Optimization plainly dominates the design, planning, operation, and c- trol of engineering systems. This is a book on optimization that considers particular cases of optimization problems, those with a decomposable str- ture that can be advantageously exploited. Those decomposable optimization problems are ubiquitous in engineering and science applications. The book considers problems with both complicating constraints and complicating va- ables, and analyzes linear and nonlinear problems, with and without in- ger variables. The decomposition techniques analyzed include Dantzig-Wolfe, Benders, Lagrangian relaxation, Augmented Lagrangian decomposition, and others. Heuristic techniques are also considered. Additionally, a comprehensive sensitivity analysis for characterizing the solution of optimization problems is carried out. This material is particularly novel and of high practical interest. This book is built based on many clarifying, illustrative, and compu- tional examples, which facilitate the learning procedure. For the sake of cl- ity, theoretical concepts and computational algorithms are assembled based on these examples. The results are simplicity, clarity, and easy-learning. We feel that this book is needed by the engineering community that has to tackle complex optimization problems, particularly by practitioners and researchersin Engineering, Operations Research, and Applied Economics.The descriptions of most decomposition techniques are available only in complex and specialized mathematical journals, di?cult to understand by engineers. A book describing a wide range of decomposition techniques, emphasizing problem-solving, and appropriately blending theory and application, was not previously available.
Table of Content
Motivation and Introduction.- Motivating Examples: Models with Decomposable Structure.- Decomposition Techniques.- Decomposition in Linear Programming: Complicating Constraints.- Decomposition in Linear Programming: Complicating Variables.- Duality.- Decomposition in Nonlinear Programming.- Decomposition in Mixed-Integer Programming.- Other Decomposition Techniques.- Local Sensitivity Analysis.- Local Sensitivity Analysis.- Applications.- Applications.- Computer Codes.- Some GAMS Implementations.- Solution to Selected Exercises.- Exercise Solutions.