Single-Channel Queuing Model with Poisson Arrivals, Exponentially Distributed Service Times & Finite Waiting Capacity

• In the previous models, it is also assumed that the waiting space available for customers in the queue is infinite.
• In this model, the service facility has a limited waiting capacity. All other assumptions are the same.

Operating Characteristics

Let M = maximum number of customers that can be

in the system at any one time
Po = probability of zero customers in the system
PM = proportion of customers lost because the
system is full

1. Percent idle time: probability that no one is in the system

1 - (l µ )
P0 =
1 - (l µ )
M +1

2. Utilization factor for the system: probability that the service facility is being used:
r = 1 - P0
3. Probability that a customer will be lost because the system is full:
PM = (l µ ) Po
M

4. Average number of customers or units in the system:

r - M (l µ )PM
L=
1 - (l µ )
5. Average number of customers in the queue:
l (1 - PM )
Lq = L -
µ
6. Average time in the system:
L
W=
l (1 - PM )
7. Average time a customer spends waiting in the queue:
1
Wq = W -
µ
Example:

An airlines office has one agent and 4 telephone lines. If the agent is talking to a customer on one line, up to 3 calls can be put on
hold. If all 4 telephone lines are busy, a potential customer gets a busy signal. Calls arrive at the rate of 30 per hour, Poisson
distributed. The average length of a call is 1.5 minutes, exponentially distributed. Assuming that anyone who gets busy signal calls
another airline (that is, the customer is lost), compute:

• The probability that a caller will get to talk to the agent immediately
• The probability that a caller will be put on hold
• The average time a caller will spend on hold
• The average number of customers lost in an 8-hour business day

Example:

Alice plans to open a small restaurant near the University area. The restaurant will have a drive-thru window, although Alice is
not certain about the number of spaces to allow for cars. During peak business hours, Alice estimates that cars will arrive at the drive-
thru window at the rate of 20 per hour, Poisson distributed. She also estimates that the average service time per car will be 2.5
minutes, exponentially distributed. There are a number of fast-food restaurants with drive-thru windows around the university area, so
Alice believes that any customer who arrives when the line is full will be lost. Alice wants to keep the proportion of lost customers to
be less than 5%. How many spaces should the drive-thru line have?
Finite Population Model (M/M/1 with Finite Source)

Assumptions:

• There is only one server.

• The population of units seeking service is finite
• Arrivals follow a Poisson distribution, and service times are exponentially distributed.
• Customers are served on a first-come, first-served basis

Operating Characteristics

Let l = the mean arrival rate

µ = the mean service rate
N = size of the population

1. The probability that the system is empty:

1
P0 = n
N
N! æ l ö
å
n =0 ( N
ç ÷
- n)! çè µ ÷ø
2. Average length of the queue:
l+µ
Lq = N - (1 - P0 )
l
3. Average number of customers (units) in the system:
L = Lq + (1 - P0 )
4. Average waiting time in the queue:
Lq
Wq =
( N - L )l
5. Average time in the system:
1
W = Wq +
µ
6. Probability of n units in the system:
n
N! æ l ö
Pn = ç ÷ P0 for n = 0,1,!, N
( N - n)! çè µ ÷ø

Example: The Kolkmeyer Manufacturing Company has a group of six identical machines; each machine operates an average of 20
hours between breakdowns. With randomly occurring breakdowns, the Poisson probability distribution is used to describe the machine
breakdown arrival process. One person from the maintenance department provides the single-channel repair service for the six
machines. The exponentially distributed service times has a mean of 2 hours per machine. Compute the operating characteristics.

l = 1 / 20 = 0.05 machine/hour
µ = ½ = 0.5 machine/hour

1. P0 = 0.4845
2. Lq = 0.3297 machine
3. L = 0.8451 machine
4. Wq = 1.279 hours
5. W = 3.279 hours

If machine downtime costs $100 per hour and the technician is paid $25 per hour:

Total hourly cost = (0.8451)($100) + $25 = $109.51