built in interlocks to open the scram breakers prior to the system
lighting off. If by chance the reactor can't be shut down or all of the interlocks fail, it is
contained within primary and secondary boundaries to contain the reactor accident. These
boundaries are constantly checked by operators to ensure that they are in the correct position
and integrity. The advantages of the SJ system are that it provides a way of cooling the core
and keeping it covered with water when all else fails to remove decay heat. The down side
to the system is that the interlocks can be overridden or fail which can cause a cold water
casualty if the system initiates while the reactor is operating. I understand that maintenance
is required to test the SJ system and therefore the interlocks must be able to be overridden.
The risk of a cold water casualty from accidental operation of the SJ system is minimal
when compared to not being able to keep the core cooled to remove decay heat. This is

Ben Jonson ITA

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