Method for controlling the operation of nuclear electric generating plant

Claim 1

A method of controlling the operation of a nuclear power electric generating plant by means of an electronic computer, said electronic computer including a computation control device, a memory device, a process input device and a process output device, said generating plant having a machine including a turbine-generator, comprising the steps of presetting a predetermined operation target value and an operation limit of said machine into the memory device of said computer, determining the present operation value of said machine, obtaining the difference between said operation target value and the present operation value of said machine to produce an operation quantity at the output of a first control element, storing an anticipation model in the memory device of said computer, said anticipation model anticipating the change in the operation state of said machine which would occur when the machine is controlled by said difference, comparing said operation limit with a value determined by said operation model to produce a correction quantity at the output of a second control element, adding said operation quantity at the output of said first control element to the correction quantity at the output of said second control element to produce a control signal, coupling said control signal to the memory device of said computer to modify said anticipation model, and coupling said control signal to said machine through a third control element thereby controlling the output of said machine.

Claim 2

A method of controlling the operation of a nuclear power electric generating plant by means of an electronic computer, said electronic computer including a computation control device, a memory device, a process input device and a process output device, said generating plant having a machine including a turbine-generator, comprising the steps of presetting a predetermined operation target value and an operation limit of said machine into the memory device of said computer, determining the present operation value of said machine, obtaining the difference between said operation target value and the present operation value of said machine to produce an operation quantity at the output of a first control element, storing an anticipation model in the memory device of said computer, said anticipation model anticipating the change in the operation state of said machine which would occur when the machine is controlled by said difference, comparing said operation limit with a value determined by said operation model to produce a correction quantity at the output of a second control element, adding said operation quantity at the output of said first control element to the correction quantity at the output of said second control element to produce a control signal, coupling said control signal to the memory device of said computer to modify said anticipation model, and coupling said control signal to said machine through a third control element thereby controlling the output of said machine.

Claim 3

A method of controlling the thermal output of a nuclear reactor plant by means of an electronic computer having a computation control device, a memory device, a process input device and a process output device, said nuclear reactor including a reactor core provided with a plurality of nuclear fuel rods, means for controlling said fuel rods and means for controlling the recirculation flow through said nuclear reactor, comprising the steps of storing a predetermined approximate model of the thermal output distribution of said nuclear reactor in said memory device, storing in said memory device various data regarding the operation state of said nuclear reactor plant in terms of real time, computing the operation state of each fuel rod of said reactor core, said operation state being computed in accordance with said stored approximate model of the thermal output distribution of said nuclear reactor and said stored real time data, repeating said computation at a predetermined frequency thereby determining the rate of rise of the thermal output generated by said each fuel rod, forming a control signal which varies in accordance with the computed operative state of each fuel rod and the rate of rise of thermal output generated by each fuel rod, applying the control signal by means of said process output device of said computer to means for controlling the recirculation flow through said reactor and to said means for controlling said fuel rods to vary the output of said reactor according to a predetermined control pattern.

Claim 4

A method of controlling the thermal output of a nuclear reactor plant by means of an electronic computer having a computation control device, a memory device, a process input device and a process output device, said nuclear reactor including a reactor core provided with a plurality of nuclear fuel rods, means for controlling said fuel rods and means for controlling the recirculation flow through said nuclear reactor, comprising the steps of storing a predetermined approximate model of the thermal output distribution of said nuclear reactor in said memory device, storing in said memory device various data regarding the operation state of said nuclear reactor plant in terms of real time, computing the operation state of each fuel rod of said reactor core, said operation state being computed in accordance with said stored approximate model of the thermal output distribution of said nuclear reactor and said stored real time data, repeating said computation at a predetermined frequency thereby determining the rate of rise of the thermal output generated by said each fuel rod, forming a control signal which varies in accordance with the computed operative state of each fuel rod and the rate of rise of thermal output generated by each fuel rod, applying the control signal by means of said process output device of said computer to means for controlling the recirculation flow through said reactor and to said means for controlling said fuel rods to vary the output of said reactor according to a predetermined control pattern.