Fluid-based simulation approach for high volume conveyor transportation systems

Abstract

High volume conveyor systems in distribution centers have very large footprint and can handle large volumes and hold thousands of items. Traditional discrete-event cell-based approach to simulate such networks becomes computationally challenging. An alternative approach, in which the traffic is represented by segments of fluid flow of different density instead of individual packages, is presented in this paper to address this challenge. The proposed fluid-based simulation approach is developed using a Hybrid Petri Nets framework. The underlying model is a combination of an extension of a Batches Petri Nets (BPN) and a Stochastic Petri Nets (SPN). The extensions are in the inclusion of random elements and relaxation of certain structural constraints. Some adaptations are also made to fit the target system modeling. The approach is presented with an example.