Task: Set consolidation
C#: using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;

public class SetConsolidation
{
    public static void Main()
    {
        var setCollection1 = new[] {new[] {"A", "B"}, new[] {"C", "D"}};
        var setCollection2 = new[] {new[] {"A", "B"}, new[] {"B", "D"}};
        var setCollection3 = new[] {new[] {"A", "B"}, new[] {"C", "D"}, new[] {"B", "D"}};
        var setCollection4 = new[] {new[] {"H", "I", "K"}, new[] {"A", "B"}, new[] {"C", "D"},
            new[] {"D", "B"}, new[] {"F", "G", "H"}};
        var input = new[] {setCollection1, setCollection2, setCollection3, setCollection4};
        
        foreach (var sets in input) {
            Console.WriteLine("Start sets:");
            Console.WriteLine(string.Join(", ", sets.Select(s => "{" + string.Join(", ", s) + "}")));
            Console.WriteLine("Sets consolidated using Nodes:");
            Console.WriteLine(string.Join(", ", ConsolidateSets1(sets).Select(s => "{" + string.Join(", ", s) + "}")));
            Console.WriteLine("Sets consolidated using Set operations:");
            Console.WriteLine(string.Join(", ", ConsolidateSets2(sets).Select(s => "{" + string.Join(", ", s) + "}")));
            Console.WriteLine();
        }
    }
    
    
    
    
    
    private static IEnumerable<IEnumerable<T>> ConsolidateSets1<T>(IEnumerable<IEnumerable<T>> sets,
        IEqualityComparer<T> comparer = null)
    {
        if (comparer == null) comparer = EqualityComparer<T>.Default;
        var elements = new Dictionary<T, Node<T>>();
        foreach (var set in sets) {
            Node<T> top = null;
            foreach (T value in set) {
                Node<T> element;
                if (elements.TryGetValue(value, out element)) {
                    if (top != null) {
                        var newTop = element.FindTop();
                        top.Parent = newTop;
                        element.Parent = newTop;
                        top = newTop;
                    } else {
                        top = element.FindTop();
                    }
                } else {
                    elements.Add(value, element = new Node<T>(value));
                    if (top == null) top = element;
                    else element.Parent = top;
                }
            }
        }
        foreach (var g in elements.Values.GroupBy(element => element.FindTop().Value))
            yield return g.Select(e => e.Value);
    }
    
    private class Node<T>
    {
        public Node(T value, Node<T> parent = null) {
            Value = value;
            Parent = parent ?? this;
        }
        
        public T Value { get; }
        public Node<T> Parent { get; set; }
        
        public Node<T> FindTop() {
            var top = this;
            while (top != top.Parent) top = top.Parent;
            
            var element = this;
            while (element.Parent != top) {
                var parent = element.Parent;
                element.Parent = top;
                element = parent;
            }
            return top;
        }
    }
    
    
    
    
    
    private static IEnumerable<IEnumerable<T>> ConsolidateSets2<T>(IEnumerable<IEnumerable<T>> sets,
        IEqualityComparer<T> comparer = null)
    {
        if (comparer == null) comparer = EqualityComparer<T>.Default;
        var currentSets = sets.Select(s => new HashSet<T>(s)).ToList();
        int previousSize;
        do {
            previousSize = currentSets.Count;
            for (int i = 0; i < currentSets.Count - 1; i++) {
                for (int j = currentSets.Count - 1; j > i; j--) {
                    if (currentSets[i].Overlaps(currentSets[j])) {
                        currentSets[i].UnionWith(currentSets[j]);
                        currentSets.RemoveAt(j);
                    }
                }
            }
        } while (previousSize > currentSets.Count);
        foreach (var set in currentSets) yield return set.Select(value => value);
    }
}

Java: import java.util.*;

public class SetConsolidation {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        List<Set<Character>> h1 = hashSetList("AB", "CD");
        System.out.println(consolidate(h1));

        List<Set<Character>> h2 = hashSetList("AB", "BD");
        System.out.println(consolidateR(h2));

        List<Set<Character>> h3 = hashSetList("AB", "CD", "DB");
        System.out.println(consolidate(h3));

        List<Set<Character>> h4 = hashSetList("HIK", "AB", "CD", "DB", "FGH");
        System.out.println(consolidateR(h4));
    }

    
    private static <E> List<Set<E>>
                consolidate(Collection<? extends Set<E>> sets) {
	List<Set<E>> r = new ArrayList<>();
	for (Set<E> s : sets) {
	    List<Set<E>> new_r = new ArrayList<>();
	    new_r.add(s);
	    for (Set<E> x : r) {
		if (!Collections.disjoint(s, x)) {
		    s.addAll(x);
		} else {
		    new_r.add(x);
		}
	    }
	    r = new_r;
	}
	return r;
    }

    
    private static <E> List<Set<E>> consolidateR(List<Set<E>> sets) {
        if (sets.size() < 2)
            return sets;
        List<Set<E>> r = new ArrayList<>();
        r.add(sets.get(0));
        for (Set<E> x : consolidateR(sets.subList(1, sets.size()))) {
            if (!Collections.disjoint(r.get(0), x)) {
                r.get(0).addAll(x);
            } else {
                r.add(x);
            }
        }
        return r;
    }

    private static List<Set<Character>> hashSetList(String... set) {
        List<Set<Character>> r = new ArrayList<>();
        for (int i = 0; i < set.length; i++) {
            r.add(new HashSet<Character>());
            for (int j = 0; j < set[i].length(); j++)
                r.get(i).add(set[i].charAt(j));
        }
        return r;
    }
}