Energy Consumption Optimization for Three-Machine Bernoulli Serial Lines with Time-Sensitive Constraint ^*

In energy-intensive production systems, machines consume a large amount of energy during the production process. In this paper, the problem of reducing energy consumption for three-machine Bernoulli serial line with time-sensitive constraint of the first buffer. Specifically, first, based on the aggregation method, structural characteristics of the optimization model are analyzed and thus, the problem is transformed. Then, with the efficiency of the third machine and production rate fixed, based on the results of the energy consumption optimization model in the two-machine line, the optimization model is further analyzed. Next, only with the efficiency of the third machine fixed, the impact of production rate is discussed. Finally, the behavior of the objective function with respect to the third machine efficiency is analyzed, and the unique optimal solution is obtained numerically. This work provides a practical approach to energy-efficient scheduling in multi-machine production systems.