Capacitated Minimum Spanning Tree Problem Research Articles

Valid inequalities for the non-unit demand capacitated minimum spanning tree problem with arc time windows and flow costs

In this paper, we introduce the non-unit demand capacitated minimum spanning tree problem with arc time windows and flow costs. The problem is a variant of the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem with arc time windows (CMSTP_ATW). We devise a mixed integer programming (MIP) formulation to model the problem and solve it using CPLEX. Furthermore, we propose three sets of inequalities, and we prove that they are valid. These valid inequalities tighten the model and lead to better lower bounds. To examine the quality of the solutions obtained, we convert the original data sets of Solomon (1987, “Algorithms for the Vehicle Routing and Scheduling Problem with Time Window Constraints.” Operations Research 35 (2): 254–265. https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.35.2.254) to approximate the non-unit demand CMSTP_ATW instances and provide results for the problems with 100 nodes. We execute extensive computational experiments, and the results show the positive effect of the inclusion of valid inequalities in the MIP.

A hybrid evolutionary algorithm for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

The capacitated minimum spanning tree (CMST) problem is a fundamental problem in telecommunication network design. Given a central node and a set of remote terminal nodes with specified demands for traffic, the goal of CMST is to find a minimum cost spanning tree (network) such that the traffic on any arc of the network satisfies the capacity constraint. To tackle this NP-hard problem, we propose an effective hybrid evolutionary algorithm that integrates a backbone-based crossover operator, a destroy-and-repair mutation operator to generate meaningful offspring solutions, and an intensification-driven adaptive tabu search procedure that considers both feasible and infeasible solutions in search of high-quality local optima. Extensive computational results on a set of 126 well-known CMST benchmark instances from the literature indicate that the proposed algorithm competes favorably with the state-of-the-art heuristics. For a selection of 25 most challenging CMST instances with unknown optimal solutions, the proposed algorithm reports new upper bounds (improved best-known solutions) in 9 cases, while reaching the best-known result for 12 instances. Furthermore, we provide experimental analyses to identify the key algorithmic features of the proposed approach.

An approximation algorithm for the balanced capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

The capacitated minimum spanning tree problem (CMSTP), a well-known combinatorial optimiza- tion problem, holds a central place in telecommunication network design. This problem is to fi nd a minimum cost spanning tree with an extra cardinality limitation on the orders of the subtrees incident to a certain root node. The balanced capacitated minimum spanning tree problem (BCMSTP) is a special case that aims to balance the orders of the subtrees. We show this problem is NP-hard and present two approximation algorithms, in this paper. Considering the maximum order of the subtrees Q, we provide a (3 - 1 /Q)-approximation algorithm to find a balanced solution. We improve this result to a (2:5 + epsilon)-approximation algorithm (for every given epsilon > 0), in the 2d-Euclidean spaces. Also, we present a polynomial time approximation scheme (PTAS) for CMSTP.

The capacitated minimum spanning tree problem with arc time windows

We consider a new variant of the minimum spanning tree problem, where time windows are associated with the arcs of the underlying graph and capacities relate to the maximum number of vertices that subtrees may incorporate. The problem is referred to as the Capacitated Minimum Spanning Tree with Arc Time Windows (CMSTP_ATW) and emerges in routing situations with flow disruptions across road segments. We devise a Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) formulation to model the problem, which can be solved using CPLEX. To examine the quality of the solutions obtained, we convert the data sets of Solomon (1987) to appropriately capture CMSTP_ATW instances and provide results for the problems with 25, 50 and 100 vertices. Furthermore, we compare the CPLEX built-in heuristic that determines the initial integer solution for the CMSPT_ATW, vis-a-vis a greedy heuristic we have developed that offers high quality solutions in short computational times for the large size test problems. Experimental results show that there is a strong negative correlation between the GAP of CPLEX and the total number of iterations in one-hour performance time, against the no or positive correlation between the GAP of CPLEX and the initial iterations. Finally, we modify the MIP by adding parts of the solution derived, using the greedy heuristic, in the set of problem constraints, and observe that the CPLEX results for the CMSTP_ATW are in general improved, offering evidence that it is a promising solution approach.

