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Waiting time distributions for transient bulk queues with general vehicle dispatching strategies
Author(s) -
Simão Hugo P.,
Powell Warren B.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
naval research logistics (nrl)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1520-6750
pISSN - 0894-069X
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6750(198804)35:2<285::aid-nav3220350212>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - queue , transient (computer programming) , context (archaeology) , computer science , mathematical optimization , position (finance) , point (geometry) , process (computing) , service (business) , discrete time and continuous time , real time computing , operations research , mathematics , computer network , statistics , paleontology , geometry , finance , biology , economy , operating system , economics
A numerical approach is presented for determining the waiting time distribution in a transient bulk‐arrival, bulk‐service queue. Vehicle departures from the queue are governed by a general dispatch strategy that includes holding with a variable release function and vehicle cancellations. The waiting time distribution of a customer (in a group) arriving at a given point in time is calculated by simulating the process in discrete time and determining at each step the probability the customer has left the system. The dispatch strategies require knowing the total length of the queue as well as the position a customer holds in the queue. An exact approach is compared to an accurate approximation which is 50 to 100 times faster. Comparisons are made with other approaches in the context of steady‐state systems.