A decision tree based decomposition method for oil refinery scheduling

Refinery scheduling attracts increasing concerns in both academic and industrial communities in recent years.However, due to the complexity of refinery processes, little has been reported for success use in real world refineries. In academic studies, refinery scheduling is usually treated as an integrated, large-scale optimization problem,though such complex optimization problems are extremely difficult to solve. In this paper, we proposed a way to exploit the prior knowledge existing in refineries, and developed a decision making system to guide the scheduling process. For a real world fuel oil oriented refinery, ten adjusting process scales are predetermined. A C4.5 decision tree works based on the finished oil demand plan to classify the corresponding category(i.e. adjusting scale). Then,a specific sub-scheduling problem with respect to the determined adjusting scale is solved. The proposed strategy is demonstrated with a scheduling case originated from a real world refinery.

Method for electromagnetic detection satellites scheduling based on genetic algorithm with alterable penalty coefficient

The electromagnetic detection satellite （EDS） is a type of earth observation satellites （EOSs）. The Information collected by EDSs plays an important role in some fields, such as industry, science and military. The scheduling of EDSs is a complex combinatorial optimization problem. Current research mainly focuses on the scheduling of imaging satellites and SAR satellites, but little work has been done on the scheduling of EDSs for its specific characteristics. A multi-satellite scheduling model is established, in which the specific constrains of EDSs are considered, then a scheduling algorithm based on the genetic algorithm （GA） is proposed. To deal with the specific constrains of EDSs, a penalty function method is introduced. However, it is hard to determine the appropriate penalty coefficient in the penalty function. Therefore, an adaptive adjustment mechanism of the penalty coefficient is designed to solve the problem, as well as improve the scheduling results. Experimental results are used to demonstrate the correctness and practicability of the proposed scheduling algorithm.

Uncertain optimal model and solving method to platform scheduling problem in battlefield

The platform scheduling problem in battlefield is one of the important problems in military operational research.It needs to minimize mission completing time and meanwhile maximize the mission completing accuracy with a limited number of platforms.Though the traditional certain models obtain some good results,uncertain model is still needed to be introduced since the battlefield environment is complex and unstable.An uncertain model is prposed for the platform scheduling problem.Related parameters in this model are set to be fuzzy or stochastic.Due to the inherent disadvantage of the solving methods for traditional models,a new method is proposed to solve the uncertain model.Finally,the practicability and availability of the proposed method are demonstrated with a case of joint campaign.

Smart Society and Artificial Intelligence:Big Data Scheduling and the Global Standard Method Applied to Smart Maintenance

The implementation of artificial intelligence(AI)in a smart society,in which the analysis of human habits is mandatory,requires automated data scheduling and analysis using smart applications,a smart infrastructure,smart systems,and a smart network.In this context,which is characterized by a large gap between training and operative processes,a dedicated method is required to manage and extract the massive amount of data and the related information mining.The method presented in this work aims to reduce this gap with near-zero-failure advanced diagnostics(AD)for smart management,which is exploitable in any context of Society 5.0,thus reducing the risk factors at all management levels and ensuring quality and sustainability.We have also developed innovative applications for a humancentered management system to support scheduling in the maintenance of operative processes,for reducing training costs,for improving production yield,and for creating a human–machine cyberspace for smart infrastructure design.The results obtained in 12 international companies demonstrate a possible global standardization of operative processes,leading to the design of a near-zero-failure intelligent system that is able to learn and upgrade itself.Our new method provides guidance for selecting the new generation of intelligent manufacturing and smart systems in order to optimize human–machine interactions,with the related smart maintenance and education.

Algorithms for Multicriteria Scheduling Problems to Minimize Maximum Late Work, Tardy, and Early

This study examines the multicriteria scheduling problem on a single machine to minimize three criteria: the maximum cost function, denoted by maximum late work (Vmax), maximum tardy job, denoted by (Tmax), and maximum earliness (Emax). We propose several algorithms based on types of objectives function to be optimized when dealing with simultaneous minimization problems with and without weight and hierarchical minimization problems. The proposed Algorithm (3) is to find the set of efficient solutions for 1//F (Vmax, Tmax, Emax) and 1//(Vmax + Tmax + Emax). The Local Search Heuristic Methods (Descent Method (DM), Simulated Annealing (SA), Genetic Algorithm (GA), and the Tree Type Heuristics Method (TTHM) are applied to solve all suggested problems. Finally, the experimental results of Algorithm (3) are compared with the results of the Branch and Bound (BAB) method for optimal and Pareto optimal solutions for smaller instance sizes and compared to the Local Search Heuristic Methods for large instance sizes. These results ensure the efficiency of Algorithm (3) in a reasonable time.

