Traveling salesman: applying mathematical modeling in the optimization of routes in a concessionary of electrical energy

Abstract

This article presents a case study in a Brazilian electricity distribution concessionaire with the objective of realizing an application about the Traveling Salesman Problem (PCV). Aiming to optimize the routes of substation maintenance teams through the availability of Google Maps coordinates of the respective consumer units (UC) of the substations of a given state. This route optimization was modeled using the Traveling Clerk Problem (PCV) along with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and the UFFLP integrated with Microsoft Excel 2007. In order for maintenance teams to travel the shortest path between the possible substations to be visited, in order to execute their service orders. As long as the maintenance team leaves first of the concessionaire headquarters, it goes through the established substations and returns at the end to the headquarters, without being able to spend more than once in the same substation called customer, corresponding, thus, the best route found when compared to the sequence initially established by the concessionaire. Therefore, the graphs and the figures allowed an objective and notorious interpretation on the data and results of the performance indicators. This optimization contributes to the reduction of the time spent on commuting, resulting in an availability of labor to carry out other activities. Influence also on the increase of indicators of performance per team, besides reducing the costs related to the maintenance of the vehicles.