Model Based Predictive Control of a High Temperature Gas Cooled Power Plant Coupled to a Hydrogen Production Facility.

This thesis builds upon recent studies focusing on modeling, operation, and control of high temperature gas cooled reactors. A computer model was developed, based on mass, energy, and momentum balances of control volumes throughout the plant. Several simulations of the plant behavior were conducted and their results were compared with those from the literature. Proportional control was combined with optimal control to form a time varying, adjustable gain predictive controller which adjusts the proportional gains during transients. The controller was designed to utilize control rod motions and bypass control valves to maintain desired plant conditions. An optimization scheme was introduced to efficiently solve the optimization problem formulated as part of the predictive controller operation. Several additional transients were run to examine the full plant controller performance. Multiple predictive controllers were designed and their performance was compared with a proportional controller throughout each transient. The predictive controller results confirmed the importance of proper selection of the optimal controller parameters, in particular the controller time step size and the horizon time. The well-designed proportional controllers clearly demonstrated improvements in plant performance during short time scale transients, namely a loss of secondary heat transfer transient and a step change in desired power transient. Results from long time scale transients demonstrated the capabilities of the proposed bypass control system to control electrical power production without the need for storage vessels.PHDNuclear Engineering & Radiological SciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102430/1/piman_1.pd