A Novel Control-rod Drive Mechanism via Electromagnetic Levitation in MNSR

In this paper, an electromagnetic levitation system was used with a synchronous motor to navigate the control rod of a small-type research reactor. The result from this prototype magnetic levitation system was in agreement with simulation results. The control system was programmed in MATLAB through open-loop system, closed-loop with state feedback and closed-loop with state feedback integral tracking. The final control system showed the highest performance with a low positioning error. Our results showed that the developed control system has the potential to be used as a reliable actuator in nuclear reactors to satisfy higher performance and safety.