Dynamic hybrid scheduling of crude oil using structure adapted genetic algorithm for uncertainty of tank unavailability

Abstract

The marine access refineries which supply nearly 15% of the global energy requirement constantly encounter uncertainty such as unit unavailability. This uncertainty often arises due to various factors such as pump failure or leakage in tanks. Crude oil scheduling under such uncertain conditions not only compromises the profitability but also compromises the operability of the plant. The study comprehensively analyses the advantages and disadvantages of using preventive and reactive scheduling approaches to handle a commonly encountered tank unavailability uncertainty. Based on these, a new hybrid approach which combines both the features from the preventive and reactive approach is developed. This study is important for solving scheduling optimization problem when uncertainty, non-linearity and multiple objectives are involved. For this purpose, three large-scale marine access refinery scheduling problems having a time horizon of 7, 7 and 14 days were studied.