A decomposition method for approximate evaluation of continuous flow multi-stage lines with general Markovian machines

Abstract

In this paper, a decomposition method for evaluating the performance of continuous flow lines with machines characterized by general Markovian fluid models and finite capacity buffers is proposed. This study uses the exact solution of general two-stage Markovian fluid models as a building block. Decomposition equations are provided to propagate the effect of partial and complete blocking and starvation phenomena throughout the system. A decomposition algorithm that solves the new decomposition equations is proposed. Numerical results prove the good accuracy of the developed method. In particular, a comparison with existing techniques shows that our method is generally more accurate, especially in the estimation of the average buffer levels. Moreover, additional information can be collected by the application of our approach which enables a deeper analysis of the system behavior. Finally, the generality of the approach allows for modeling and studying many different system configurations within a unique framework, also including several previously uninvestigated layouts.