Research on Start-Up Design of Nuclear Safety Level Parallel Redundant Control Station

Compared with the operating life cycle of the digital I&C system in nuclear power plants, the start-up process of the control station is minimal and easily overlooked. A design that is too simple is not suitable for nuclear power applications. The complexity of the start-up design comes from three aspects: One is the diversity of start-up scenarios. In addition to the start of the normal plan, there are unexpected start-ups that cannot be ignored; the second is the complexity of data synchronization in the redundant system; the third is the consideration of human factors. The start-up process involves a lot of human-computer interaction, and how to reduce human risk is also an important design requirement. If the factors are not considered properly, the control station will easily cause disturbance of the controlled equipment when starting, and may even cause the malfunction of the engineered safety features actuation system. This article focuses on the nuclear safety-level parallel redundant control station, analyzes various scenarios of the control station start-up, and synthesizes the design requirements for the start-up phase. According to the requirements, the overall design plan of “initialization-synchronization-comparison-commissioning” is proposed, and the human operation risks involved in each stage are analyzed, and corresponding prevention plans are proposed. The FirmSys parallel redundant control station implemented according to this scheme has been successfully applied in ten commercial nuclear power units including Unit 5 and Unit 6 of Yangjiang Nuclear Power Plant.

Optimal Control of a Compound Rotorcraft for Engine Performance Enhancement

Demands for rotorcraft with increased flight speed, improved operational performance and reduced environmental impact have led to a drive in research and development of alternative concepts. Compound rotorcraft overcome the flight speed limitations of conventional helicopters with additional lifting and propulsive components. Further to operational benefits, these augmentations provide additional flight control parameters, resulting in control redundancy. This work aims to investigate the impact of optimal control strategies for a generic coaxial compound rotorcraft, equipped with turboshaft engines, targeting the minimization of mission fuel burn and gaseous emissions. The direct redundant controls considered are: (a) main rotor speed, (b) propeller speed, and (c), fuselage pitch attitude. A simulation tool for coaxial compound rotorcraft analysis has been developed and coupled to a zero-dimensional engine performance model and a stirred-reactor combustor model. Firstly, experimental and flight test data were used to provide extensive validation of the developed models. A parametric analysis was then carried out to gain insight into the effect of the redundant controls. This was followed by the derivation of a generalized set of optimal redundant control allocations using a surrogate-assisted genetic algorithm. Application of the optimal redundant control allocations during realistic operational scenarios has demonstrated reductions in fuel burn and NOX of up to 6.93% and 8.74% respectively. The developed method constitutes a rigorous approach to guide the design of control systems for future advanced rotorcraft.

Optimal Control of a Compound Rotorcraft for Engine Performance Enhancement

Demands for rotorcraft with increased flight speed, improved operational performance and reduced environmental impact have led to a drive in research and development of alternative concepts. Compound rotorcraft overcome the flight speed limitations of conventional helicopters with additional lifting and propulsive components. Further to operational benefits, these augmentations provide additional flight control parameters, resulting in control redundancy. This work aims to investigate the impact of optimal control strategies for a generic coaxial compound rotorcraft, equipped with turboshaft engines, targeting the minimization of mission fuel burn and gaseous emissions. The direct redundant controls considered are: (a) main rotor speed, (b) propeller speed, and (c), fuselage pitch attitude. A simulation tool for coaxial compound rotorcraft analysis has been developed and coupled to a zero-dimensional engine performance model and a stirred-reactor combustor model. Firstly, experimental and flight test data were used to provide extensive validation of the developed models. A parametric analysis was then carried out to gain insight into the effect of the redundant controls. This was followed by the derivation of a generalized set of optimal redundant control allocations using a surrogate-assisted genetic algorithm. Application of the optimal redundant control allocations during realistic operational scenarios has demonstrated reductions in fuel burn and NOx of up to 6.93% and 8.74% respectively. The developed method constitutes a rigorous approach to guide the design of control systems for future advanced rotorcraft.