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Many mixed-integer optimization problems are constrained by nonlinear functions that do not possess desirable analytical properties like convexity or factorability or cannot even be evaluated exactly. This is, e.g., the case for problems constrained by differential equations or for models that rely on black-box simulation runs. For these problem classes, we present, analyze, and test algorithms that solve mixed-integer problems with only Lipschitz continuous nonlinearities. Our theoretical results depend on the assumptions made on the (in)exactness of function evaluations and on the knowledge of Lipschitz constants. If Lipschitz constants are known, we prove finite termination at approximate globally optimal points both for the case of exact and inexact function evaluations. If only approximate Lipschitz constants are known, we prove finite termination and derive additional conditions under which infeasibility can be detected. A computational study for gas transport problems and an academic case study show the applicability of our algorithms to real-world problems and how different assumptions on the constraint functions up- or downgrade the practical performance of the methods.
In entry-exit gas markets as they are currently implemented in Europe, network constraints do not affect market interaction beyond the technical capacities determined by the TSO that restrict the quantities individual firms can trade at the market. It is an up to now unanswered question to what extent existing network capacity remains unused in an entry-exit design and to what extent feasible adjustments of the market design could alleviate inefficiencies. In this paper, we offer a four-level modeling framework that is capable of analyzing these issues and provide some first results on the model structure. In order to decouple gas trading from network congestion management, the TSO is required to determine technical capacities and corresponding booking fees at every entry and exit node up front. Firms book those capacities, which gives them the right to charge or discharge an amount of gas at a certain node up to this capacity in every scenario. Beyond these technical capacities and the resulting bookings, gas trade is unaffected by network constraints. The technical capacities have to ensure that transportation of traded quantities is always feasible. We assume that the TSO is regulated and determines technical capacities, fees, and transportation costs under a welfare objective. As a first step we moreover assume perfect competition among gas traders and show that the booking and nomination decisions can be analyzed in a single level. We prove that this aggregated model has a unique solution. We also show that the TSO's decisions can be subsumed in one level as well. If so, the model boils down to a mixed-integer nonlinear bilevel problem with robust aspects. In addition, we provide a first-best benchmark that allows to assess welfare losses that occur in an entry-exit system. Our approach provides a generic framework to analyze various aspects in the context of semi-liberalized gas markets. Therefore, we finally discuss and provide guidance on how to include several important aspects into the approach, such as network and production capacity investment, uncertain data, market power, and intra-day trading.
Since 2005, the gas market in the European Union is liberalized and
the trading of natural gas is decoupled from its transport.
The transport is done by so-called transmissions system operators (TSOs).
The market model established by the European Union views the gas
transmission network as a black box, providing shippers (gas traders
and consumers) the opportunity to transport gas from any entry to
any exit.
TSOs are required to offer maximum independent capacities at each
entry and exit such that the resulting gas flows can be realized by
the network without compromising security of supply.
Therefore, evaluating the available transport capacities is extremely
important to the TSOs.
This paper gives an overview of the toolset for evaluating gas
network capacities that has been developed within the ForNe project,
a joint research project of seven research partners initiated by
Open Grid Europe, Germany's biggest TSO.
While most of the relevant mathematics is described in the
book "Evaluating Gas Network Capacities", this article
sketches the system as a whole, describes some developments that have
taken place recently, and gives some details about the current
implementation.
Potential-based flows are an extension of classical network flows in which the flow on an arc is determined by the difference of the potentials of its incident nodes. Such flows are unique and arise, for example, in energy networks. Two important algorithmic problems are to determine whether there exists a feasible flow and to maximize the flow between two designated nodes. We show that these problems can be solved for the single source and sink case by reducing the network to a single arc. However, if we additionally consider switches that allow to force the flow to 0 and decouple the potentials, these problems are NP-hard. Nevertheless, for particular series-parallel networks, one can use algorithms for the subset sum problem. Moreover, applying network presolving based on generalized series-parallel structures allows to significantly reduce the size of realistic energy networks.
