Linear active disturbance rejection control for pressurized water reactor power based on partial feedback linearization

Abstract

Due to nonlinearity and complexity of pressurized water reactor (PWR), the simple and practical controller for PWR is relatively difficult to design. This study discusses a novel compound control scheme that combines the advantages of partial feedback linearization (PFL) and linear active disturbance rejection control (LADRC). First, a second-order linearization model is derived via PFL. Then, LADRC is designed on the basis of the linearization model. Linear extended state observer is developed to estimate ‘generalized disturbance’, which includes model uncertainty and external disturbance. Finally, the controller parameters are optimized by tuning bandwidth. Simulation results show that the combined controller has faster response, fewer overshoots, and better disturbance rejection ability than PID, whereas it guarantees robustness under various reactor operating conditions.