Optimal control of a storage-retrieval queuing system

A queuing model is proposed for a storage-retrieval system consisting of two service stations, one of which is fed by two competing queues. Costs are charged linearly in the number of jobs in the system, but the model also includes a form of blocking at the storage queue, where additional costs are incurred if the queue length exceeds a given value. A simplified model is analyzed, and the existence of an optimal switching policy is shown. The optimality of a fixed priority rule determined by the cost parameters is established. A fixed priority rule that is optimal for the original model but not independent of the discount factor is derived.<<ETX>>

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