This thesis deals with the techniques which can be applied to the expansion planning of conduits and feeder cable networks in a local exchange area.
The problem studied is how to determine the expansion timing and the sizes of conduits and cable in each expansion time, so that the present worth of total costs is minimized. It is assummed that the demand of line pairs at each cabinet is deterministic and the configuration of network is given.
As a solution procedure, a heuristic branch ＆ bound algorithm is used for the efficiency of computation, which is based on the work of Freidenfelds and C.D. Mclauglin. The algorithm does not guarantee an exact optimal solution, but generate a good near-optimal solution.
The computer program for this algorithm is developed, and shown to be effective and efficient through the test run of an illustrative example.
