Distribution maintenance scheduling using ant colony algorithm (ACA)

An in-depth investigation is made on the optimization goal most concerned about device maintenance time and additional cost caused by maintenance scheduling. Based on the above, a new model for distribution maintenance scheduling is developed with multipurpose and multiple constraints. In addition, the merits of ant colony algorithm are parallel search and strong optimization capabilities, which was inspired by the observation of the behaviors of ant colonies. This paper uses ant colony algorithm to solve the complication problem. The proposed model and method is applied to a test system and the results verify the validity.