TEACHING HOW TO USE A REPETITIVE SCHEDULING METHOD WHEN PLANNING A GREEN CONDOMINIUM BUILDING

This paper aims to present a methodology for use in construction planning named the Repetitive Scheduling Method(RSM).Students on a graduate level construction management program can learn how to create a RSM schedule to be applied to a real project.Typically,the Critical Path Method(CPM)is used to plan general construction projects.This paper presents a case study wherein a CPM diagram is transformed into a RSM schedule for use in the construction of a green condominium.RSM is the most suitable tool for planning repetitive projects like condominium buildings,apartment complexes,or real estate development projects.It utilizes an uninterrupted flow of resource concept in order to eliminate manpower-related resource wastage.As a result,construction productivity can be improved by using the right construction planning tool on the right project.Interested graduate students researching construction engineering can apply RSM on their repetitive projects in the future.

Dynamic Scheduling and Path Planning of Automated Guided Vehicles in Automatic Container Terminal

The uninterrupted operation of the quay crane(QC)ensures that the large container ship can depart port within laytime,which effectively reduces the handling cost for the container terminal and ship owners.The QC waiting caused by automated guided vehicles(AGVs)delay in the uncertain environment can be alleviated by dynamic scheduling optimization.A dynamic scheduling process is introduced in this paper to solve the AGV scheduling and path planning problems,in which the scheduling scheme determines the starting and ending nodes of paths,and the choice of paths between nodes affects the scheduling of subsequent AGVs.This work proposes a two-stage mixed integer optimization model to minimize the transportation cost of AGVs under the constraint of laytime.A dynamic optimization algorithm,including the improved rule-based heuristic algorithm and the integration of the Dijkstra algorithm and the Q-Learning algorithm,is designed to solve the optimal AGV scheduling and path schemes.A new conflict avoidance strategy based on graph theory is also proposed to reduce the probability of path conflicts between AGVs.Numerical experiments are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm over existing methods.

Modeling and Optimization for Scheduling of Chemical Batch Processes

Chemical batch processes have become significant in chemical manufacturing. In these processes, large numbers of chemical products are produced to satisfy human demands in daily life. Recently, economy globalization has resulted, in growing worldwide competitions in tradi.tional chemical .process industry. In order to keep competitive in the global marketplace, each company must optimize its production management and set up a reactive system for market fluctuation. Scheduling is the core of production management in chemical processes. The goal of this paper is to review the recent developments in this challenging area. Classifications of batch scheduling problems and optimization methods are introduced. A comparison of six typical models is shown in a general benchmark example from the literature. Finally, challenges and applications in future research are discussed.

Shuffled complex evolution coupled with stochastic ranking for reservoir scheduling problems

This paper introduces an optimization method(SCE-SR)that combines shuffled complex evolution(SCE)and stochastic ranking(SR)to solve constrained reservoir scheduling problems,ranking individuals with both objectives and constrains considered.A specialized strategy is used in the evolution process to ensure that the optimal results are feasible individuals.This method is suitable for handling multiple conflicting constraints,and is easy to implement,requiring little parameter tuning.The search properties of the method are ensured through the combination of deterministic and probabilistic approaches.The proposed SCE-SR was tested against hydropower scheduling problems of a single reservoir and a multi-reservoir system,and its performance is compared with that of two classical methods(the dynamic programming and genetic algorithm).The results show that the SCE-SR method is an effective and efficient method for optimizing hydropower generation and locating feasible regions quickly,with sufficient global convergence properties and robustness.The operation schedules obtained satisfy the basic scheduling requirements of reservoirs.

A Hybrid Estimation of Distribution Algorithm for Unrelated Parallel Machine Scheduling with Sequence-Dependent Setup Times

A hybrid estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) with iterated greedy (IG) search (EDA-IG) is proposed for solving the unrelated parallel machine scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setup times (UPMSP-SDST). For makespan criterion, some properties about neighborhood search operators to avoid invalid search are derived. A probability model based on neighbor relations of jobs is built in the EDA-based exploration phase to generate new solutions by sampling the promising search region. Two types of deconstruction and reconstruction as well as an IG search are designed in the IG-based exploitation phase. Computational complexity of the algorithm is analyzed, and the effect of parameters is investigated by using the Taguchi method of design-of-experiment. Numerical tests on 1640 benchmark instances are carried out. The results and comparisons demonstrate the effectiveness of the EDA-IG. Especially, the bestknown solutions of 531 instances are updated. In addition, the effectiveness of the properties is also demonstrated by numerical comparisons. © 2014 Chinese Association of Automation.

