30,671 research outputs found
Synthesis and Stochastic Assessment of Cost-Optimal Schedules
We present a novel approach to synthesize good schedules for a class
of scheduling problems that is slightly more general than the
scheduling problem FJm,a|gpr,r_j,d_j|early/tardy. The idea is to prime
the schedule synthesizer with stochastic information more meaningful
than performance factors with the objective to minimize the expected
cost caused by storage or delay. The priming information is
obtained by stochastic simulation of the system environment. The generated
schedules are assessed again by simulation. The approach is
demonstrated by means of a non-trivial scheduling problem from
lacquer production. The experimental results show that our approach
achieves in all considered scenarios better results than the
extended processing times approach
Locating a bioenergy facility using a hybrid optimization method
In this paper, the optimum location of a bioenergy generation facility for district energy applications is sought. A bioenergy facility usually belongs to a wider system, therefore a holistic approach is adopted to define the location that optimizes the system-wide operational and investment costs. A hybrid optimization method is employed to overcome the limitations posed by the complexity of the optimization problem. The efficiency of the hybrid method is compared to a stochastic (genetic algorithms) and an exact optimization method (Sequential Quadratic Programming). The results confirm that the hybrid optimization method proposed is the most efficient for the specific problem. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Hybrid performance modelling of opportunistic networks
We demonstrate the modelling of opportunistic networks using the process
algebra stochastic HYPE. Network traffic is modelled as continuous flows,
contact between nodes in the network is modelled stochastically, and
instantaneous decisions are modelled as discrete events. Our model describes a
network of stationary video sensors with a mobile ferry which collects data
from the sensors and delivers it to the base station. We consider different
mobility models and different buffer sizes for the ferries. This case study
illustrates the flexibility and expressive power of stochastic HYPE. We also
discuss the software that enables us to describe stochastic HYPE models and
simulate them.Comment: In Proceedings QAPL 2012, arXiv:1207.055
Unsplittable Load Balancing in a Network of Charging Stations Under QoS Guarantees
The operation of the power grid is becoming more stressed, due to the
addition of new large loads represented by Electric Vehicles (EVs) and a more
intermittent supply due to the incorporation of renewable sources. As a
consequence, the coordination and control of projected EV demand in a network
of fast charging stations becomes a critical and challenging problem.
In this paper, we introduce a game theoretic based decentralized control
mechanism to alleviate negative impacts from the EV demand. The proposed
mechanism takes into consideration the non-uniform spatial distribution of EVs
that induces uneven power demand at each charging facility, and aims to: (i)
avoid straining grid resources by offering price incentives so that customers
accept being routed to less busy stations, (ii) maximize total revenue by
serving more customers with the same amount of grid resources, and (iii)
provide charging service to customers with a certain level of
Quality-of-Service (QoS), the latter defined as the long term customer blocking
probability. We examine three scenarios of increased complexity that gradually
approximate real world settings. The obtained results show that the proposed
framework leads to substantial performance improvements in terms of the
aforementioned goals, when compared to current state of affairs.Comment: Accepted for Publication in IEEE Transactions on Smart Gri
Control and Communication Protocols that Enable Smart Building Microgrids
Recent communication, computation, and technology advances coupled with
climate change concerns have transformed the near future prospects of
electricity transmission, and, more notably, distribution systems and
microgrids. Distributed resources (wind and solar generation, combined heat and
power) and flexible loads (storage, computing, EV, HVAC) make it imperative to
increase investment and improve operational efficiency. Commercial and
residential buildings, being the largest energy consumption group among
flexible loads in microgrids, have the largest potential and flexibility to
provide demand side management. Recent advances in networked systems and the
anticipated breakthroughs of the Internet of Things will enable significant
advances in demand response capabilities of intelligent load network of
power-consuming devices such as HVAC components, water heaters, and buildings.
In this paper, a new operating framework, called packetized direct load control
(PDLC), is proposed based on the notion of quantization of energy demand. This
control protocol is built on top of two communication protocols that carry
either complete or binary information regarding the operation status of the
appliances. We discuss the optimal demand side operation for both protocols and
analytically derive the performance differences between the protocols. We
propose an optimal reservation strategy for traditional and renewable energy
for the PDLC in both day-ahead and real time markets. In the end we discuss the
fundamental trade-off between achieving controllability and endowing
flexibility
A critical evaluation of deterministic methods in size optimisation of reliable and cost effective standalone Hybrid renewable energy systems
Reliability of a hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) strongly depends on various uncertainties affecting the amount of power produced by the system. In the design of systems subject to uncertainties, both deterministic and nondeterministic design approaches can be adopted. In a deterministic design approach, the designer considers the presence of uncertainties and incorporates them indirectly into the design by applying safety factors. It is assumed that, by employing suitable safety factors and considering worst-case-scenarios, reliable systems can be designed. In fact, the multi-objective optimisation problem with two objectives of reliability and cost is reduced to a single-objective optimisation problem with the objective of cost only. In this paper the competence of deterministic design methods in size optimisation of reliable standalone wind-PV-battery, wind-PV-diesel and wind-PV-battery-diesel configurations is examined. For each configuration, first, using different values of safety factors, the optimal size of the system components which minimises the system cost is found deterministically. Then, for each case, using a Monte Carlo simulation, the effect of safety factors on the reliability and the cost are investigated. In performing reliability analysis, several reliability measures, namely, unmet load, blackout durations (total, maximum and average) and mean time between failures are considered. It is shown that the traditional methods of considering the effect of uncertainties in deterministic designs such as design for an autonomy period and employing safety factors have either little or unpredictable impact on the actual reliability of the designed wind-PV-battery configuration. In the case of wind-PV-diesel and wind-PV-battery-diesel configurations it is shown that, while using a high-enough margin of safety in sizing diesel generator leads to reliable systems, the optimum value for this margin of safety leading to a cost-effective system cannot be quantified without employing probabilistic methods of analysis. It is also shown that deterministic cost analysis yields inaccurate results for all of the investigated configurations
Optimal management of bio-based energy supply chains under parametric uncertainty through a data-driven decision-support framework
This paper addresses the optimal management of a multi-objective bio-based energy supply chain network subjected to multiple sources of uncertainty. The complexity to obtain an optimal solution using traditional uncertainty management methods dramatically increases with the number of uncertain factors considered. Such a complexity produces that, if tractable, the problem is solved after a large computational effort. Therefore, in this work a data-driven decision-making framework is proposed to address this issue. Such a framework exploits machine learning techniques to efficiently approximate the optimal management decisions considering a set of uncertain parameters that continuously influence the process behavior as an input. A design of computer experiments technique is used in order to combine these parameters and produce a matrix of representative information. These data are used to optimize the deterministic multi-objective bio-based energy network problem through conventional optimization methods, leading to a detailed (but elementary) map of the optimal management decisions based on the uncertain parameters. Afterwards, the detailed data-driven relations are described/identified using an Ordinary Kriging meta-model. The result exhibits a very high accuracy of the parametric meta-models for predicting the optimal decision variables in comparison with the traditional stochastic approach. Besides, and more importantly, a dramatic reduction of the computational effort required to obtain these optimal values in response to the change of the uncertain parameters is achieved. Thus the use of the proposed data-driven decision tool promotes a time-effective optimal decision making, which represents a step forward to use data-driven strategy in large-scale/complex industrial problems.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
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