Event-driven simulation method for fuel transport in a mesh-like pipeline network

An oil company produces a variety of products in refineries and often transports them in pipelines. Pipelines allow huge amounts of refined oil products to be transported between sites. Delivery scheduling plans determine the sequences of the pumping operations. Specifically, these plans specify the types and quantities of products to be transported, the start and end times of shipments, and the routes. A scheduling plan is feasible, if its implementation is free of any obstacles. Schedules can be validated manually only in case of short time intervals (3, 4 days) and only for a moderately complex pipeline network. If the scheduling plan is longer or the pipeline network is larger, then a simulation tool is required for the validation. This work presents a novel discrete-event simulation system, which helps to validate pipeline-schedule for medium time intervals in multi-source mesh-like pipeline networks. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Automated summary

An oil company transports products through pipelines and uses delivery scheduling plans to determine the sequence of operations. Short-term and simple network plans can be manually validated, while long-term or complex network plans require simulation tools for validation.