A discrete hybrid algorithm based on Differential Evolution and Cuckoo Search for optimizing the layout of ship pipe route.

Based on Differential Evolution and Cuckoo Search, a hybrid optimization algorithm, called DDECS, is proposed in this paper for solving the ship pipe route layout optimization problem. The purpose of DDECS algorithm is to quickly and accurately optimize the ship pipe route under various kinds of constraints. Firstly, this paper proposed a vector coding method for ship pipe routes by studying the existing coding methods and ship pipe routes' attributes. The proposed vector coding method has a concise structure, strong compatibility and is independent of the gridding space. And then, the Discrete Hybrid Differential Evolution and Cuckoo Search (DDECS) algorithm was implemented by using the proposed vector coding. The DDECS algorithm has few parameters and high computational efficiency, and it can effectively find the global optimal solution by maintaining the diversity of the population. Finally, three comparative simulations were presented to validate the effectiveness and engineering practicality of DDECS algorithm. The results showed that, the proposed DDECS algorithm can get an optimization scheme with fewer elbows and more remaining areas, which is significant for the layout optimization of the ship pipe route. • According to the pipe route attributes, this paper proposes a concise, universal, and independent coding for ship pipes. • Combining Differential Evolution and Cuckoo Search, a hybrid algorithm is proposed for optimizing the ship pipe route. • Three comparative simulations are used to reveal that the proposed coding and algorithm have feasibility and practicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]