54 lines
3.8 KiB
TeX
54 lines
3.8 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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Nuclear reactors require extensively trained operators who follow detailed written procedures and switch between control objectives based on plant conditions.
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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 economic viability. These reactors need autonomous control systems that safely manage complex operational sequences without constant supervision—systems that provide assurance equal to or exceeding human-operated systems.
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% APPROACH PARAGRAPH Solution
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Formal methods from computer science combine with control theory to build hybrid control systems correct by construction.
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% Rationale
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Hybrid systems mirror operator decision-making: discrete logic switches between continuous control modes. Existing formal methods generate provably correct switching logic but fail when transitions involve continuous dynamics. Control theory verifies continuous behavior but cannot prove discrete switching correctness.
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% Hypothesis and Technical Approach
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Three stages bridge this gap. First, written operating procedures translate into temporal logic specifications using NASA's Formal Requirements Elicitation Tool (FRET), which structures requirements into scope, condition, component, timing, and response elements. Realizability checking identifies conflicts and ambiguities before implementation. Second, reactive synthesis generates deterministic automata—provably correct by construction. Third, standard control theory designs continuous controllers for each discrete mode, then reachability analysis verifies them. Continuous modes classify by transition objectives. Assume-guarantee contracts and barrier certificates prove safe mode transitions, enabling local verification of continuous modes without global trajectory analysis across the entire hybrid system. An Emerson Ovation control system demonstrates the methodology.
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% Pay-off
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This autonomous control approach manages complex nuclear power operations while maintaining safety guarantees, directly addressing the economic constraints that threaten 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 develop a methodology for converting written operating procedures
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into formal specifications. Reactive synthesis tools then generate
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discrete control logic from these specifications.
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% Outcome
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Control engineers can 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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