Primary frequency control of multi-module high temperature gas-cooled reactor cogeneration unit based on active disturbance rejection control

Multi-module high temperature gas-cooled reactor (mHTGR) has gained engineering significance when the world’s first demonstration project, HTR-PM, went commercial in 2023, and multiple aspects of application for mHTGR has been designed and verified in recent years. Certain nuclear power plant cogeneration unit based on mHTGR can be utilized to generate hydrogen or unirradiated steam to industrial consumer for various purposes through the utilizing of the high steam temperature. The concept of coordinated control is raised during the design and verification process, and prospers when the collaboration between mHTGR and various industrial processes enlarges. Control algorithm is one of the essentials of maintaining safe and stable operation of a nuclear power plant in a big picture. Adaption from mature control theory proves to attain better performance and stronger robustness other than the conventional control method. Active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) is one of the mature theories that has been utilized as a countermeasure against internal or external disturbance of various types, and can actively compensate the disturbance using extended state observer. In this paper, a nonlinear ADRC is proposed and implemented as primary frequency control (PFC) in certain mHTGR cogeneration unit, and results are compared via simulations and verification of the control performance is validated when subjected to disturbances at various locations within the model of the mHTGR cogeneration unit. Through comparisons, ADRC proves to improve the performance and robustness of PFC as expected, and requires no further information from the mHTGR cogeneration unit, easing the implementation of ADRC.