OPTIMISATION OF SEQUENTIAL COMBINATORIAL PROCESSES

摘要

A method of optimising a sequential combinatorial process comprising aninterchangeable sequence of events comprises using a master model to model aselection of the possible sequences, and using information derived from themaster model in a surrogate model that approximates the master model with amuch shorter computation time. The surrogate model calculates all the possiblesequences using an algorithm to select from the information calculated by themaster model that which most closely matches the events of a present sequence,following a prioritised system so that the best match is used whereverpossible. All results from the surrogate model are compared so that themodelled sequence that gives the result closest to a desired optimum resultfor the process can be identified, and potentially applied to the process.Accuracy can be enhanced by running the optimum sequence through the mastermodel as a check, and further by adding the optimum sequence to theinformation used by the surrogate model in future calculations. Any sequentialcombinatorial process, in which the quality of the end result of the processdepends on the order in which events in the process are performed, can beoptimised in this way, including manufacturing process such as machining,cutting, shaping, forming and/or heat treating a workpiece, flow of materialthrough a factory or oil or gas through a pipeline network, chemical andmaterial science mixing processes, computational biology modelling, and fleetmanagement.