Abstract

Allocating a limited available resource between a set of units is a problem that arises in several application areas. We propose an online derivative-free trust-region model-based method to tackle a fairly general version of the resource allocation problem where units may be turned on or off. The units are considered as black boxes which may only be evaluated given that all the other units are evaluated simultaneously, and no gradient information is available. This method was inspired by an industrial problem and emphasis is put on both providing feasible points during the optimization and on not incurring additional increase in cost while searching for the optimum. The latter cannot be guaranteed, but the algorithm allows for automatic or manual ranking of the different units to attempt to reduce negative impact on the cost. The algorithm was applied to a case study from the petroleum industry where fast convergence was observed.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.