We consider nonlinear and nonsmooth mixing aspects in gas transport optimization problems. As mixed-integer reformulations of pooling-type mixing models already render small-size instances computationally intractable, we investigate the applicability of smooth nonlinear programming techniques for equivalent complementarity-based reformulations. Based on recent results for remodeling piecewise affine constraints using an inverse parametric quadratic programming approach, we show that classical stationarity concepts are meaningful for the resulting complementarity-based reformulation of the mixing equations. Further, we investigate in a numerical study the performance of this reformulation compared to a more compact complementarity-based one that does not feature such beneficial regularity properties. All computations are performed on publicly available data of real-world size problem instances from steady-state gas transport.
The development of mathematical simulation and optimization models and algorithms for solving gas transport problems is an active field of research. In order to test and compare these models and algorithms, gas network instances together with demand data are needed. The goal of GasLib is to provide a set of publicly available gas network instances that can be used by researchers in the field of gas transport. The advantages are that researchers save time by using these instances and that different models and algorithms can be compared on the same specified test sets. The library instances are encoded in an XML format. In this paper, we explain this format and present the instances that are available in the library.
We study the transient optimization of gas transport networks including both discrete controls due to switching of controllable elements and nonlinear fluid dynamics described by the system of isothermal Euler equations, which are partial differential equations in time and 1-dimensional space. This combination leads to mixed-integer optimization problems subject to nonlinear hyperbolic partial differential equations on a graph. We propose an instantaneous control approach in which suitable Euler discretizations yield systems of ordinary differential equations on a graph. This networked system of ordinary differential equations is shown to be well-posed and affine-linear solutions of these systems are derived analytically. As a consequence, finite-dimensional mixed-integer linear optimization problems are obtained for every time step that can be solved to global optimality using general-purpose solvers. We illustrate our approach in practice by presenting numerical results on a realistic gas transport network.
The minimization of operation costs for natural gas transport networks is studied. Based on a recently developed model hierarchy ranging from detailed models of instationary partial differential equations with temperature dependence to highly simplified algebraic equations, modeling and discretization error estimates are presented to control the overall error in an optimization method for stationary and isothermal gas flows. The error control is realized by switching to more detailed models or finer discretizations if necessary to guarantee that a prescribed model and discretization error tolerance is satisfied in the end. We prove convergence of the adaptively controlled optimization method and illustrate the new approach with numerical examples.
This paper provides a first approach to assess gas market interaction on a network with nonconvex flow models. In the simplest possible setup that adequately reflects gas transport and market interaction, we elaborate on the relation of the solution of a simultaneous competitive gas market game, its corresponding mixed nonlinear complementarity problem (MNCP), and a first-best benchmark. We provide conditions under which the solution of the simultaneous game is also the solution of the corresponding MNCP. However, equilibria cannot be determined by the MNCP as the transmission system operator's (TSO’s) first-order conditions are insufficient, which goes back to nonconvexities of the gas flow model. This also implies that the welfare maximization problem may have multiple solutions that sometimes do not even coincide with any of the market equilibria. Our analysis shows that, even in the absence of strategic firms, market interaction fails to implement desirable outcomes from a welfare perspective due to the TSO’s incentive structure. We conclude that the technical environment calls for a market design that commits the TSO to a welfare objective through regulation and propose a design where the market solution corresponds to a welfare maximum and vice versa.
We consider optimal control problems for gas flow in pipeline networks. The equations of motion are taken to be represented by a first-order system of hyperbolic semilinear equations derived from the fully nonlinear isothermal Euler gas equations. We formulate an optimal control problem on a network and introduce a tailored time discretization thereof. In order to further reduce the complexity, we consider an instantaneous control strategy. The main part of the paper is concerned with a nonoverlapping domain decomposition of the optimal control problem on the graph into local problems on smaller sub-graphs - ultimately on single edges. We prove convergence of the domain decomposition method on networks and study the wellposedness of the corresponding time-discrete optimal control problems. The point of the paper is that we establish virtual control problems on the decomposed subgraphs such that the corresponding optimality systems are in fact equal to the systems obtained via the domain decomposition of the entire optimality system.