Energy-Saving Distributed Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Optimization with Dual Resource Constraints Based on Integrated Q-Learning Multi-Objective Grey Wolf Optimizer

The distributed flexible job shop scheduling problem(DFJSP)has attracted great attention with the growth of the global manufacturing industry.General DFJSP research only considers machine constraints and ignores worker constraints.As one critical factor of production,effective utilization of worker resources can increase productivity.Meanwhile,energy consumption is a growing concern due to the increasingly serious environmental issues.Therefore,the distributed flexible job shop scheduling problem with dual resource constraints(DFJSP-DRC)for minimizing makespan and total energy consumption is studied in this paper.To solve the problem,we present a multi-objective mathematical model for DFJSP-DRC and propose a Q-learning-based multi-objective grey wolf optimizer(Q-MOGWO).In Q-MOGWO,high-quality initial solutions are generated by a hybrid initialization strategy,and an improved active decoding strategy is designed to obtain the scheduling schemes.To further enhance the local search capability and expand the solution space,two wolf predation strategies and three critical factory neighborhood structures based on Q-learning are proposed.These strategies and structures enable Q-MOGWO to explore the solution space more efficiently and thus find better Pareto solutions.The effectiveness of Q-MOGWO in addressing DFJSP-DRC is verified through comparison with four algorithms using 45 instances.The results reveal that Q-MOGWO outperforms comparison algorithms in terms of solution quality.

Optimal Operation of Flexible Distribution Networks for Security Improvement Considering Active Management

This paper presents a stochastic optimal operation problem of gas turbine integrated distribution networks in the presence of active management schemes,which is formulated as a multi-objective chance-constrained mixed integer nonlinear programming problem.The control variables are the on-load tap-changer tap position,the power provided by the distributed generation(DG),the DG power factor angle,the load participating in demand side management and the switch status.The objectives defined in this paper are to simultaneously minimize the expectation cost and variation coefficient of security distance.Uncertainties related to DG output and load fluctuation and fault power restoration under contingencies are also considered in the optimization problem.The collaboration of normal boundary intersection and the dynamic niche differential evolution algorithm is proposed to handle the optimal operation mode.Simulation results are presented and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.Compared with the operation result without the consideration of security,the security-constrained operation can reduce the expectation cost.Therefore,the proposed optimization is reasonable and valuable.

Non-permanent Pole-to-pole Fault Restoration Strategy for Flexible DC Distribution Network

As the structures of multiple branch lines(MBLs)will be widely applied in the future flexible DC distribution network,there is a urgent need for improving system reliability by tackling the frequent non-permanent pole-to-pole(P-P)fault on distribution lines.A novel fault restoration strategy based on local information is proposed to solve this issue.The strategy firstly splits a double-ended power supply network into two single-ended power supply networks through the timing difference characteristics of a hybrid direct current circuit breaker(HDCCB)entering the recloser.Then,a method based on the characteristic of the transient energy of fault current is proposed to screen the faulty branch line in each single-ended power supply network.Also,a four-terminal flexible DC distribution network with MBLs is constructed on PSCAD to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed strategy.Various factors such as noise,fault location,and DC arc equivalent resistance are considered in the simulation model for testing.Test results prove that the proposed strategy for fault restoration is effective,and features high performance and scalability.

Estimation and Prediction for Flexible Weibull Distribution Based on Progressive Type II Censored Data

In this work,we consider the problem of estimating the parameters and predicting the unobserved or removed ordered data for the progressive type II censored flexible Weibull sample.Frequentist and Bayesian analyses are adopted for conducting the estimation and prediction problems.The likelihood method as well as the Bayesian sampling techniques is applied for the inference problems.The point predictors and credible intervals of unobserved data based on an informative set of data are computed.Markov ChainMonte Carlo samples are performed to compare the so-obtained methods,and one real data set is analyzed for illustrative purposes.

Improved gray wolf optimizer for distributed flexible job shop scheduling problem

The distributed flexible job shop scheduling problem(DFJSP),which is an extension of the flexible job shop scheduling problem,is a famous NP-complete combinatorial optimization problem.This problem is widespread in the manufacturing industries and comprises the following three subproblems:the assignment of jobs to factories,the scheduling of operations to machines,and the sequence of operations on machines.However,studies on DFJSP are seldom because of its difficulty.This paper proposes an effective improved gray wolf optimizer(IGWO)to solve the aforementioned problem.In this algorithm,new encoding and decoding schemes are designed to represent the three subproblems and transform the encoding into a feasible schedule,respectively.Four crossover operators are developed to expand the search space.A local search strategy with the concept of a critical factory is also proposed to improve the exploitability of IGWO.Effective schedules can be obtained by changing factory assignments and operation sequences in the critical factory.The proposed IGWO algorithm is evaluated on 69 famous benchmark instances and compared with six state-of-the-art algorithms to demonstrate its efficacy considering solution quality and computational efficiency.Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has achieved good improvement.Particularly,the proposed IGWO updates the new upper bounds of 13 difficult benchmark instances.

Distributed Flexible Job-Shop Scheduling Problem Based on Hybrid Chemical Reaction Optimization Algorithm

Economic globalization has transformed many manufacturing enterprises from a single-plant production mode to a multi-plant cooperative production mode.The distributed flexible job-shop scheduling problem(DFJSP)has become a research hot topic in the field of scheduling because its production is closer to reality.The research of DFJSP is of great significance to the organization and management of actual production process.To solve the heterogeneous DFJSP with minimal completion time,a hybrid chemical reaction optimization(HCRO)algorithm is proposed in this paper.Firstly,a novel encoding-decoding method for flexible manufacturing unit(FMU)is designed.Secondly,half of initial populations are generated by scheduling rule.Combined with the new solution acceptance method of simulated annealing(SA)algorithm,an improved method of critical-FMU is designed to improve the global and local search ability of the algorithm.Finally,the elitist selection strategy and the orthogonal experimental method are introduced to the algorithm to improve the convergence speed and optimize the algorithm parameters.In the experimental part,the effectiveness of the simulated annealing algorithm and the critical-FMU refinement methods is firstly verified.Secondly,in the comparison with other existing algorithms,the proposed optimal scheduling algorithm is not only effective in homogeneous FMUs examples,but also superior to existing algorithms in heterogeneous FMUs arithmetic cases.