Lucrative Trades in Nuclear Power: Diving, Masonry, Pipefitting & HVAC

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Hello curious minds, and welcome
back to another episode of Naked

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Nuclear where we are zooming
into the surprising hands on

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world of nuclear energy.
If you've spent this season with

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us, you know that we've been
talking about nuclear education

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and we've been doing deep dives
on PhD programs and nuclear

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engineering students.
And you might wonder, what if I

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don't want to spend a decade in
grad school?

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Remember Rebecca Steinman during
our Nuclear One O 1 episode that

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there are hundreds of good jobs
beyond the control room?

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Or when Kelly Davis, program
director at Cape Fear Community

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College, described their two
year nuclear maintenance

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program, paving the way into lab
and operations roles.

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That's the spirit we're
capturing today.

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Practical, well paid careers
that you can dive into without a

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doctorate.
Today we'll explore 4 essential

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trades that help us create and
maintain nuclear power plants.

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One commercial diving, 2
concrete masonry, 3 pipe

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fitting, 4 each vac.
And for each one of those we'll

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try and cover what the job is
and where you can find them in

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the US.
Plus some real world challenges

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and who might thrive in that
role.

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Training pathways, length and
cost, Salary ranges, and here's

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a note on salary ranges.
They vary.

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The salary ranges that we have
are from anecdotal data as well

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as what we found on the
Internet.

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They can be higher or lower than
what we've described here.

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So my advice is try and find
someone to talk to you

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specifically to know what the
salary range might be for the

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role that you're considering in
your region with your experience

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and know what the demand is.
We're also going to be covering

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union versus non union work,
typical project and a day in the

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life, plus key professional
associations.

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So grab your coffee, put on your
safety glasses, and let's dive

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in.
First, commercial diving.

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Commercial diving is highly
technical diving.

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It can also be classified as a
highly specified form of hazmat

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diving focused on underwater
work in irradiated environments.

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But not all nuclear commercial
diving is within irradiated

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environments.
You might suit up on the

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Columbia River to inspect
reactor cooling tunnels in

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Washington, clear debris from
intake screens at Florida

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coastal plants, or repair
submerged concrete in inland

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facilities along the Tennessee
Valley.

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Unlike typical offshore dives,
these jobs demand both advanced

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diving skills and radiological
safety expertise.

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Here's a brief history.
The roots of nuclear diving

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trace back to the 1950s and 60s
when the British Royal Navy

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first trained divers to maintain
and inspect nuclear submarines

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at Davenport, pioneering
radiation resistant gear and

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strict dose monitoring
protocols.

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Those early lessons laid the
groundwork for today's nuclear

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site practices, where
controlling contamination and

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tracking exposure are as vital
as mastering your buoyancy.

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Real world challenges First
radiation control.

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Divers wear electronic
dosimeters to measure the amount

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of radiation they're exposed to.
Thermal stress.

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Enclosed cooling tunnels can
climb over 90°F.

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Chilled water.
Undergarments inside dry suits

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counteract that heat buildup.
Low visibility and current flow.

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Silt laden water and strong
currents.

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Test your navigation and
communication skills before each

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dive.
Teams map radiation hotspots.

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Rehearse emergency accident
drills and synchronize topside

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to underwater communications.
So would you like this role?

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If you're calm under pressure
and you think you can work alone

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in the dark, blindfolded
underwater 30 feet down, and

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still crack a joke through your
comms Mike, this blend of high

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stakes teamwork and technical
challenge might be made for you.

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So what's the training cost?
Many of these programs last

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about 12 to 15 weeks and are
held at schools like the Diver

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Institute of Technology or the
Pro Diver School.

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They can cost up to $20,000.
Certifications can be obtained

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through the Association of
Diving Contractors.

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International Salary.
Most of the salary ranges

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between 40 and $90,000 annually.
However, there is anecdotal

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evidence to show that there
might be rolls up to $170,000 a

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year union versus non union.
Large nuclear site contracts

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usually go through marine trade
unions or ADCI affiliated

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companies.
Many divers also work as

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independent contractors on short
term projects.

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Project length On short
assignments these are week long

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intake screen cleanups.
On long outages these are multi

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week support during refueling
and maintenance cycles.

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What does a day in life look
like?

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A Day in the life includes pre
dive briefing, review radiation

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maps, defined tasks and rehearse
emergency procedures.

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Suit up dry suit with integrated
chill water lines, helmet and

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dosimeter underwater work,
execute welds, inspections or

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concrete repairs.
Constant communication with

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topside and the post dive log,
dose readings, decontaminate

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gear and an after actions
debrief before gearing up again.

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Key associations and resources
include the Association of

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Diving Contractors,
International ADCI that includes

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standards, certification and
industry conferences as well as

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diverse certification Board of
Canada, that is if you live in

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Canada.
They've recognized qualification

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pathways for international
nuclear diving rolls.

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Next, concrete masonry in
nuclear construction.

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Concrete Masons build and finish
the ultra low permeability, high

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strength concrete that encases
reactors.

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Just picture the most massive
concrete pour you've ever

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imagined.
We're talking 6 to 8 feet thick.

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These pores can last up to a
day.

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This could include a massive
base mat pore for a new

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containment building in
Tennessee or patching a spent

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fuel pool slab in the Midwest.
You'll work outside in the

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elements, combat in heat,
humidity, and sometimes the

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winter chill.
Yet the thrill of mastering A

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seamless football sized pore is
hard to beat.

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So who is it for?
Shrinkage, cracks or improper

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curing can trigger costly
repairs, so attend into detail

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and patience with testing are
vital.

