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18-36
State-of-the-art solvers for mixed integer programs (MIP) govern a variety of algorithmic components. Ideally, the solver adaptively learns to concentrate its computational budget on those components that perform well on a particular problem, especially if they are time consuming.
We focus on three such algorithms, namely the classes of large neighborhood search and diving heuristics as well as Simplex pricing strategies.
For each class we propose a selection strategy that is updated based on the observed runtime behavior, aiming to ultimately select only the best algorithms for a given instance.
We review several common strategies for such a selection scenario under uncertainty, also known as Multi Armed Bandit Problem.
In order to apply those bandit strategies, we carefully design reward functions to rank and compare each individual heuristic or pricing algorithm within its respective class.
Finally, we discuss the computational benefits of using the proposed adaptive selection within the \scip Optimization Suite on publicly available MIP instances.
16-78
Modern MIP solvers employ dozens of auxiliary algorithmic components to support the branch-and-bound search in finding and improving primal solutions and in strengthening the dual bound.
Typically, all components are tuned to minimize the average running time to prove optimality. In this article, we take a different look at the run of a MIP solver. We argue that the solution process consists of three different phases, namely achieving feasibility, improving the incumbent solution, and proving optimality. We first show that the entire solving process can be improved by adapting the search strategy with respect to the phase-specific aims using different control tunings. Afterwards, we provide criteria to predict the transition between the individual phases and evaluate the performance impact of altering the algorithmic behavior of the MIP solver SCIP at the predicted phase transition points.
14-09
To attain the highest performance of energy supply systems, it is necessary to
rationally determine types, capacities, and numbers of equipment in consideration of
their operational strategies corresponding to seasonal and hourly variations in energy
demands. In the combinatorial optimization method based on the mixed-integer linear
programming (MILP), integer variables are used to express the selection, numbers, and
on/off status of operation of equipment, and the number of these variables increases
with those of equipment and periods for variations in energy demands, and affects the computation efficiency significantly. In this paper, a MILP method utilizing the
hierarchical relationship between design and operation variables is proposed to solve the optimal design problem of energy supply systems efficiently: At the upper level, the
optimal values of design variables are searched by the branch and bound method; At
the lower level, the values of operation variables are optimized independently at each period by the branch and bound method under the values of design variables given
tentatively during the search at the upper level; Lower bounds for the optimal value of the objective function are evaluated, and are utilized for the bounding operations at both the levels. This method is implemented into open and commercial MILP solvers. Illustrative and practical case studies on the optimal design of cogeneration systems are conducted, and the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method are clarified.