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Three-level editorial improvements: TACTICAL (sentence-level): - Applied Gopen's issue-point and topic-stress positioning throughout - Improved verb choice and sentence clarity - Tightened passive constructions to active voice - Enhanced topic strings for better paragraph coherence OPERATIONAL (paragraph-level): - Strengthened transitions between subsections - Improved flow within complex technical sections - Made mode classification rationale more explicit - Enhanced coherence in verification methodology STRATEGIC (document-level): - Made Heilmeier Catechism alignment explicit in section transitions - Added structured mapping of sections to Heilmeier questions in Sec 1 - Strengthened summary sections to reinforce question-answer structure - Improved subsection headings to signal content and purpose Changes preserve all technical content while significantly improving clarity, flow, and argument structure.
70 lines
3.9 KiB
TeX
70 lines
3.9 KiB
TeX
% GOAL PARAGRAPH
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This research develops autonomous control systems with mathematical guarantees of safe and correct behavior.
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% INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH Hook
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Extensively trained operators manage nuclear reactors by following detailed written procedures. When operators switch between control objectives, plant conditions guide their decisions.
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% Gap
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Small modular reactors face a fundamental economic challenge: their per-megawatt staffing costs significantly exceed those of conventional plants, threatening their viability. To address this challenge, autonomous control systems must manage complex operational sequences safely—without constant supervision—while providing assurance equal to or exceeding that of human-operated systems.
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% APPROACH PARAGRAPH Solution
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We combine formal methods from computer science with control theory to
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build hybrid control systems that are correct by construction.
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% Rationale
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Hybrid systems mirror how operators work: discrete
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logic switches between continuous control modes. Existing formal methods
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generate provably correct switching logic but cannot handle continuous dynamics
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during transitions. Control theory, conversely, verifies continuous behavior but
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cannot prove the correctness of discrete switching decisions.
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% Hypothesis and Technical Approach
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Our methodology bridges this gap through three stages. First, we translate written
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operating procedures into temporal logic specifications using NASA's Formal
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Requirements Elicitation Tool (FRET). FRET structures requirements into scope,
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condition, component, timing, and response elements. Realizability
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checking identifies conflicts and ambiguities before implementation.
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Second, reactive synthesis generates deterministic automata that are provably
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correct by construction.
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Third, we design continuous controllers for each discrete mode using standard
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control theory and verify them using reachability analysis. We classify continuous modes by their transition objectives. Assume-guarantee contracts and barrier certificates prove that mode transitions occur safely. This approach enables local verification of continuous modes
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without requiring global trajectory analysis across the entire hybrid system. An
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Emerson Ovation control system demonstrates this methodology.
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% Pay-off
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Autonomous control therefore manages complex nuclear
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power operations while maintaining safety guarantees, directly addressing the economic constraints threatening small modular reactor viability.
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% OUTCOMES PARAGRAPHS
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If this research is successful, we will be able to do the following:
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\begin{enumerate}
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% OUTCOME 1 Title
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\item \textit{Synthesize written procedures into verified control logic.}
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% Strategy
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We will develop a methodology for converting written operating procedures
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into formal specifications. Reactive synthesis tools generate
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discrete control logic from these specifications.
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% Outcome
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Control engineers generate mode-switching controllers from regulatory
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procedures with minimal formal methods expertise, reducing barriers to
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high-assurance control systems.
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% OUTCOME 2 Title
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\item \textit{Verify continuous control behavior across mode transitions.}
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% Strategy
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Reachability analysis verifies that continuous control modes satisfy discrete
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transition requirements.
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% Outcome
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Engineers design continuous controllers using standard practices while
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maintaining formal correctness guarantees. Mode transitions provably occur safely and at
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the correct times.
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% OUTCOME 3 Title
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\item \textit{Demonstrate autonomous reactor startup control with safety
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guarantees.}
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% Strategy
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A small modular reactor simulation using industry-standard control hardware
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implements this methodology.
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% Outcome
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Control engineers implement high-assurance autonomous controls on
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industrial platforms they already use, enabling autonomy without retraining
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costs or new equipment development.
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\end{enumerate}
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