Heuristic procedure for assigning loads to power transmission buses on the space station

A procedure for assigning loads to power transmission buses on the initial orbit configuration space station so that a desired ratio of power flows on the buses can be achieved is presented. The procedure is heuristic, that is, it will generate a good but not an optimal assignment. The entire set of loads is partitioned into smaller groups, solutions are obtained recursively for the groups, and a solution for the whole set of loads is obtained. When the loads are assigned to a bus, the sum of the powers delivered to the loads equals the power provided at the bus. The proposed procedure is general enough to handle any reasonable number of buses. A computer program to execute the heuristic was written in Turbo Pascal for an IBM PC/AT. The load assignment program will become part of an evolving integrated software package that will enable a space station planner to schedule experiment payloads during each period of an orbit or a longer planning horizon.