Robust Model-based Steam Generator Level Control in Nuclear Power Plant

Abstract

Economic feasibility of a power plant requires smooth and uninterrupted plant operation in the face of varying electrical power demand. The feed-water system in a power plant is a major contributor to plant unavailability. The purpose of this paper is to present a general framework for addressing all aspects of this problem and design, analyze and evaluate a water level controller for Steam Generator (SG) and using robust controller design procedure, Linear Quadratic Gaussian with Loop Transfer Recovery, LQG/LTR for low power and high power range. Simulations show that the proposed controller improves transient response of (SG) water level and demonstrate its superiority to existing conventional PI controllers.