Model-free adaptive control of advanced power plants

摘要

A novel 3-Input-3-Output (3×3) Model-Free Adaptive (MFA) controller with a set of artificial neural networks as part of the controller is introduced. A 3×3 MFA control system using the inventive 3×3 MFA controller is described to control key process variables including Power, Steam Throttle Pressure, and Steam Temperature of boiler-turbine-generator (BTG) units in conventional and advanced power plants. Those advanced power plants may comprise Once-Through Supercritical (OTSC) Boilers, Circulating Fluidized-Bed (CFB) Boilers, and Once-Through Supercritical Circulating Fluidized-Bed (OTSC CFB) Boilers.

主权项

1. A method of controlling a 3-Input-3-Output (3×3) process having three main-processes and six sub-processes, each of said main-processes having an input and an output responsive to the said input, each of said sub-processes having an input and an output, each of said main-processes having a measured process variable, which is the summation of the output of the main-process and outputs from two corresponding sub-processes; the 3-Input-3-Output (3×3) process having unknown relationships between their inputs and outputs, without approximating or modeling said relationship, comprising:
a) selecting a setpoint representing a desired value for the measured process variable for each of the main-processes; b) obtaining an error value which is a function of the difference between said setpoint and said measured process variable for each of the main-processes; c) providing a hardware 3-Input-3-Output (3×3) controller that has three main controllers, each corresponding to one of the main-processes, and six compensators, each corresponding to one of the sub-processes; d) for each of the main processes, applying said error value as the sole input to its corresponding main controller whose inputs are time-delayed functions of said error value, and whose output is a control value combined with the outputs from two adjacent compensators to produce the total control output of the main controller; e) configuring each said main controller by entering a time constant based on the time constant of the corresponding main-process being controlled; f) for each of the sub-processes, providing a compensator which uses the control value from the corresponding main controller as its input, and uses the time constant of the main controller as its time constant; g) applying the total control output of each main controller to vary the input of its corresponding main-process and two sub-processes; and h) continuously iteratively varying the parameters of each of the main controllers to help minimize said error value for each of the main-processes.