Experimental comparison of control techniques for the trajectory tracking of reactor neutronic power

An experimental comparison of proportional-derivative (PD) pure feedforward, hybrid feedforward/PD-feedback, and period-generated control for the trajectory tracking of reactor neutronic power is reported. The first relies entirely on feedback; the second makes use only of a model; the third combines feedback serially with a model´s output; and the fourth uses feedback to update a trajectory which is then processed through a model to obtain the actuator signal. Each was tested on the 5-MWt MIT Research Reactor, with the period-generated technique being found to give superior overall performance. The theory of each control concept is summarized, and experiments that illustrate its advantages and weaknesses are presented.<>