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The CP Shortcut: Solving the High-Power Pump Activation Problem Without the Overkill (Short Paper)

Authors Mohamed-Anass Gallass, Philippe Greiner, Antoine Tuerlinckx, Hélène Verhaeghe

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LIPIcs.CP.2026.63.pdf
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Subject Classification

ACM Subject Classification
  • Computing methodologies → Optimization algorithms
  • Computing methodologies → Combinatorial algorithms
Keywords
  • Application
  • Industrial Problem
  • Modelling

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Abstract

Constraint Programming (CP) has been around for decades, yet it remains largely unknown in industry. When faced with combinatorial optimization problems, industry practitioners not knowledgeable in CP techniques often resort to more creative but not necessarily adequate solutions.
This paper is the result of an actual case study brought by Technord, an industry consultant. The problem at hand is the optimization of the activation schedule for high-power pumps in a water treatment facility under fluctuating energy costs. The schedule was previously generated using Discrete Particle Swarm Optimization (DPSO). This method struggled with the increasing complexity of volatile market signals and strict operational constraints. Our simpler model, developed in Python using the CPMpy library, formalizes the problem as a CP model. Our experiments demonstrate the benefits of our model’s simplicity compared to the DPSO solution. This use case also showcases the importance of the accessibility of constraint modelling solutions for less knowledgeable practitioners.

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Mohamed-Anass Gallass, Philippe Greiner, Antoine Tuerlinckx, and Hélène Verhaeghe. The CP Shortcut: Solving the High-Power Pump Activation Problem Without the Overkill (Short Paper). In 32nd International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP 2026). Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs), Volume 379, pp. 63:1-63:13, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2026) https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.CP.2026.63

Author Details

Mohamed-Anass Gallass
  • UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Philippe Greiner
  • Technord, Belgium
Antoine Tuerlinckx
  • Technord, Belgium
Hélène Verhaeghe
  • UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Supplementary Materials

References

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