Coordinate scheduling approach for EDS observation tasks and data transmission jobs

Electromagnetic detection satellite（EDS） is a type of Earth observation satellite（EOS）. Satellites observation and data down-link scheduling plays a significant role in improving the efficiency of satellite observation systems. However, the current works mainly focus on the scheduling of imaging satellites, little work focuses on the scheduling of EDSes for its specific requirements.And current works mainly schedule satellite resources and data down-link resources separately, not considering them in a globally optimal perspective. The EDSes and data down-link resources are scheduled in an integrated process and the scheduling result is searched globally. Considering the specific constraints of EDS, a coordinate scheduling model for EDS observation tasks and data transmission jobs is established and an algorithm based on the genetic algorithm is proposed. Furthermore, the convergence of our algorithm is proved. To deal with some specific constraints, a solution repairing algorithm of polynomial computing time is designed. Finally, some experiments are conducted to validate the correctness and practicability of our scheduling algorithms.

A mathematical model for open pit mine production scheduling with Grade Engineering and stockpiling

This paper presents the development and implementation of an innovative mixed integer programming based mathematical model for an open pit mining operation with Grade Engineering framework.Grade Engineering comprises a range of coarse-separation based pre-processing techniques that separate the desirable(i.e.high-grade)and undesirable(i.e.low-grade or uneconomic)materials and ensure the delivery of only selected quantity of high quality(or high-grade)material to energy,water,and cost-intensive processing plant.The model maximizes the net present value under a range of operational and processing constraints.Given that the proposed model is computationally complex,the authors employ a data preprocessing procedure and then evaluate the performance of the model at several practical instances using computation time,optimality gap,and the net present value as valid measures.In addition,a comparison of the proposed and traditional(without Grade Engineering)models reflects that the proposed model outperforms the traditional formulation.

A Chance Constrained Optimal Reserve Scheduling Approach for Economic Dispatch Considering Wind Penetration

The volatile wind power generation brings a full spectrum of problems to power system operation and management, ranging from transient system frequency fluctuation to steady state supply and demand balancing issue. In this paper, a novel wind integrated power system day-ahead economic dispatch model, with the consideration of generation and reserve cost is modelled and investigated. The proposed problem is first formulated as a chance constrained stochastic nonlinear programming U+0028 CCSNLP U+0029, and then transformed into a deterministic nonlinear programming U+0028 NLP U+0029. To tackle this NLP problem, a three-stage framework consists of particle swarm optimization U+0028 PSO U+0029, sequential quadratic programming U+0028 SQP U+0029 and Monte Carlo simulation U+0028 MCS U+0029 is proposed. The PSO is employed to heuristically search the line power flow limits, which are used by the SQP as constraints to solve the NLP problem. Then the solution from SQP is verified on benchmark system by using MCS. Finally, the verified results are feedback to the PSO as fitness value to update the particles. Simulation study on IEEE 30-bus system with wind power penetration is carried out, and the results demonstrate that the proposed dispatch model could be effectively solved by the proposed three-stage approach. © 2017 Chinese Association of Automation.

Modified Shifting Bottleneck Heuristic for Scheduling Problems of Large-Scale Job Shops

A modified shifting bottleneck algorithm was proposed to solve scheduling problems of a large-scale job shop.Firstly,a new structured algorithm was employed for sub-problems so as to reduce the computational burden and suit for large-scale instances more effectively.The modified cycle avoidance method,incorporating with the disjunctive graph model and topological sort algorithm,was applied to guaranteeing the feasibility of solutions with considering delayed precedence constraints.Finally,simulation experiments were carried out to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the modified method.The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can solve the large-scale job shop scheduling problems(JSSPs) within a reasonable period of time and obtaining satisfactory solutions simultaneously.

Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for Cross-Layer Scheduling in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

Due to the fading characteristics of wireless channels and the burstiness of data traffic,how to deal with congestion in Ad-hoc networks with effective algorithms is still open and challenging.In this paper,we focus on enabling congestion control to minimize network transmission delays through flexible power control.To effectively solve the congestion problem,we propose a distributed cross-layer scheduling algorithm,which is empowered by graph-based multi-agent deep reinforcement learning.The transmit power is adaptively adjusted in real-time by our algorithm based only on local information(i.e.,channel state information and queue length)and local communication(i.e.,information exchanged with neighbors).Moreover,the training complexity of the algorithm is low due to the regional cooperation based on the graph attention network.In the evaluation,we show that our algorithm can reduce the transmission delay of data flow under severe signal interference and drastically changing channel states,and demonstrate the adaptability and stability in different topologies.The method is general and can be extended to various types of topologies.

