Load-Following Control of Nuclear Reactor Using Variable-Order Fuzzy Fractional PID Controller Based on the Fractional-Space Neutron Point Kinetics Model

Abstract With the increase in the proportion of nuclear power, the load-following capability of NPPs has increasingly become an important factor affecting the development of a system security economy. In this paper, a variable-order fuzzy fractional PID controller is applied for load-following control of a nuclear reactor based on the fractional-space neutron point kinetics (F-SNPK) model, which can show the dynamics of the nuclear reactor in a better way than the classical neutron point kinetics (CNPK) model. Three-group of delayed neutrons and reactivity feedback effects (temperature and poison feedback effects) are considered. The simulation results are compared with PID and PIλDμ controller and it is shown that the variable-order fuzzy fractional PID controller exhibits a better satisfaction and capacity during the load-following operations compared to the PID and PIλDμ controllers.