18 th International Conference on Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information & Engineering Systems - KES2014 Island-based differential evolution algorithm for the discrete- continuous scheduling with continuous resource discretisation

Abstract In the paper, we propose an island-based differential evolution algorithm (IBDEA) for solving the discrete-continuous scheduling problem (DCSP) with continuous resource discretisation - 4 Z . The considered problem originates from DCSP, in which nonpreemtable tasks should be scheduled on parallel identical machines under constraint on discrete resource and requiring, additionally, a renewable continuous resource to minimize the schedule length. The continuous resource in DCSP is divisible continuously and is allocated to tasks from a given interval in amounts unknown in advance. Task processing rate depends on the allocated amount of the continuous resource. To eliminate time consuming optimal continuous resource allocation, an NP-hard problem 4 Z with continuous resource discretisation is introduced and sub-optimally solved by IBDEA. Experimental results show that IBDEA is able to find better solutions than an algorithm realizing only the differential evolution method and was able to improve best-known solutions to the considered problem. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of KES International.