Stochastic Programming Model for Discrete Lotsizing and Scheduling Problem on Parallel Machines

In recent years, it has been difficult for manufactures and suppliers to forecast demand from a market for a given product precisely. Therefore, it has become important for them to cope with fluctuations in demand. From this viewpoint, the problem of planning or scheduling in production systems can be regarded as a mathematical problem with stochastic elements. However, in many previous studies, such problems are formulated without stochastic factors, treating stochastic elements as deterministic variables or parameters. Stochastic programming incorporates such factors into the mathematical formulation. In the present paper, we consider a multi-product, discrete, lotsizing and scheduling problem on parallel machines with stochastic demands. Under certain assumptions, this problem can be formulated as a stochastic integer programming problem. We attempt to solve this problem by a scenario aggregation method proposed by Rockafellar and Wets. The results from computational experiments suggest that our approach is able to solve large-scale problems, and that, under the condition of uncertainty, incorporating stochastic elements into the model gives better results than formulating the problem as a deterministic model.

A scheduling strategy for finite element analysis on the computational grid

The computational grid provides a promising platform for the deployment of various high-performance computing applications. A grid system consists of heterogeneous resource domains, while the computational tasks of finite element analysis may differ in demand of computing power. The cost-effective utilization of resources in the grid can be obtained through scheduling tasks to optimal resource domains. Firstly, a cost-effective scheduling strategy is presented for finite element applications. Secondly, aiming at the conjugate gradient solver stemming from finite element analysis, a performance evaluation formula is presented for determining optimal resouree domains, which is derived from phase parallel model and takes the heterogeneous characteristic of resource domains into account. Finally, experimental results show that the presented formula delivers a good estimation of the actual execution time, and indicate that the presented formula can be used to determine optimal resource domains in the grid environment.

Interior-Point Methods Applied to the Predispatch Problem of a Hydroelectric System with Scheduled Line Manipulations

Transmission line manipulations in a power system are necessary for the execution of preventative or corrective main- tenance in a network, thus ensuring the stability of the system. In this study, primal-dual interior-point methods are used to minimize costs and losses in the generation and transmission of the predispatch active power flow in a hydroelectric system with previously scheduled line manipulations for preventative maintenance, over a period of twenty-four hours. The matrix structure of this problem and the modification that it imposes on the system is also broached in this study. From the computational standpoint, the effort required to solve a problem with or without line manipulations is similar, and the reasons for this are also discussed in this study. Computational results sustain our findings.

A Gain Scheduled Method for Speed Control of Wind Driven Doubly Fed Induction Generator

This paper proposes a gain scheduled control method for a doubly fed induction generator driven by a wind turbine. The purpose is to design a variable speed control system so as to extract the maximum power in the region below the rated wind speed. Gain scheduled control approach is applied in order to achieve high performance over a wide range of wind speed. A double loop configuration is adopted. In the inner loop, the rotor speed is used as the scheduling parameter, while a function of wind and rotor speed is used as the scheduling parameter in the outer loop. It is verified in simulations that a high tracking performance has been achieved.

Study on Railway Marshalling Scheduling Model and Algorithm of Enterprise Station

Railway marshalling transportation is a crucial part of enterprise production supply chain, with the development of national economy;enterprises face more and more pressure on station railway marshalling operation. Realizing enterprise railway dispatching plan automatically by computer, which can improve the level of the station scheduling and transport efficiency, at the same time can reduce the scheduling cost. Based on the basic rules of marshalling and dispatching of railway freight trains at enterprise stations, this paper investigates the site of special railway line at enterprise stations and establishes the space of dispatching state and regulation base according to the actual situation. The information feedback model is designed according to the train information, carriage information and real-time information of the track of the station. Based on the analysis of the railway regulation and the demand of the station, establish the scheduling rule method library. Based on the state space and feedback model of the station, using the scheduling rule method library, this paper designs an enterprise railway automatic marshalling algorithm with a certain universality, and realizes automatic train marshalling and scheduling operation. Considering the economic benefit of the station and the efficiency of the marshalling model, this paper introduces the time cost function and applies the improved greedy algorithm to optimize the automatic marshalling model, realizing the optimal marshalling of railway station in a short time.