A Branch-and-Price-and-Cut Algorithm for the Cable-Routing Problem in Solar Power Plants

A solar power plant is a large-scale photovoltaic (PV) system designed to supply usable solar power to the electricity grid. Building a solar power plant needs consideration of arrangements of several important components, such as PV arrays, solar inverters, combiner boxes, cables, and other electrical accessories. The design of solar power plants is very complex because of various optimization parameters and design regulations. In this study, we address the cable-routing problem arising in the planning of large-scale solar power plants, which aims to determine the partition of the PV arrays, the location of combiner boxes, and cable routing such that the installation cost of the cables connecting the components is minimized. We formulate the problem as a mathematical programming problem, which can be viewed as a generalized capacitated minimum spanning tree (CMST) problem, and then devise a branch-and-price-and-cut (BPC) algorithm to solve it. The BPC algorithm uses two important valid inequalities, namely the capacity inequalities and the subset-row inequalities, to tighten the lower bounds. We also adopt several acceleration strategies to speed up the algorithm. Using real-world data sets, we show by numerical experiments that our BPC algorithm is superior to the typical manual-based planning approach used by many electric power planning companies. In addition, when solving the CMST problem with unitary demands, our algorithm is highly competitive compared with the best exact algorithm in the literature.

A hybrid VNS algorithm for solving the multi-level capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

This work addresses the multi-level capacitated minimum spanning tree (MLCMST) problem. It consists of finding a minimal cost spanning tree such that the flow to be transferred from a central node (root) to the other nodes is bounded by the edge capacities. In this paper, a hybrid algorithm, combining the Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) metaheuristic and one mathematical programming formulation of the literature, is used for solving it. The formulation is used to give an initial solution to VNS. Five neighborhoods are used for exploring the solution space. Results show that the VNS is able to improve the initial solutions and to obtain small gap solutions for all instance sets.

Two heuristics for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem with time windows

We consider the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem with time windows (CMSTPTW) and propose an enhancement of greedy heuristic for the uncapacitated version of it, showing that our algorithm significantly outperforms Solomon’s one based on the R7 test problem. To examine the performance of our approach, we convert the vehicle routing data sets to appropriately model CMSTPTW instances and provide solutions for all of them; in addition, we compare the solutions we reach for the uncapacitated version of all instances and those obtained by Solomon to demonstrate the consistent superiority of the proposed method. Finally, we develop a second solution approach, the local domain priority heuristic, which when applied to the same data sets results in better solutions for the majority of the CMSTPTW instances, without excessive computational effort.

A greedy heuristic for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

This paper develops a greedy heuristic for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem (CMSTP), based on the two widely known methods of Prim and of Esau–Williams. The proposed algorithm intertwines two-stages: an enhanced combination of the Prim and Esau–Williams approaches via augmented and synthetic node selection criteria, and an increase of the feasible solution space by perturbing the input data using the law of cosines. Computational tests on benchmark problems show that the new heuristic provides extremely good performance results for the CMSTP, justifying its effectiveness and robustness. Furthermore, excluding the feasible space expansion, we show that we can still obtain good quality solutions in very short computational times.

A biased random-key genetic algorithm for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

This paper focuses on the capacitated minimum spanning tree (CMST) problem. Given a central processor and a set of remote terminals with specified demands for traffic that must flow between the central processor and terminals, the goal is to design a minimum cost network to carry this demand. Potential links exist between any pair of terminals and between the central processor and the terminals. Each potential link can be included in the design at a given cost. The CMST problem is to design a minimum-cost network connecting the terminals with the central processor so that the flow on any arc of the network is at most Q. A biased random-key genetic algorithm (BRKGA) is a metaheuristic for combinatorial optimization which evolves a population of random vectors that encode solutions to the combinatorial optimization problem. This paper explores several solution encodings as well as different strategies for some steps of the algorithm and finally proposes a BRKGA heuristic for the CMST problem. Computational experiments are presented showing the effectiveness of the approach: Seven new best-known solutions are presented for the set of benchmark instances used in the experiments.

