Boyack to maintain nuclear reactors
Williams native completes Naval Nuclear Power School
WILLIAMS - Machinist's Mate III Christopher Boyack recently graduated from a six-month training program called Prototype. The program prepares naval officers for active duty aboard nuclear powered submarines.
Boyack graduated from Williams High School in 2003. He studied mechanical engineering at Northern Arizona University before joining the Navy in January 2008.
Boyack completed Naval Nuclear Power School Feb. 13 in Charleston, NC. The academic phase takes approximately 11 months to complete. The Navy characterizes the training as a fast-paced learning environment including nuclear physics, thermodynamics, mathematics, reactor technology, radiological fundamentals, chemistry, and plant materials.
Following completion of Power School, Boyack began the Navy's Nuclear Power Training Unit in Ballston Spa, New York, where he attended Prototype.
"Prototype is where you get your hands on training. You work on an actual reactor," Boyack said.
The program is designed to give personnel hands-on experience working with an actual nuclear power plant and simulates at-sea conditions. Students apply theoretical concepts learned in Power School and apply them to specific operating conditions gaining a better understanding of plant design, organization, and response. Boyack graduated from Prototype on November 23.
Boyack is one of a select number of graduates to receive additional training as an Engineering Laboratory Technician (ELT). The training requires an extra 3-5 months of training in plant chemistry, maintenance, and radiological analysis. Boyack began ELT training November 30, in Ballston Spa, NY.
"ELT is mostly about radiological concepts like controlling contamination and watching personnel dosage and things along those lines," Boyack said. "You also deal with a lot of chemistry."
Following completion of ELT training, Boyack will receive orders for a duty station and be assigned to a submarine where he will maintain the nuclear reactor.
"We're glorified steam makers, the reactor heats up the water," Boyack said.
Boyack's current contract with the Navy is until 2014. He plans to eventually work in the aerospace industry.
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