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If you love early starts,
getting your hands dirty,

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setting forms, and take pride in
precision in your work, you'll

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thrive in this role.
Training and cost Most training

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comes through an apprenticeship,
3 to 4 years paid programs.

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There's also trade school
certifications which can be up

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to 6 to 12 months and range
anywhere from 1200 to $5000.

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The salary range is anywhere
between 38,000 and 90,000 per

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year depending on your
experience, but the average

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we're finding is somewhere
around 54,000.

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Union versus non union operative
Plasterers and Cement Masons,

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International Association or
open shop through contractors.

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The project lengths can vary.
A large port can be 48 to 72

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hours continuously.
Smaller forms can last from days

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to weeks.
Typical day pre dawn arrival,

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form assembly.
Concrete placement, finishing

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which includes trowel, broom and
float.

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Modern curing and QA testing.
Key associations are the

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American Concrete Institute and
the International Masonry

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Institute.
Pipe fitting fitters are the

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mechanics of a facility's
circulatory system, cutting,

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assembling, and installing the
high precision piping that

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carries reactor coolant,
processed steam, compressed air,

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and even radiological service
fluids in a nuclear plant.

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You might be spooling out long
runs of stainless steel pipe in

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the turbine building of a
pressurized water reactor in

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South Carolina, welding feed
water lines in a boiling water

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reactor in Pennsylvania, or
fitting emergency core cooling

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headers in the Midwest.
Every Weld and support must meet

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tight tolerances to withstand
extreme temperatures and

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pressures and to ensure
absolutely leak tight integrity.

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Who would thrive in this world?
If you like precision under

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pressure, complex layouts, and
somewhat high stakes

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environments, this might be for
you.

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You'll find that misaligned
threads or improper welds can

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delay multi week outages, you'll
have to interpret isomestic

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schematics and navigate
congested mechanical rooms, and

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you'll be working near radiation
controlled areas with strict

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procedure adherence and
dissymmetry.

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If you love turning blue pins
into 3 dimensional puzzles, take

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pride in millimeter perfect
welds, and aren't fazed by

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wearing a dosimeter, pipe
fitting delivers both

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craftsmanship and adrenaline
training and cost.

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The National Center for
Construction Education and

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Research has a pipe fitting
curriculum.

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The industry recognized program
covers safety, blueprint

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reading, cutting, threading,
welding and code compliance in

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16 modules.
It's typically delivered over

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four to five years via paid
internship.

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There's also technical schools.
These schools can range from 6

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to 12 months and can cost
anywhere between 1200 and

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$15,000.
The salary for pipe riders can

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range from $62,000 up to
$105,000.

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Plus union versus non union.
There are structured

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apprenticeships, journeyman
upgrades and strong benefits If

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you join a union.
There's also open shop

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competitive wages, flexible
hiring for non union

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contractors, project length.
You could be working in outages

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for two to four weeks, replacing
degrading piping or doing

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retrofits or new builds, which
can include several months to

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years.
Often phase around critical path

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milestones.
So what does a day in the life

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look like?
It looks like blueprint review

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and safety talk.
Verify pipe sizes, materials and

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radiological zones.
Measuring and cutting using pipe

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cutting machines or oxyfuel
torches.

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Fit and Weld, Align tack and
Weld joints, then perform X-ray

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or die penetrant inspections.
Test and document pressure test

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sections, log results and clean
up the work area.

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Key associations are United
Association as well as the

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American Society of Plumbing
Engineers.

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Next HVAC.
Nobody thinks much about your

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HVAC unit until something goes
wrong, so imagine calibrating

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clean room air flow in a fuel
fabrication shop or servicing

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the emergency heat exchangers at
a coastal plant.

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HVAC techs install, maintain,
and certify critical

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ventilation, refrigeration, and
climate control systems that

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keep nuclear facilities safe and
compliant.

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So who's it for?
A leaky HEPA filter can trigger

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shutdowns.
Miswired controls can compromise

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safety.
If you geek out over PID loops,

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refrigerants and control logic
troubleshooting, and get a kick

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from making air feel invisible
but indispensable, you'll excel

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here.
Training and costs.

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Again, there are apprenticeship
programs for HVAC.

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Three to five years paid.
There's also trade schools and

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associations, 6 to 24 months.
Those can range from $1200 up to

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$35,000.
There's also other industry

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certifications that you can
obtain.

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The median salary in the US is
$60,000, ranging from 37,000 to

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$71,000 per year.
The main union for pipe fitters

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in the United States is the
United Association.

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Project lengths can vary.
You can do equipment installs

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for a couple weeks or seize the
maintenance as well as working

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on going at a plant.
A typical day might include

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reviewing work orders,
inspecting controls and

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ductwork, replacing and
repairing components, as well as

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fixing pressure and balance for
the airflow and completing

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compliance paperwork.
I really hope you enjoyed this

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episode of Naked Nuclear and all
of the trades that we talked

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about.
They offer real pathways to

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nuclear power without a PhD.
Training ranges from a few

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months to multi year
apprenticeships.

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You can find union or non union
jobs.

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You can work in the field or in
shops, domestic or globally.

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We'll be providing a link and
resource to all the different

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traits that we've mentioned in
this episode.

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Today, there's a niche for every
skill set and personality.

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And if you're a fan of Avatar
the Last Airbender, I did pick

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trades in water, earth, fire,
and air.

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Thanks again for listening to
this episode of Naked Nuclear.

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If you want to do something for
nuclear advocacy, please like

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and share our episode.
Thanks again.

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Stay curious.