Determination of storage tanks location for optimal short-term scheduling in multipurpose/multiproduct batch-continuous plants under uncertainties

• Published in: Annals of operations research Vol. 199; no. 1; pp. 225 - 247
• Main Authors: Durand, Guillermo A., Mele, Fernando D., Bandoni, J. Alberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.10.2012; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Algorithms; Business and Management; Combinatorics; Customers; Decision making; Dynamic programming; Inventory control; Operations research; Operations Research/Decision Theory; Optimization; Position (location); Raw materials; Scheduling; Simulation; Storage tanks; Strategy; Tasks; Theory of Computation; Uncertainty; Decision-making; Multipurpose/multiproduct plants; Uncertainty; Batch plant; Scheduling; Semi-continuous plant; Simulation-based optimization
• ISSN: 0254-5330; 1572-9338
• DOI: 10.1007/s10479-011-0970-8

A multipurpose/multiproduct plant has to deal with many combinations of tasks sequences and operation rates that lead to accumulation problems. These problems can be handled using storage tanks, but usually their location within the flowsheet is predetermined and not subject to optimization, missing the opportunity to better satisfy the customers. In this work we will determinate the optimal location of storage tanks for the short-term scheduling under uncertainty. A hybrid simulation-based optimization (SBO) strategy was developed and implemented to solve the problems combining stochastic and deterministic solution algorithms.