Reinforcement learning-based control with application to the once-through steam generator system

A reinforcement learning framework is proposed for the control problem of outlet steam pressure of the once-through steam generator(OTSG) in this paper. The double-layer controller using Proximal Policy Optimization(PPO) algorithm is applied in the control structure of the OTSG. The PPO algorithm can train the neural networks continuously according to the process of interaction with the environment and then the trained controller can realize better control for the OTSG. Meanwhile, reinforcement learning has the characteristic of difficult application in real-world objects, this paper proposes an innovative pretraining method to solve this problem. The difficulty in the application of reinforcement learning lies in training. The optimal strategy of each step is summed up through trial and error, and the training cost is very high. In this paper, the LSTM model is adopted as the training environment for pretraining, which saves training time and improves efficiency. The experimental results show that this method can realize the self-adjustment of control parameters under various working conditions, and the control effect has the advantages of small overshoot, fast stabilization speed, and strong adaptive ability.