A GA-based technique for the scheduling of storage tanks

This paper proposes the application of a genetic algorithm based methodology for the scheduling of storage tanks. The proposed approach is an integration of GA and heuristic rule-based techniques, which decomposes the complex mixed integer optimisation problem into integer and real number subproblems. The GA string considers the integer problem, and the heuristic approach solves the real number problems within the GA framework. The algorithm is demonstrated for a test problem related to a water treatment facility at a port, and has been found to give a significantly better schedule than those generated using a heuristic-based approach.