SteamTemp-Optima: Power Plant Steam Temperature Digital Twin

1. Project Overview

SteamTemp-Optima is an industrial-grade Digital Twin simulation project. It focuses on solving one of the most challenging control problems in thermal power plants: Main and Reheat Steam Temperature Control.

The system simulates thermodynamic processes with significant dead time (time delay) and inertia, providing an experimental platform for control strategies ranging from classic PID to advanced schemes like Cascade Control and Feed-forward compensation.

Why this project?

As an engineer with 3 years of experience in power plant operation, I understand the critical role of steam temperature in unit safety and efficiency. This project aims to bridge Domain Knowledge (Power Systems) with Modern Software Engineering (Python/Next.js).

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2. System Architecture

The project follows a decoupled, modular architecture:

• Core Engine (Python): Simulates thermodynamic dynamics.
  • collections.deque for Dead Time simulation.
  • First-order difference equations for Inertia Lag.
  • Actuator Saturation Limiting (0% - 100%).
• Control Logic (Python): Implementing PID and advanced algorithms.
• Communication Layer: (WIP) Real-time data transfer via WebSockets.
• Frontend Dashboard: (Planned) Cyber-industrial UI built with Next.js & Tailwind CSS.

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3. Mathematical Modeling

The physics model adheres to Control Theory principles:

• Transfer Function: Simulates $G(s) = \frac{K}{Ts+1} \cdot e^{-\tau s}$.
• Inertia Lag: Implemented via $y(k) = \alpha \cdot y(k-1) + (1-\alpha) \cdot u(k)$.
• Saturation: Control output is strictly bounded within $[0, 100]$.

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4. Directory Structure

SteamTemp-Optima/
├── backend/                
│   ├── core/               # Physical models
│   │   └── boiler_sim.py   
│   ├── algorithms/         # Control algorithms
│   └── main.py             
├── frontend/               # Next.js Application
├── docs/                   # Documentation
└── README.md               

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5. Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+

Run Simulation Test

cd backend/core
python boiler_sim.py

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6. Roadmap

• Phase 1: Physics engine with time delay and inertia.
• Phase 2: Closed-loop control with PID.
• Phase 3: Cascade Control and Feed-forward logic.
• Phase 4: Web dashboard with Next.js.
• Phase 5: AI-based Predictive Control (MPC) using PyTorch.

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7. Contact

Author: [Zhihao Liu] Background: B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering & Automation (Expertise in Power Plant Operation)