Singularity perturbed large-scale distributed-parameter control systems: an application to nuclear reactor control

Abstract

A class of distributed-parameter control systems involving interacting fast and slow subsystems is considered and treated by an extension of the singular perturbation method well known in the field of lumped-parameter large scale systems theory. In particular, the method is applied to a power nuclear reactor with one fast, one slow and one delayed neutron group, where, due to that the velocities of fast neutrons are extremely high, a very small parameter multiplies the partial time derivative of the fast neutron flux. The method is useful for the treatment of practical nuclear reactor control problems which require the Riccati equation as an intermediate step.