Ensuring robust stability to varying control rod drive dynamics in the Penn State breazeale nuclear reactor

Adam Rau, James A. Turso

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Maintaining system stability is an important task for operators of nuclear reactors. Automatic control can be a valuable tool in achieving this, however many modern control methods require a model of the system. These models may not account for changes in system parameters resulting from continued use or different operating points. Robust control techniques can account for such uncertainties, guaranteeing stability provided that plant parameters and dynamics remain within specified uncertainty bounds. The present work applies robust control methods to design a controller for the Penn State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR). The impact of wear on the control rod drive mechanism and changes resulting from different reactor power set points are considered. A Simulink model of the PSBR from [1] was linearized and simplified for the purpose of controller design. The model uses the normalized point-kinetics equations and core-averaged thermal-hydraulics. H∞ control synthesis methods were used to accommodate changes in power level and wear in the control rod drive mechanisms. System stability was verified on a Simulink model, and controller performance was compared to a proportional controller.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication11th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC and HMIT 2019
PublisherAmerican Nuclear Society
Pages1352-1360
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9780894487835
StatePublished - Jan 1 2019
Event11th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC and HMIT 2019 - Orlando, United States
Duration: Feb 9 2019Feb 14 2019

Publication series

Name11th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC and HMIT 2019

Conference

Conference11th Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technologies, NPIC and HMIT 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityOrlando
Period2/9/192/14/19

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Nuclear Energy and Engineering
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Control and Systems Engineering

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