Heuristics for the multi-level capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

The capacitated minimum spanning tree (CMST) problem is fundamental to the design of centralized communication networks. In this paper we consider the multi-level capacitated minimum spanning tree problem, a generalization of the well-known CMST problem. Based on work previously done in the field, three heuristics are presented, addressing unit and non-unit demand cases. The proposed heuristics have been also integrated into a mixed integer programming solver. Evaluation results are presented, for an extensive set of experiments, indicating the improvements that the heuristics bring to the particular problem.

An evolutionary approach for tuning parametric Esau and Williams heuristics

Owing to its inherent difficulty, many heuristic solution methods have been proposed for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem. On the basis of recent developments, it is clear that the best metaheuristic implementations outperform classical heuristics. Unfortunately, they require long computing times and may not be very easy to implement, which explains the popularity of the Esau and Williams heuristic in practice, and the motivation behind its enhancements. Some of these enhancements involve parameters and their accuracy becomes nearly competitive with the best metaheuristics when they are tuned properly, which is usually done using a grid search within given search intervals for the parameters. In this work, we propose a genetic algorithm parameter setting procedure. Computational results show that the new method is even more accurate than an enumerative approach, and much more efficient.

Branch‐and‐cut and hybrid local search for the multi‐level capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

AbstractWe propose algorithms to compute tight lower bounds and high quality upper bounds (UBs) for the multilevel capacitated minimum spanning tree problem. We first develop a branch‐and‐cut algorithm, introducing some new features: (i) the exact separation of cuts corresponding to some master equality polyhedra found in the formulation; (ii) the separation of Fenchel cuts, solving LPs considering all the possible solutions restricted to small portions of the graph. We then use that branch‐and‐cut within a GRASP that performs moves by solving to optimality subproblems corresponding to partial solutions. The computational experiments were conducted on 450 benchmark instances from the literature. Numerical results show improved best known (UBs) for almost all instances that could not be solved to optimality. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2012

RAMP for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

This paper introduces dual and primal-dual RAMP algorithms for the solution of the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem (CMST). A surrogate constraint relaxation incorporating cutting planes is proposed to explore the dual solution space. In the dual RAMP approach, primal-feasible solutions are obtained by simple tabu searches that project dual solutions onto primal feasible space. A primal-dual approach is achieved by including a scatter search procedure that further exploits the adaptive memory framework. Computational results from applying the methods to a standard set of benchmark problems disclose that the dual RAMP algorithm finds high quality solutions very efficiently and that its primal-dual enhancement is still more effective.

A filter-and-fan algorithm for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

The capacitated minimum spanning tree (CMST) is a notoriously difficult problem in combinatorial optimization. Extensive investigation has been devoted to developing efficient algorithms to find optimal or near-optimal solutions. This paper proposes a new CMST heuristic algorithm that effectively combines the classical node-based and tree-based neighborhoods embodied in a filter-and-fan (F&F) approach, a local search procedure that generates compound moves in a tree search fashion. The overall algorithm is guided by a multi-level oscillation strategy used to trigger each type of neighborhood while allowing the search to cross feasibility boundaries. Computational results carried out on a standard set of 135 benchmark problems show that a simple F&F design competes effectively with prior CMST metaheuristics, rivaling the best methods, which are significantly more complex.

A node rooted flow-based model for the local access network expansion problem

In this paper, we present a new formulation for the local access network expansion problem. Previously, we have shown that this problem can be seen as an extension of the well-known Capacitated Minimum Spanning Tree Problem and have presented and tested two flow-based models. By including additional information on the definition of the variables, we propose a new flow-based model that permits us to use effectively variable eliminations tests as well as coefficient reduction on some of the constraints. We present computational results for instances with up to 500 nodes in order to show the advantages of the new model in comparison with the others.

