This study examines the usability of a real-world, large-scale natural gas transport infrastructure for hydrogen transport. We investigate whether a converted network can transport the amounts of hydrogen necessary to satisfy current energy demands. After introducing an optimization model for the robust transient control of hydrogen networks, we conduct computational experiments based on real-world demand scenarios. Using a representative network, we demonstrate that replacing each turbo compressor unit by four parallel hydrogen compressors, each of them comprising multiple serial compression stages, and imposing stricter rules regarding the balancing of in- and outflow suffices to realize transport in a majority of scenarios. However, due to the reduced linepack there is an increased need for technical and non-technical measures leading to a more dynamic network control. Furthermore, the amount of energy needed for compression increases by 364% on average.
In this article, we discuss the Length-Constrained Cycle Partition Problem (LCCP). Besides edge weights, the undirected graph in LCCP features an individual critical weight value for each vertex. A cycle partition, i.e., a vertex disjoint cycle cover, is a feasible solution if the length of each cycle is not greater than the critical weight of each of the vertices in the cycle. The goal is to find a feasible partition with the minimum number of cycles. In this article, we discuss theoretical properties, preprocessing techniques, and two mixed-integer programming models (MIP) for LCCP both inspired by formulations for the closely related Travelling Salesperson Problem (TSP). Further, we introduce conflict hypergraphs, whose cliques yield valid constraints for the MIP models.
We conclude with a report on computational experiments conducted on (A)TSPLIB-based instances. As an example, we use a routing problem in which a fleet of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) patrols a set of areas.
Consider a flow network, i.e., a directed graph where each arc has a nonnegative capacity and an associated length, together with nonempty supply-intervals for the sources and nonempty demand-intervals for the sinks. The goal of the Maximum Minimum Cost Flow Problem (MMCF) is to find fixed supply and demand values within these intervals, such that the optimal objective value of the induced Minimum Cost Flow Problem (MCF) is maximized. In this paper, we show that MMCF is APX-hard and remains NP-hard in the uncapacitated case.
Optimizing the transient control of gas networks is a highly challenging task.
The corresponding model incorporates the combinatorial complexity of determining the settings for the many active elements as well as the non-linear and non-convex nature of the physical and technical principles of gas transport.
In this paper, we present the latest improvements of our ongoing work to solve this problem for real-world, large-scale problem instances:
By adjusting our mixed-integer non-linear programming model regarding the gas compression capabilities in the network, we reflect the technical limits of the underlying units more accurately while maintaining a similar overall model size.
In addition, we introduce a new algorithmic approach that is based on splitting the complexity of the problem by first finding assignments for discrete variables and then determining the continuous variables as locally optimal solution of the corresponding non-linear program.
For the first task, we design multiple different heuristics based on concepts for general time-expanded optimization problems that find solutions by solving a sequence of sub-problems defined on reduced time horizons.
To demonstrate the competitiveness of our approach, we test our algorithm on particularly challenging historic demand scenarios.
The results show that high-quality solutions are obtained reliably within short solving times, making the algorithm well-suited to be applied at the core of time-critical industrial applications.
Compressor stations are the heart of every high-pressure gas transport network.
Located at intersection areas of the network they are contained in huge complex plants, where they are in combination with valves and regulators responsible for routing and pushing the gas through the network.
Due to their complexity and lack of data compressor stations are usually dealt with in the scientific literature in a highly simplified and idealized manner.
As part of an ongoing project with one of Germany's largest Transmission System Operators to develop a decision support system for their dispatching center, we investigated how to automatize control of compressor stations. Each station has to be in a particular configuration, leading in combination with the other nearby elements to a discrete set of up to 2000 possible feasible operation modes in the intersection area.
Since the desired performance of the station changes over time, the configuration of the station has to adapt.
Our goal is to minimize the necessary changes in the overall operation modes and related elements over time, while fulfilling a preset performance envelope or demand scenario.
This article describes the chosen model and the implemented mixed integer programming based algorithms to tackle this challenge.
By presenting extensive computational results on real world data we demonstrate the performance of our approach.
In this paper, we introduce the Maximum Diversity Assortment Selection Problem (MADASS), which is a generalization of the 2-dimensional Cutting Stock Problem (2CSP). Given a set of rectangles and a rectangular container, the goal of 2CSP is to determine a subset of rectangles that can be placed in the container without overlapping, i.e., a feasible assortment, such that a maximum area is covered. In MADASS, we need to determine a set of feasible assortments, each of them covering a certain minimum threshold of the container, such that the diversity among them is maximized. Thereby, diversity is defined as minimum or average normalized Hamming-Distance of all assortment pairs. The MADASS Problem was used in the 11th AIMMS-MOPTA Competition in 2019. The methods we describe in this article and the computational results won the contest.
In the following, we give a definition of the problem, introduce a mathematical model and solution approaches, determine upper bounds on the diversity, and conclude with computational experiments conducted on test instances derived from the 2CSP literature.
This article answers two kinds of questions regarding the Bundesliga which is Germany's primary football (soccer) competition having the highest average stadium attendance worldwide. First "At any point of the season, what final rank will a certain team definitely reach?" and second "At any point of the season, what final rank can a certain team at most reach?". Although we focus especially on the Bundesliga, the models that we use to answer the two questions can easily be adopted to league systems that are similar to that of the Bundesliga.
In the transition towards a pure hydrogen infrastructure, utilizing the existing natural gas infrastructure is a necessity. In this study, the maximal technically feasible injection of hydrogen into the existing German natural gas transmission network is analysed with respect to regulatory limits regarding the gas quality. We propose a transient tracking model based on the general pooling problem including linepack. The analysis is conducted using real-world hourly gas flow data on a network of about 10,000 km length.