Hierarchical control of a nuclear reactor using uncertain dynamics techniques

Good agreement is shown between a centralized and a hierarchical implementation of a controller for a hypothetical nuclear power plant subject to multiple demands. The performance of the hierarchical distributed system in the presence of localized subsystem failures is analyzed. The proposed approach to the hierarchical control of large systems eliminates the need for the typical iterative computations to account for the coupling effects between subsystems. In addition, the computational independence between the unknown terms generated by each subsystem's controller facilitates both its implementation in a distributed network of CPUs and the isolation and diagnoses of sensor and system component failures. The role of the coordinator is transformed from that of an inflexible black-box-like numerical procedure to that of an intelligent supervisor of subsystem performance. By incorporating symbolic and numerical recipes, the supervisor issues the appropriate set of demands for each subsystem required for the specific goal. It is the task of the individual subsystem controllers to fulfill those demands in an optimal fashion.