15,922 research outputs found
Evolutionary Synthesis of HVAC System Configurations: Algorithm Development.
This paper describes the development of an optimization procedure for the synthesis of novel heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system configurations. Novel HVAC system designs can be synthesized using model-based optimization methods. The optimization problem can be considered as having three sub-optimization problems; the choice of a component set; the design of the topological connections between the components; and the design of a system operating strategy. In an attempt to limit the computational effort required to obtain a design solution, the approach adopted in this research is to solve all three sub-problems simultaneously. Further, the computational effort has been limited by implementing simplified component models and including the system performance evaluation as part of the optimization problem (there being no need in this respect to simulation the system performance). The optimization problem has been solved using a Genetic Algorithm (GA), with data structures and search operators that are specifically developed for the solution of HVAC system optimization problems (in some instances, certain of the novel operators may also be used in other topological optimization problems. The performance of the algorithm, and various search operators has been examined for a two-zone optimization problem (the objective of the optimization being to find a system design that minimizes the system energy use). In particular, the performance of the algorithm in finding feasible system designs has been examined. It was concluded that the search was unreliable when the component set was optimized, but if the component set was fixed as a boundary condition on the search, then the algorithm had an 81% probability of finding a feasible system design. The optimality of the solutions is not examined in this paper, but is described in an associated publication. It was concluded that, given a candidate set of system components, the algorithm described here provides an effective tool for exploring the novel design of HVAC systems. (c) HVAC & R journa
The Novel Approach of Adaptive Twin Probability for Genetic Algorithm
The performance of GA is measured and analyzed in terms of its performance
parameters against variations in its genetic operators and associated
parameters. Since last four decades huge numbers of researchers have been
working on the performance of GA and its enhancement. This earlier research
work on analyzing the performance of GA enforces the need to further
investigate the exploration and exploitation characteristics and observe its
impact on the behavior and overall performance of GA. This paper introduces the
novel approach of adaptive twin probability associated with the advanced twin
operator that enhances the performance of GA. The design of the advanced twin
operator is extrapolated from the twin offspring birth due to single ovulation
in natural genetic systems as mentioned in the earlier works. The twin
probability of this operator is adaptively varied based on the fitness of best
individual thereby relieving the GA user from statically defining its value.
This novel approach of adaptive twin probability is experimented and tested on
the standard benchmark optimization test functions. The experimental results
show the increased accuracy in terms of the best individual and reduced
convergence time.Comment: 7 pages, International Journal of Advanced Studies in Computer
Science and Engineering (IJASCSE), Volume 2, Special Issue 2, 201
Genetic algorithms with guided and local search strategies for university course timetabling
This article is posted here with permission from the IEEE - Copyright @ 2011 IEEEThe university course timetabling problem (UCTP) is a combinatorial optimization problem, in which a set of events has to be scheduled into time slots and located into suitable rooms. The design of course timetables for academic institutions is a very difficult task because it is an NP-hard problem. This paper investigates genetic algorithms (GAs) with a guided search strategy and local search (LS) techniques for the UCTP. The guided search strategy is used to create offspring into the population based on a data structure that stores information extracted from good individuals of previous generations. The LS techniques use their exploitive search ability to improve the search efficiency of the proposed GAs and the quality of individuals. The proposed GAs are tested on two sets of benchmark problems in comparison with a set of state-of-the-art methods from the literature. The experimental results show that the proposed GAs are able to produce promising results for the UCTP.This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council of U.K. under Grant EP/E060722/1
Constrained Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of an MMA Polymerization Process via Evolutionary Optimization
In this work, a nonlinear model predictive controller is developed for a
batch polymerization process. The physical model of the process is
parameterized along a desired trajectory resulting in a trajectory linearized
piecewise model (a multiple linear model bank) and the parameters are
identified for an experimental polymerization reactor. Then, a multiple model
