Whale Optimization Routing Protocol for Minimizing Energy Consumption in Cognitive Radio Wireless Sensor Network

Cognitive Radio Wireless Sensor Networks (CR-WSN) works on nodes that are dependent on batteries. A critical problem with CR-WSN is a lack of energy, especially in situations such as warfare where rapid and aggressive action is needed. The battery level of nodes degrades CR-WSN performance. Researchers face significant difficulty developing a routing protocol for CR-WSN, and that obstacle is posed by energy consumption to deliver a packet. A substantial number of nodes reside in CR-WSN. Every node in CR-WSN is constrained by battery. To minimize network cost, it should be feasible to have the routing protocol used for CR-WSN to be energy efficient. This paper proposes an optimization-based routing protocol, namely Whale Optimization Routing Protocol (WORP), for identifying the best route in CR-WSN to minimize the delay and lead to network efficiency. WORP draws inspiration from the behaviors of whales as they forage, similar to their hunting activity. By prioritizing residual energy and the total energy of the nodes in the route, WORP encourages energy-aware route selection. WORP is examined via simulation with NS2 against current routing protocols. Benchmark performance metrics are used to assess the effectiveness of WORP. Results make an indication that WORP has superior performance than current routing protocols in CR-WSN.