Hybridizing particle swarm optimization with simulated annealing and differential evolution

Based on the algorithm structure, each metaheuristic algorithm may have its pros and cons, which may result in high performance in some problems and low functionality in some others. The idea is to hybridize two or more algorithms to cover each other’s weaknesses. In this study, particle swarm optimization (PSO), simulated annealing (SA) and differential evolution (DE) are combined to develop a more powerful search algorithm. First, the temperature concept of SA is applied to balance the exploration/exploitation capability of the hybridized algorithm. Then, the DE’s mutation operator is used to improve the exploration capability of the algorithm to escape the local minimums. Next, DE’s mutation operator has been modified so that past experiences can be used for smarter mutations. Finally, the PSO particles’ tendency to their local optimums or the global optimum, which balances the algorithm’s random and greedy search, is affected by the temperature. The temperature influences the algorithm’s behavior so that the random search is more significant at the beginning, and the greedy search becomes more important as the temperature is reduced. The results are compared with the basic PSO, SA, DE, cuckoo search (CS), and hybridized CS-PSO algorithm on 20 benchmark problems. The comparison reveals that, in most cases, the new algorithm outperforms others.