We present a flexible framework for general mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP), called Minotaur, that enables both algorithm exploration and structure exploitation without compromising computational efficiency. This paper documents the concepts and classes in our framework and shows that our implementations of standard MINLP techniques are efficient compared with other state-of-the-art...

Two novel deterministic global optimization algorithms for nonconvex mixed-integer problems (MINLPs) are proposed, using the advances of the BB algorithm for noncon-vex NLPs Adjiman et al. (1998a). The Special Structure Mixed-Integer BB algorithm (SMIN-BB addresses problems with nonconvexities in the continuous variables and linear and mixed-bilinear participation of the binary variables. The G...

Many optimization problems involve integer and continuous variables that can be modeled as mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problems. This has led to a wide range of applications, in particular in some engineering areas. Here, we provide a brief overview on MINLP, and present a simple idea for a future nonconvex MINLP solution technique.

A variety of applications in economics, finance, engineering design, the chemical and biological sciences, and a host of other areas give rise to nonconvex nonlinear and mixed-integer nonlinear programs (NLPs and MINLPs). BARON was originally developed in the early 1990s as a computational system to facilitate experimentation with novel deterministic algorithms for global optimization. Since th...

This paper considers the solution of Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) problems. Classical methods for the solution of MINLP problems decompose the problem by separating the nonlinear part from the integer part. This approach is largely due to the existence of packaged software for solving Nonlinear Programming (NLP) and Mixed Integer Linear Programming problems. In contrast, an integ...

This paper addresses the globally optimal solution of the network-constrained unit commitment (NCUC) problem incorporating a nonlinear alternating current (AC) model of the transmission network. We formulate the NCUC as a mixed-integer quadratically constrained quadratic programming (MIQCQP) problem. A global optimization algorithm is developed based on a multi-tree approach that iterates betwe...

We study split cuts and extended formulations for Mixed Integer Conic Quadratic Programming (MICQP) and their relation to Conic Mixed Integer Rounding (CMIR) cuts. We show that CMIR is a linear split cut for the polyhedral portion of an extended formulation of a quadratic set and it can be weaker than the nonlinear split cut of the same quadratic set. However, we also show that families of CMIR...

An interior-point algorithm within a branch-and-bound framework for solving nonlinear mixed integer programs is described. In contrast to solving the relaxation to optimality at each tree node, the relaxation is only solved to near-optimality. Analogous to using advanced bases for warmstart solutions in the case of linear MIP, a \dynamic" collection of warmstart vectors is kept. Computational r...

One of the foremost difficulties in solving Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programs, either with exact or heuristic methods, is to find a feasible point. We address this issue with a new feasibility pump algorithm tailored for nonconvex Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programs. Feasibility pumps are algorithms that iterate between solving a continuous relaxation and a mixed-integer relaxation of the original ...