An Algorithm to Find Minimal Cut-Sets of Complex Network

Abstract

Network reliability analysis is usually based on minimal path or cut enumeration from which the associated reliability expressions are deduced. The cut-set method is a popular approach in the reliability analysis of many systems from simple configurations to complex configurations. The computational requirements necessary to determine the minimal cut-sets of a network depend mainly on the complexity of the system. A new algorithm is presented in this paper to determine the minimal cut-sets. This algorithm can handle both simple and complex networks and considers both unidirectional and bidirectional branches. The applicability of the proposed technique is illustrated by application to a more complicated system.