A comparison of phase and nonphase network flow algorithms
Charles U. Martel · Networks · 1989
Abstract We compare the performance of network flow algorithms based on Dinic's layered graph approach to the new Goldberg‐Tarjan (GT) algorithm. We show that for networks with small capacities, in particular for unit networks, the Dinic‐like algorithms are asymptotically faster than the GT algorithm. A second setting that we study is parameterized flow computations. Gallo, Grigoriadis, and Tarjan have shown that the GT algorithm solves this type of problem very efficiently. We show that traditional implementations of the Dinic‐like algorithms are much less efficient for solving parameterized flow problems. We also give a new implementation of a Dinic‐like algorithm that is competitive with the GT algorithm on parameterized flow networks.