Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Pipeline Scheduling and Inventory Management of a Multiproduct Distribution Oil System

2006; American Chemical Society; Volume: 45; Issue: 23 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1021/ie060309c

1520-5045

Susana Relvas, Henrique A. Matos, Ana Paula Barbosa‐Póvoa, João Fialho, António S. Pinheiro,

Scheduling and Optimization Algorithms

Within the oil supply chain, although refinery operations are extensively studied, distribution center operations are not being explored to their full potential. In this paper, these types of operations are studied. A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) approach is used to model the problem of oil derivatives pipeline transportation scheduling and supply management. The objective of the model is to attain a high level of operation, satisfying clients and accounting for distribution center restrictions and compulsory tasks. First, a base model is developed, which accounts for product transportation, inventory management, and daily client satisfaction. Later, an extension is presented to account for a settling period for each new lot that arrives at the distribution center. A pumping schedule, including the product sequence, lot volume, and timing issues, is obtained. Also, the inventory management is performed while accounting for daily clients requests and quality control tasks. A continuous representation of both time and pipeline volume is used. The model is applied to a real-world case study of a Portuguese oil distribution company, Companhia Logística de Combustíveis (CLC). Different scenarios are outlined, with the objective of analyzing how the settling period and its minimum duration influence the model performance. Various modeling approaches to the product sequence inside the pipeline have been studied. The results are discussed and compared to the real schedule of a typical monthly plan that has been developed by CLC's schedulers.