Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
권호 표지

A Model Predictive Controller for Nuclear Reactor Power

  • Published : 2003.10.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

A model predictive control method is applied to design an automatic controller for thermal power control in a reactor core. The basic concept of the model predictive control is to solve an optimization problem for a finite future at current time and to implement as the current control input only the first optimal control input among the solutions of the finite time steps. At the next time step, the second optimal control input is not implemented and the procedure to solve the optimization problem is then repeated. The objectives of the proposed model predictive controller are to minimize the difference between the output and the desired output and the variation of the control rod position. The nonlinear PWR plant model (a nonlinear point kinetics equation with six delayed neutron groups and the lumped thermal-hydraulic balance equations) is used to verify the proposed controller of reactor power. And a controller design model used for designing the model predictive controller is obtained by applying a parameter estimation algorithm at an initial stage. From results of numerical simulation to check the controllability of the proposed controller at the $5\%/min$ ramp increase or decrease of a desired load and its $10\%$ step increase or decrease which are design requirements, the performances of this controller are proved to be excellent.

Keywords

References

  1. Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Integrated Instrumentation and Upgrade Plan, Rev. 3. EPRI NP-7343, (1992)
  2. N. Z. Cho and L. M. Grossman, 'Optimal Control for Xenon Spatial Oscillations in Load Follow of a Nuclear Reactor,' Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 83, pp. 136-148, (1983)
  3. P.P. Niar and M. Gopal, 'Sensitivity-Reduced Design for a Nuclear Pressurized Water Reactor,' IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol. NS-34, pp. 1834-1842, (1987)
  4. C. Lin, J.-R. Chang, and S.-C. Jenc, 'Robust Control of a Boiling Water Reactor,' Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 102, pp. 283-294, (1986)
  5. M. G. Park and N. Z. Cho, 'Time-Optimal Control of Nuclear Reactor Power with Adaptive Proportional-Integral Feedforward Gains,' IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 266-270, (1993) https://doi.org/10.1109/23.221049
  6. W. H. Kwon and A. E. Pearson, 'A Modified Quadratic Cost Problem and Feedback Stabilization of a Linear System,' IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Vol. 22, No. 5, pp. 838-842, (1977) https://doi.org/10.1109/TAC.1977.1101619
  7. J. Richalet, A. Rault, J. L. Testud, and J. Papon, 'Model Predictive Heuristic Control: Applications to Industrial Processes,' Automatica, Vol. 14, pp. 413-428, (1978) https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-1098(78)90001-8
  8. C. E. Garcia, D. M. Prett, and M. Morari, 'Model Predictive Control: Theory and Practice - A Survey,' Automatica, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 335-348, (1989) https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-1098(89)90002-2
  9. D. W. Clarke, and R. Scattolini, 'Constrained Receding-Horizon Predictive Control,' IEE Proceedings-D, Vol. 138, No. 4, pp. 347-354, (1991)
  10. M. V. Kothare, V. Balakrishnan, and M. Morari, 'Robust Constrained Model Predictive Control Using Linear Matrix Inequality,' Automatica, Vol. 32, No. 10, pp. 1361-1379, (1996) https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-1098(96)00063-5
  11. J. W. Lee, W. H. Kwon, and J. H. Lee, 'Receding Horizon H$^{\infty}$ Tracking Control for Time-Varying Discrete Linear Systems,' International Journal of Control, Vol. 68, No. 2, pp. 385-399, (1997) https://doi.org/10.1080/002071797223686
  12. J. W. Lee, W. H. Kwon, and J. Choi, 'On Stability of Constrained Receding Horizon Control with Finite Terminal Weighting Matrix,' Automatica, Vol. 34, No. 12, pp. 1607-1612, (1998) https://doi.org/10.1016/S0005-1098(98)80015-0
  13. M. G. Na, 'Design of a Receding Horizon Control System for Nuclear Reactor Power Distribution,' Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 138, No. 3, pp. 305-314, (2001)
  14. M. G. Park, Robust Nonlinear Control of Nuclear Reactors Under Model Uncertainty, Ph.D. Thesis, KAIST, (1993)
  15. E. F. Camacho and C. Bordons, Model Predictive Control, Springer-Verlag, London, (1999)
  16. G. T. Park and G. H. Miley, 'Application of Adaptive Control to a Nuclear Power Plant,' Nuclear Science and Engineering, Vol. 94, pp. 145-156, (1986)
  17. J. H. Rust, Nuclear Power Plant Engineering, Haralson Publishing Co., Buchanan, Georgia, (1979)
  18. MathWorks, MATLAB 5.3 (Release 11), The MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts, (1999)