Intelligent software control for nuclear power plants

The authors propose a strategy for the introduction of intelligent control in nuclear power plants which recognizes the industry culture. Key features of the proposed strategy are: (i) incremental implementation by means of autonomous modules; (ii) software architectures that cannot propagate faults to other system components; (iii) self-diagnostic features within each module that include automatic fail-safe shutdown and reversion to conventional hardware systems; (iv) controlled degradation of the automated control system, leading to graceful shutdown in the event of major disturbances outside of the system competence to reject; and (v) integration of human operator interfaces with each subsystem and preservation of human competence in the loop. The design of an intelligent controller for a feedwater heater provides an illustrative example for the proposed concept