A study of sequential control for automated startup in PWR nuclear power plants

Different from the Generation IV reactor with inherent safety Characteristic, traditional Pressurized Water Reactor, as the most widely used nuclear power plant, has a complex startup process that demands high control accuracy. Traditional manual control suffers from response delays and inconsistent operations, limiting its reliability. This paper presents a sequential control method based on an expert PID algorithm for fully automated startup from cold state to power operation. The startup is divided into four stages—heating, pressurization and steam dome formation, criticality, and power operation—with tailored control strategies and fault-handling mechanisms for each. Comparative simulations between manual and sequential control show that the proposed system achieves superior accuracy and stability in key parameters such as temperature, pressure, and water level, while maintaining stable performance under fault conditions including heater failure, spray valve malfunction, and control rod misoperation. The results indicate that this approach provides a feasible and robust solution for automated startup of PWR, with strong potential for engineering applications.