Finding the optimal set of parking locations for maintenance trains in the Dutch railway network: An optimisation approach using a combination of discrete-event simulation and simulated annealing

The Dutch railway system is subject to maintenance, which is carried out by a group of rail contractors who need parking space to park and prepare trains in between projects. The objective of this study is to minimise the total costs as a result of the distance travelled by maintenance trains and the preservation of the included parking...

Computational Strategies for Model Predictive Control on Switching Max-plus Linear Systems

A switching max-plus linear model is a framework to describe the discrete dynamics of the timing of events. To influence these systems one can choose the routes of jobs and the orderings of operations as input for the system. In this thesis the techniques of model predictive control are used to find good input values. The problem of finding the...

Automated dig-limit optimization through simulated annealing

Creating an optimal OR schedule regarding downstream resources

A high percentage of hospital admissions is due to surgical interventions. The operating theatre, which holds the operating rooms (ORs), is therefore one of the key resources in hospitals. Managing the operating theatre and finding an optimal OR schedule is complex due to the many factors that influence it. Scheduling a surgery in an OR...

Nonlinear optimization of strategies: finding an optimal race strategy for the TU Delft Solar Boat

The purpose of this thesis was to find a (near-)optimal long-haul race strategy for the TU Delft Solar Boat, taking into account practical race conditions and very limited computing time. A race strategy details at what speeds the boat should sail throughout the race, and how long (if at all) it should stop to charge. Various methods have been...

Optimizing Greenhouse Heat Production in Lansingerland: Using Simulated Annealing and Simulation

Many engineering problems require some objective to be optimized subject to certain constraints. For linear and convex optimization problems, techniques exist that can find the global minimum. For problems that have local minima or complex constraints, finding the global minimum is more difficult. An example of such a problem can be found in...

Solving the mTSP for fresh food delivery

A starting company intends to deliver fresh baby food at home addresses in the area of Zwolle, the Netherlands. The limited time windows of delivery encourage the notion of dividing the addresses over several shifts. Dividing optimal routes over these shifts is shown to be an instance of the multiple traveling salesman problem (mTSP). Three...

Optimalisatie van de indeling van instrumentennetten

Tegenwoordig moet bijna overal bezuinigd worden, onder andere in ziekenhuizen. Ziekenhuizen krijgen kleinere subsidies, maar de kwaliteit van de zorg mag niet achteruit gaan. Door processen in het ziekenhuis te optimaliseren, kan er voor gezorgd worden dat de jaarlijkse kosten van een ziekenhuis achteruit gaan. Hiermee wordt dan niet de...

Multi Skilled Staff Scheduling with Simulated Annealing

In this thesis, a model for a staff scheduling problem within a multi skilled environment is constructed. It is shown that a cost optimal planning can be obtained by Simulated Annealing. The resulting algorithm is analyzed and applied to a toy example and a scheduling problem of a Dutch railway construction company.

Improving the description of the SPM concentration in the North Sea using a generic estimation technique for the process controlling parameters

The present thesis aims to improve the current description of the SPM by deriving optimal values for the model’s input parameters. With the use of suitable optimization algorithms, the objective is to capture the spatial variability of the key model parameters.

Hierarchatomy: Modelling and Automatic 2D Visualization of Branching Anatomical Structures

Current anatomical learning material usually consists of static hand drawn images accompanied by detailed descriptions. In medical education and research 3D anatomical systems are also extensively used. The challenge of these media is how can as much information as possible be conveyed in a relatively small illustration or viewport. We present a...