A. Zeblah  , 
    Reliability Maximization of Power System Using Ant Colony Approach,
    International Journal of Electrical and Power Engineering,
    Volume 2,Issue 3,
    2008,
    Pages 192-201,
    ISSN 1990-7958,
    ijepe.2008.192.201,
    (https://makhillpublications.co/view-article.php?doi=ijepe.2008.192.201)
    Abstract: This study describes and uses an ant colony meta-heuristic optimization method to solve the reliability optimization problem. This problem is known as total reliability maximization of parallel-series system configuration. Redundant elements are included to achieve a high desired level of reliability. System reliability is represented by a multi-state reliability function. The systems elements are characterized by their performance (capacity), reliability and cost. These elements are chosen among a list of products available on the market. The proposed meta-heuristic seeks to the best maximal reliability system configuration with limited system investment. To estimate the parallel-series system reliability, a fast method based on Universal Moment Generating Function (UMGF) is suggested. The ant colony approach is used as an optimization technique.
    Keywords: Ant colony;reliability optimization;multi-state systems;Universal Moment Generating Function (UMGF)