A language for describing process scheduling problems

In this paper, we define the language RCSPec for expressing process scheduling problems and describe a scheme for parsing and then translating the language to a mathematical programming formulation. The goal of RCSPec is to provide a compact, intuitive, and context independent means of representing the wide variety of process scheduling problems that arise in the chemical/pharmaceutical industry. In practice, RCSPec allows for rapid modification of problem features, promotes detection of ill-posed scenarios, and can serve as a vehicle for expressing standard test problems on which researchers can compare results. As an example of its application, several problems from the literature are expressed and computational results are presented for parsing and translating their descriptions to a formulation based on time discretization. RCSPec is independent of the formulation into which it is translated so that alternative formulation/solution strategies may be applied to the same problem description. Supporting additional formulations involves modifying the translation process, whereas parsing is unaffected. A library of test problems expressed in RCSPec, problem file error checking code, and information about RCSPec version updates are electronically available. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.