A novel whale optimization algorithm and its application in metallurgical process

To solve the limitations existing in the standard whale optimization algorithm (WOA), a convergence factor based on the sine function is designed to balance the exploration and development abilities of the WOA, furthermore, an improved opposition-based learning strategy is proposed to accelerate the convergence rate of the algorithm, in addition, the mutation operation based on the population diversity is employed to reduce the probability that the algorithm gets caught in the local optimum, the simulation result shows that the novel WOA presents a superior convergence rate and accuracy to the basic WOA.