An Implicit Enumeration Algorithm for the Concave Cost Network Flow Problem

The objective of this paper is the construction of a branch-and-bound algorithm for computing minimum cost flows in capacitated networks when the cost of passing a flow over an are is concave. The method is based on the equivalence of the general network flow problem to a network flow problem in a bipartite network of a special form. An optimal flow is found by implicit enumeration of the set of extremal flows in that network.