This paper presents a greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) coupled with path relinking (PR) to solve the problem of clustering n nodes in a graph into p clusters. The objective is to maximize the sum of the edge weights within each cluster such that the sum of the corresponding node weights does not exceed a fixed capacity. In phase I, both a heaviest weight edge (HWE) algorithm and a constrained minimum cut algorithm are used to select seeds for initializing the p clusters. Feasible solutions are obtained with the help of a self-adjusting restricted candidate list that sequentially guides the assignment of the remaining nodes. At each major GRASP iteration, the list length is randomly set based on a probability density function that is updated dynamically to reflect the solution quality realized in past iterations. In phase II, three neighborhoods, each defined by common edge and node swaps, are explored to attain local optimality. The following exploration strategies are investigated: cyclic neighborhood search, variable neighborhood descent, and randomized variable neighborhood descent (RVND). The best solutions found are stored in an elite pool.In a post-processing step, PR is applied to the pool members to cyclically generate paths between each pair. As new solutions are uncovered, a systematic attempt is made to improve a subset of them with local search. Should a better solution be found, it is saved temporally and placed in the pool after all the pairs are investigated and the bottom member is removed. The procedure ends when no further improvement is possible. Extensive computational testing was done to evaluate the various combinations of construction and local search strategies. For instances with up to 40 nodes and 5 clusters, the reactive GRASP with PR found optimal solutions within a

No abstract

The harsh operating environment aggravates the degradation of pumped storage units (PSUs). Degradation trend prediction (DTP) provides important support for the condition-based maintenance of PSUs. However, the complexity of the performance degradation index (PDI) sequence poses a severe challenge of the reliability of DTP. Additionally, the accuracy of healthy model is often ignored, resulting in an unconvincing PDI. To solve these problems, a combined DTP model that integrates the maximal information coefficient (MIC), light gradient boosting machine (LGBM), variational mode decomposition (VMD) and gated recurrent unit (GRU) is proposed. Firstly, MIC-LGBM is utilized to generate a high-precision healthy model. MIC is applied to select the working parameters with the most relevance, then the LGBM is utilized to construct the healthy model. Afterwards, a performance degradation index (PDI) is generated based on the LGBM healthy model and monitoring data. Finally, the VMD-GRU prediction model is designed to achieve precise DTP under the complex PDI sequence. The proposed model is verified by applying it to a PSU located in Zhejiang province, China. The results reveal that the proposed model achieves the highest precision healthy model and the best prediction performance compared with other comparative models. The absolute average (|AVG|) and standard deviation (STD) of fitting errors are reduced to 0.0275 and 0.9245, and the RMSE, MAE, and R2 are 0.00395, 0.0032, and 0.9226 respectively, on average for two operating conditions.

No abstract

Recently developed methods at UT Austin for the analysis of open or ducted propellers are presented, and then coupled with a constrained nonlinear optimization method to design blades of open or ducted propellers for maximum efficiency satisfying the minimum pressure constraint for fully wetted case, or the specified maximum allowable cavity area for cavitating case. A vortex lattice method (named MPUF3A) is applied to analyze the unsteady cavitating performance of open or ducted propellers subject to non-axisymmetric inflows. A finite volume method based Euler solver (named GBFLOW) is applied to predict the flow field around the open or ducted propellers, coupled with MPUF-3A in order to determine the interaction of the propeller with the inflow (i.e. the effective wake) or with the duct. The blade design of open or ducted propeller is performed by using a constrained nonlinear optimization method (named CAVOPT-BASE), which uses a database of computed performance for a set of blade geometries constructed from a base-propeller. The performance is evaluated using MPUF-3A and GBFLOW. CAVOPT-BASE approximates the database using the least square method or the linear interpolation method, and generates the coefficients of polynomials based on the design parameters, such as pitch, chord, and camber. CAVOPT-BASE finally determines the optimum blade design parameters, so that the propeller produces the desired thrust for the given constraints on the pressure coefficient or the allowed amount of cavitation.