Optimal Sink-Node Placement and Routing for an Energy Efficient Two-Tier Wireless Sensor Network

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are increasingly proving to be flexible and cheap alternative monitoring systems in a variety of application. Their use to enhance the provision of electricity enables the implementation of smart grids, where energy flows are closely combined with the provision of other energy-related information. The limited battery lifetime of the sensor nodes remains a prominent research challenge and limiting factor in WSN deployment. This paper proposes a joint constrained optimal sink placement and energy-efficient routing with the aim of extending the WSN's lifetime. The proposed solution is a particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based algorithm that can be used for planning the deployment of WSNs in smart grids. The proposed algorithm involves a novel model of encoding the allowable sink locations into the PSO's particle-space. The results show that the proposed algorithm is able to place the sink within the constrained areas while also improving the WSN's lifetime.