adaptive predictive controller is designed for thermal trajectory tracking of
the MMA polymerization. The input control signal to the process is constrained
by the maximum thermal power provided by the heaters. The constrained
optimization in the model predictive controller is solved via genetic
algorithms to minimize a DMC cost function in each sampling interval.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, 28 reference
2D multi-objective placement algorithm for free-form components
This article presents a generic method to solve 2D multi-objective placement
problem for free-form components. The proposed method is a relaxed placement
technique combined with an hybrid algorithm based on a genetic algorithm and a
separation algorithm. The genetic algorithm is used as a global optimizer and
is in charge of efficiently exploring the search space. The separation
algorithm is used to legalize solutions proposed by the global optimizer, so
that placement constraints are satisfied. A test case illustrates the
application of the proposed method. Extensions for solving the 3D problem are
given at the end of the article.Comment: ASME 2009 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences &
Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, San Diego : United
States (2009
Genetic Transfer or Population Diversification? Deciphering the Secret Ingredients of Evolutionary Multitask Optimization
Evolutionary multitasking has recently emerged as a novel paradigm that
enables the similarities and/or latent complementarities (if present) between
distinct optimization tasks to be exploited in an autonomous manner simply by
solving them together with a unified solution representation scheme. An
important matter underpinning future algorithmic advancements is to develop a
better understanding of the driving force behind successful multitask
problem-solving. In this regard, two (seemingly disparate) ideas have been put
forward, namely, (a) implicit genetic transfer as the key ingredient
facilitating the exchange of high-quality genetic material across tasks, and
(b) population diversification resulting in effective global search of the
unified search space encompassing all tasks. In this paper, we present some
empirical results that provide a clearer picture of the relationship between
the two aforementioned propositions. For the numerical experiments we make use
of Sudoku puzzles as case studies, mainly because of their feature that
outwardly unlike puzzle statements can often have nearly identical final
solutions. The experiments reveal that while on many occasions genetic transfer
and population diversity may be viewed as two sides of the same coin, the wider
implication of genetic transfer, as shall be shown herein, captures the true
essence of evolutionary multitasking to the fullest.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
A hybrid genetic algorithm and tabu search approach for post enrolment course timetabling
Copyright @ Springer Science + Business Media. All rights reserved.The post enrolment course timetabling problem (PECTP) is one type of university course timetabling problems, in which a set of events has to be scheduled in time slots and located in suitable rooms according to the student enrolment data. The PECTP is an NP-hard combinatorial optimisation problem and hence is very difficult to solve to optimality. This paper proposes a hybrid approach to solve the PECTP in two phases. In the first phase, a guided search genetic algorithm is applied to solve the PECTP. This guided search genetic algorithm, integrates a guided search strategy and some local search techniques, where the guided search strategy uses a data structure that stores useful information extracted from previous good individuals to guide the generation of offspring into the population and the local search techniques are used to improve the quality of individuals. In the second phase, a tabu search heuristic is further used on the best solution obtained by the first phase to improve the optimality of the solution if possible. The proposed hybrid approach is tested on a set of benchmark PECTPs taken from the international timetabling competition in comparison with a set of state-of-the-art methods from the literature. The experimental results show that the proposed hybrid approach is able to produce promising results for the test PECTPs.This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of UK under Grant EP/E060722/01 and Grant EP/E060722/02
A Computational Study of Genetic Crossover Operators for Multi-Objective Vehicle Routing Problem with Soft Time Windows
The article describes an investigation of the effectiveness of genetic
algorithms for multi-objective combinatorial optimization (MOCO) by presenting
an application for the vehicle routing problem with soft time windows. The work
is motivated by the question, if and how the problem structure influences the
effectiveness of different configurations of the genetic algorithm.
Computational results are presented for different classes of vehicle routing
problems, varying in their coverage with time windows, time window size,
distribution and number of customers. The results are compared with a simple,
but effective local search approach for multi-objective combinatorial
optimization problems
- …