Fault-Tolerant Control of Steam Temperature in HRSG Superheater under Actuator Fault Using a Sliding Mode Observer and PINN

TL;DR

This paper introduces a fault-tolerant control system for HRSG superheater steam temperature that combines a sliding mode observer, physics-informed neural networks, and adaptive control to handle actuator faults effectively.

Contribution

It presents a novel integrated framework using physics-informed neural networks and sliding mode control for fault estimation and compensation in thermal systems.

Findings

Effective fault estimation with PINN improves control accuracy.

Maintains steam temperature within 1°C of setpoint under faults.

Framework validated on real HRSG data showing robustness and resilience.

Abstract

This paper presents a novel fault-tolerant control framework for steam temperature regulation in Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs) subject to actuator faults. Addressing the critical challenge of valve degradation in superheater spray attemperators, we propose a synergistic architecture comprising three components: (1) a Sliding Mode Observer (SMO) for estimation of unmeasured thermal states, (2) a Physics-Informed Neural Network (PINN) for estimating multiplicative actuator faults using physical laws as constraints, and (3) a one-sided Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) that adapts to the estimated faults while minimizing excessive actuation. The key innovation lies in the framework of closed-loop physics-awareness, where the PINN continuously informs both the observer and controller about fault severity while preserving thermodynamic consistency. Rigorous uniform ultimate boundedness (UUB) is established via Lyapunov analysis under practical assumptions. Validated on real HRSG operational data, the framework demonstrates effective fault adaptation, reduced temperature overshoot, and maintains steam temperature within 1{\deg}C of the setpoint under valve effectiveness loss. This work bridges control theory and physics-guided machine learning to deliver a practically deployable solution for power plant resilience, with extensions applicable to thermal systems subject to multiplicative faults.