On the reformulation of some classes of PNS-problems as set covering problems

J. Fülöp 1, B. Imreh 2, F. Friedler 3

Abstract

 Process network synthesis (PNS) has enormous practical impact; however, its solution is difficult in general. This experience has been recently reasoned by Blázsik and Imreh who pointed out that PNS-problems are NP-hard. They proved that a simple subclass of PNS-problems is equivalent to the class of set covering problems. In the present paper, it is shown that more general classes of PNS-problems can also be reformulated as set covering problems. This enables the sophisticated techniques developed for solving set covering problems also to be applied for solving some PNS-problems.

Footnotes:

  1 Laboratory of Operations Research and Decision Systems, Computer and Automation Institute, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, H-1518 Budapest, P.O.Box 63, Hungary

  2 Institute of Informatics, József Attila University, Árpád tér 2, H-6720 Szeged, Hungary

  3 Department of Computer Science, University of Veszprém, Egyetem u. 10, H-8200 Veszprém, Hungary