PRESSURE CONTROL METHODS FOR A PRESSURIZED COOLING SYSTEM WITH REPETITIVE CYCLES OF TRANSIENT DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR

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Smith, M. (2015). PRESSURE CONTROL METHODS FOR A PRESSURIZED COOLING SYSTEM WITH REPETITIVE CYCLES OF TRANSIENT DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR. Unc Charlotte Electronic Theses And Dissertations.
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Abstract

Pressurizer (PZR) behavior in typical pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants is well understood. Pressure control is relatively straightforward for a typical PWR, since the larger fluid system normally operates in a very steady state condition. However, pressure control is more complicated for a pressurizer in a pulsed cooling system, such as the cooling system for a tokamak fusion reactor. During normal operation the tokamak’s plasma is pulsed, instead of staying at a constant value, which results in temperature swings between the plasma pulses. This design characteristic means that (a) coolant temperatures fluctuate over a larger range during normal operation than typical PWRs experience and (b) fluid volume also varies as the coolant temperature changes, since fluid (water) density is a function of temperature.Pressurizer pressure control is typically accomplished with an on/off and proportional control strategy in PWRs. However, this approach alone may not meet the desired control performance for a pulsed cooling system. Therefore, a dynamic model based control design approach is proposed that permits modification online as the process dynamics change by uniquely combining a hybrid control technique with a method to improve system knowledge. This research includes contributions to PZR control modeling, dynamic simulation inputs, adaptive-optimal and adaptive-dynamic control, and system knowledge. Simulations support that this approach enables greater control of the process during transients than is achievable with a conventional control approach.

Details
Author

Smith, Michael

Title

PRESSURE CONTROL METHODS FOR A PRESSURIZED COOLING SYSTEM WITH REPETITIVE CYCLES OF TRANSIENT DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR

Physical Description

1 online resource (284 pages) : PDF

Date

2015

Degree Granting Institution

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Abstract

Pressurizer (PZR) behavior in typical pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants is well understood. Pressure control is relatively straightforward for a typical PWR, since the larger fluid system normally operates in a very steady state condition. However, pressure control is more complicated for a pressurizer in a pulsed cooling system, such as the cooling system for a tokamak fusion reactor. During normal operation the tokamak’s plasma is pulsed, instead of staying at a constant value, which results in temperature swings between the plasma pulses. This design characteristic means that (a) coolant temperatures fluctuate over a larger range during normal operation than typical PWRs experience and (b) fluid volume also varies as the coolant temperature changes, since fluid (water) density is a function of temperature.Pressurizer pressure control is typically accomplished with an on/off and proportional control strategy in PWRs. However, this approach alone may not meet the desired control performance for a pulsed cooling system. Therefore, a dynamic model based control design approach is proposed that permits modification online as the process dynamics change by uniquely combining a hybrid control technique with a method to improve system knowledge. This research includes contributions to PZR control modeling, dynamic simulation inputs, adaptive-optimal and adaptive-dynamic control, and system knowledge. Simulations support that this approach enables greater control of the process during transients than is achievable with a conventional control approach.

Genre

doctoral dissertations

Subjects--Topics

Electrical engineering
Engineering

Degree

Ph.D.

Keywords

Hybrid Control
Kalman Filter
Linear Quadratic Regulator
Minimum Variance Control
Pressurizer
Recursive Least Squares Identification

Subject Area

Electrical Engineering

Advisor(s)

Kamalasadan, Sukumar

Committee Members

Kakad, Yogendra
Ebong, Abasifreke
Smith, K. Scott

Degree Note

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2015.

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Rights Holder Information

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Identifier

Smith_uncc_0694D_10952

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/etd:1338