FUZZY-LOGIC CONTROL OF A SOLAR POWER-PLANT

This paper presents an application of fuzzy logic control to the distr ibuted collector field of a solar power plant. The major characteristi c of a solar power plant is that the primary energy source, solar radi ation, cannot be manipulated. Solar radiation varies throughout the da y, causing changes in plant dynamics and strong perturbations in the p rocess, A special subclass of fuzzy inference systems, the TP (triangu lar partition) and TPE (triangular partition with evenly spaced midpoi nts) systems, is used to obtain adequate control signals in the whole range of possible operating conditions, The fuzzy logic controller has been tested in the real plant and results obtained are shown, A compa rison with other control approaches widely used in the plant is perfor med using a nonlinear computer model of the field.