Reactor power regulation of a small pressurized water reactor based on linear active disturbance rejection control with gain scheduling

The small pressurized water reactor (SPWR) adopts the integral design, which has the advantages of simple structure, small volume and high safety. However, SPWR is a system with nonlinear and time-varying complex dynamics. Under large and abrupt load regulation, the traditional power control system has the problem of large overshoot. To solve this problem, a linear active disturbance rejection reactor control with gain scheduling is proposed. In this control scheme, the power deviation is handled by linear active disturbance rejection controller and the coolant temperature deviation is passed by PI controller, which jointly adjust the control rod. Thus, the power can quickly adapt to the load change while the temperature deviation can meet the control requirements. The controller parameters optimized by genetic algorithm under different power levels are expressed as a function by linear interpolation method to form an offline database. The optimal parameter of the control system is obtained by querying the offline database in real time. Simulation tests are carried out in the typical conditions of forced circulation and natural circulation. The results show that under the designed control system the power overshoot and settling time can be effectively reduced compared with the traditional control system.