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Power Engineering
As a power engineer you’ll maintain and operate heating and power plants, refrigeration systems and auxiliary equipment like pumps, compressors, steam turbines, electrical generators, cooling towers and water treatment systems. You’ll have the opportunity to work in commercial facilities like hospitals, schools and apartment buildings, or industrial facilities like pulp mills, mills, power generation stations and petrochemical plants.
Plants are certified and regulated by Technical Safety BC and plant size determines the certification required, ranging from 5th and 4th class for small plants to 2nd and 1st class certificates required for larger plants.
4th Class Certificate
Gain the knowledge and skills needed to earn the 4th Class Power Engineering Certification through Technical Safety BC, and work as a 4th Class Power Engineer.
What you'll learn
- Boiler plant operation through eight weeks of hands-on experience on TRU’s training plant.
- Basic electrical skills (two weeks of instruction).
- Basic welding skills (one week of instruction).
- Basic pipefitting, millwrighting and instrumentation skills through hands-on training.
What makes TRU's program unique
- Hands-on experience operating TRU’s comprehensive steam power training plant. Its two boilers are capable of producing over 10,000lbs of 150 psi steam per hour, turning a 50kw steam turbine and producing enough electricity to power 30 homes.
- Gain experience on two types of gas-fired steam boilers: Watertube and Firetube.
What you'll graduate with
- 4th Class Power Engineering Certificate issued by Technical Safety BC.
Requirements
- High school graduation (or equivalent) or mature student status
- English 11 with a minimum grade of C (or equivalent)
- Math 11 with a minimum grade of C (or equivalent)
Schedule
The 4th Class program runs from the first week of September through to the second week of May.
Class hours are Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Practical experience includes individual operation of the TRU power Lab and small demonstration labs.
To give you a better understanding of work environments, you tour several plants in and around Kamloops. This helps you choose the right industry to work in.
Power Engineering Technology Diploma
Become a certified 3rd class power engineer with a two-year diploma and perform an essential role in society.
Power engineers are responsible for keeping critical systems running, from lights and heating to compressors and refrigeration. If you like problem solving and understanding how things work, this could be career for you.
You will learn the details of power engineering, maintenance and operation in order to work in industrial and commercial workplaces, including oil and gas, mining, pulp and paper, food processing, agriculture, hospitals, cities, power plants, manufacturing and more.
This program is also open to international students.
What you learn in the classroom will be reinforced in the shop through practical exercises and scenarios. You not only will learn to operate and maintain pumps, compressors, generators and pressure vessels, you will learn to prepare, test and inspect equipment that is found in large facilities, buildings, industrial power plants, processing plants and thermal electric generating stations.
Our program follows the Standardized Power Engineers Examination Committee (SOPECC) material you will need to know in order to write the Technical Standards and Technical Safety BC exams—the same ones you will need to pass to receive your 4th and 3rd class power engineering certification.
Your first year covers everything you need to know to take the 4th class power engineer exams. It is the same material covered in our one-year certificate program, and if you already have 4th class certification from a provincial safety authority you will receive a credit for the first year and enter the second year of the program.
Your second year builds on everything you learned in first year and will prepare you for the 3rd class power engineer exams.
What makes our program unique?
You get hands-on experience in our comprehensive steam power training plant, which has of two 150lb steam boilers, steam turbine generator, condensers and auxiliary equipment. The boilers produce 10,000lbs of steam per hour, driving a 50kw steam turbine generator to produce heat and power utilized by the TRU campus.
You get hands-on experience with two types of gas-fired steam boilers: Watertube and Firetube.
Improve your career opportunities now and in the future
If you want to expand your career options, you can come back to TRU and apply the credits you earned toward related certificates, diplomas and degrees. For example, you can ladder to our Bachelor of Technology, which focuses on management and leadership.
Schedule
The 3rd Class program runs from early October through to April. Class hours are Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Costs for domestic students
Fees are subject to change.
Costs include items such as student/ancillary fees, books, personal tools and safety gear, which are kept by students when they graduate from the program.
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Costs for international students
» International student admissions
| 4th Class Certificate | 3rd Class Diploma | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $21,831.01 | $16,052.11 |
| Student and Lab Fees | $1,605.12 | $1,286.12 |
| Licensing Exam Fees ($165 per paper) | $330.00 | $660.00 |
| Firing Time Evaluation | $115.00 | $115.00 |
| Panglobal 4th Class - Standard Collection | $1,283.00 | |
| Health and Dental Plan | $248.00 | $248.00 |
| Panglobal 3rd Class Textbook Set - Edition 2.5 | $969.00 | |
| Technical Safety BC certificate | $200.00 | $270.00 |
| CSA work boots w/ankle support, safety glasses and High visibility coveralls | $200.00 | $200.00 |
| Scientific Calculator (non-programmable) and geometry set | $50.00 | $50.00 |
| 3-ring binder, paper, pens, etc. | $50.00 | $50.00 |
| Total | $25,912.13 | $19,900.23 |
Technical safety BC provincial exams
| 4th Class | Two parts | Each part has 100 multiple choice questions |
| 3rd Class | Four parts | Each part has 150 multiple choice questions |
| 2nd Class | Six parts | Each part has seven essay questions |
| 1st Class | Eight parts | Each part has seven essay questions |
| All exams have a 3.5 hour time limit | ||
Topics covered
- Math, physics, thermodynamics, electrical, refrigeration, instrumentation, piping, welding, boiler operation and design, turbines, pumps, codes.
- Hands on training at TRU Power Lab and at several plants in and around Kamloops.
- TRU Power Lab consists of two steam boilers capable of producing 10,000 lbs of 150 psi steam/hr. This steam will be used in a turbine to produce 40 kw of electricity. That's enough power for about 30 homes and can be fed back into the grid. The low-pressure exhaust steam will be used to heat the university.
- There are several small demonstration labs to provide students with practical training while applying theoretical concepts.
