Modeling the location and routing problem for the distribution of liquefied natural gas

Programming methods, such as dynamic heuristic search or search and limit techniques are used for solving the problems of routing. Many of the problems to be solved require huge computing effort, some of them are NP-hard. Other optimization algorithms that may be used for solving vehicle routing problems are methods based on genetic algorithms, neural networks and ant algorithms. The problem of LNG distribution system is closely related to the problem of route planning. These problems are characterised by a simple definition of the problem, unlike finding the solution. Finding the optimal outcome for a great number of points is a hard and work-consuming task. Genetic algorithms are an alternative for the methods most often used so far.