Constrained Weapon–Target Assignment: Enhanced Very Large Scale Neighborhood Search Algorithm

Optimization problems solved using very large scale neighborhood (VLSN) search algorithms include scheduling problems, the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem, the traveling salesman problem, and weapon-target assignment (WTA). This correspondence paper presents an enhanced VLSN search algorithm for obtaining feasible solutions and constructing improvement graphs. This enhanced VLSN search algorithm solves the constrained WTA (CWTA) problem, in which the number of interceptors available to each weapon and the number of interceptors allowed to fire at each target have upper bounds. The proposed enhanced VLSN search algorithm can solve a CWTA problem with 100 targets and 100 weapons (where the upper bound on the number of interceptors for each weapon is one and both the lower and upper bounds on the number of interceptors for each target are equal to one) within an average of 3 s. This study demonstrates that the proposed Enhanced VLSN is superior to existing approaches.

Parametric enhancements of the Esau–Williams heuristic for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

The Capacitated Minimum Spanning Tree Problem is NP-hard and several heuristic solution methods have been proposed. They can be classified as classical ones and metaheuristics. Recent developments have shown that metaheuristics outperform classical heuristics. However, they require long computation times and there are difficulties in their parameter calibration and coding phases. This explains the popularity of the Esau–Williams (EW) heuristic in practice, and its use in many successful metaheuristics and second-order greedy methods. In this work, we are concerned with the EW heuristic and we propose simple new enhancements. Based on our computational experiments, we can say that they considerably improve its accuracy with minor increase in computation time, and without harming its simplicity.

A dandelion-encoded evolutionary algorithm for the delay-constrained capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

This paper proposes an evolutionary algorithm with Dandelion-encoding to tackle the Delay-Constrained Capacitated Minimum Spanning Tree (DC-CMST) problem. This problem has been recently proposed, and consists of finding several broadcast trees from a source node, jointly considering traffic and delay constraints in trees. A version of the problem in which the source node is also included in the optimization process is considered as well in the paper. The Dandelion code used in the proposed evolutionary algorithm has been recently proposed as an effective way of encoding trees in evolutionary algorithms. Good properties of locality has been reported on this encoding, which makes it very effective to solve problems in which the solutions can be expressed in form of trees. In the paper we describe the main characteristics of the algorithm, the implementation of the Dandelion-encoding to tackled the DC-CMST problem and a modification needed to include the source node in the optimization. In the experimental section of this article we compare the results obtained by our evolutionary with that of a recently proposed heuristic for the DC-CMST, the Least Cost (LC) algorithm. We show that our Dandelion-encoded evolutionary algorithm is able to obtain better results that the LC in all the instances tackled.

GRASP with hybrid heuristic-subproblem optimization for the multi-level capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

We propose a GRASP using an hybrid heuristic-subproblem optimization approach for the Multi-Level Capacitated Minimum Spanning Tree (MLCMST) problem. The motivation behind such approach is that to evaluate moves rearranging the configuration of a subset of nodes may require to solve a smaller-sized MLCMST instance. We thus use heuristic rules to define, in both the construction and the local search phases, subproblems which are in turn solved exactly by employing an integer programming model. We report numerical results obtained on benchmark instances from the literature, showing the approach to be competitive in terms of solution quality. The proposed GRASP have in fact improved the best known upper bounds for almost all of the considered instances.

Determining hop-constrained spanning trees with repetitive heuristics

The hop-constrained minimum spanning tree problem is the problem of determining a rooted spanning tree of minimum cost in which each path from the root node to any other node contains at most H hops or edges. This problem relates to the design of centralized tree networks with quality of service requirements (in telecommunications) and has a close relation with other tree problems. In this paper we investigate the adaptation of some well-known "repetitive" heuristics used for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem to the hop-constrained minimum spanning tree problem and investigate some simple look ahead mechanisms for enhancing the quality of a savings heuristic. Computational results for a set of benchmark tests with up to 80 nodes are presented.