Coal Logistics System Research Articles

Establishment of Systematic Strategic Planning Procedure for China's Green Coal Logistics by using Interpretative Structure Model

In today’s society with a globalized economy, countries around the world are pursuing efficiency while also pursuing environmentally sustainable development. Therefore, studying green coal logistics for environmental development and optimization is of great significance and practical value. On the basis of the green concept framework of coal logistics, this paper will determine the five main problems in the operation of green coal logistics and then propose seven improvement strategies to these five main problems by using TRIZ theory. Interpretative structural modeling (ISM) is used to establish a systematic development procedure of green coal logistics strategy to examine the development of green coal logistics. The analysis results of ISM indicate that, when developing green coal logistics, coal enterprises should retain the effective operation of the original operating mechanism. At the same time, enterprises should introduce a green coal logistics system and effectively merge the two to establish a simple and effective logistics system operating mechanism and cultivate employees’ awareness of environmental protection. Doing so will establish a green image of coal enterprises and decrease the cost of green logistics of coal enterprises. Next, each department within the coal enterprise should be refined. To enable various departments within the coal enterprise to improve work efficiency through information sharing and exchange, the operation process of each department needs to be standardized and the source and the scope of information of each department must be clarified. Finally, through the production, storage, sharing, and transfer of knowledge of information, coal enterprise employees can be assisted to effectively carry out green awareness popularization courses so they can acquire, produce, store, share, and transfer the knowledge of green coal logistics to enable coal enterprises and employees to understand the relationship between the development of green coal logistics and environmental protection.

Research on the Development of Coal Logistics and its Economic Growth of Shanxi Province

According to the data on total output value and load amount of coal per day of Shanxi province,this paper uses grey correlation analysis model to calculate the correlation degree of the development of coal logistics and economic growth of Shanxi province.The results show that the development of coal logistics and economic growth of Shanxi province have a positive correlation relationship and the coal logistics industry will promote the economic development of Shanxi province.Based on the results,the paper makes three suggestions.First,government should provide some preferential policies for coal logistics industry.Second,the modern coal logistics system should be established.Third,the economic development model of Shanxi province should be upgraded.

Planning of fuel coal imports using a mixed integer programming method

In the public utility and commercial fuel industries, commodities from multiple supply sources are sometimes blended before use to reduce costs and assure quality. A typical example of these commodities is the fuel coal used in coal fired power plants. The diversity of the supply sources for these plants makes the planning and scheduling of fuel coal logistics difficult, especially for a power company that has more than one power plant. This study proposes a mixed integer programming model that provides planning and scheduling of coal imports from multiple suppliers for the Taiwan Power Company. The objective is to minimize total inventory cost by minimizing procurement cost, transportation cost and holding cost. Constraints on the system include company procurement policy, power plant demand, harbor unloading capacity, inventory balance equations, blending requirement, and safety stock. An example problem is presented using the central coal logistics system of the Taiwan Power Company to demonstrate the validity of the proposed model.

Taipower′s coal logistics system

Concerns the logistics system of the Taiwan power company, Taipower, and the problem it faces of coal allocation and fleet deployment of dedicated coal carriers. The coal allocation problem can be viewed as a multi‐index transportation problem requiring the formulation of a coal allocation model. Owing to the high uncertainty of shipping operations, formulates a dynamic fleet assignment model to dispatch vessels and maximize ship usage. An integrated coal allocation and fleet assignment decision support system based on these models was developed to assist the decision maker. It not only guides Taipower marine operations management in annual schedule planning, but also assists operating personnel to allocate vessels to the schedules and to make rapid adjustments. Demonstrates the potential for substantial cost improvement in Taipower coal trade.

Modeling U.S. Coal Export Planning Decisions

Abstract This paper develops a network-optimization planning methodology for U.S. coal port infrastructure. The model analyzes the economic and geographic impacts of harbor deepening and offshore topping-off, improvements which are considered essential for the U.S. to maintain export levels in the face of lower-cost competition because they enable loading of the largest coal supercolliers. The Coal Logistics System (COLS) is a mixed-integer programming model that captures the interaction between coal types and origins, rail and barge networks, ports and intermodal terminals, economies of scale in ocean shipping, foreign demand for steam and metallurgical coal, and environmental regulation. Model results provide the optimal set of coal flows for minimizing the costs of producing, transporting, and transshipping coal. A base case is calibrated for 1985 in which the model predicts the throughput at each of five major ports within 10 percent of actual historical levels. Four scenarios evaluate the effects of ...

Evaluating dredging and offshore loading locations for U.S. coal exports using the local logistics system

The formulation and use of a mixed integer mathematical programming location-allocation model, the Coal Logistics System (COLS), is presented in this study. COLS is used to evaluate the potential for reducing water-borne coal transportation costs, and concomitantly the costs of delivering coal to European markets. This cost reduction is accomplished through the use of supercolliers which would require the dredging of channels at selected ports or the use of offshore loading sites at East and Gulf Coast ports or both. The model developed and the analysis presented in this paper are intended to aid in the determination of the location and extent of these activities, and to indicate the size of the potential reduction in the costs of U.S. export coal. In order to be able to accommodate these deeper draft vessels at East and Gulf Coast ports, expensive improvements would need to be undertaken which may include the deepening of harbor channels to the depths required for 120 000 dead weight ton (dwt) or larger supercolliers. Since dredging requires large initial investments and has significant long-term maintenance costs, excess capacity could represent an inefficient use of both U.S. revenues and the ports' own funds. The use of offshore loading moorings to permit the “topping off” of supercolliers by self-unloading colliers at the deepwater sections of harbor channels has been proposed as a way of reducing trans-ocean transportation costs and avoiding the large investments and time delays associated with dredging activities. The Coal Logistics System was modified and extended to enable the evaluation of these two port improvement options to be undertaken in a consistent and realistic manner.

Optimizing freight transshipments: an evaluation of east coast coal export options

Many factors will determine the extent to which the U.S. will be a significant supplier of coal to world markets. Important among these factors is the ability of the domestic coal transport system to move coal from mines to export ports and the capability of these ports to efficiently transship the coal to export markets. This paper describes the use of a mixed-integer mathematical programming model, called the Coal Logistics System (COLS), to provide information for transportation infrastructure planning with regard to increasing U.S. coal exports. COLS is a comprehensive coal transportation model that includes the location and activity levels for coal handling technology. It is used in this study to evaluate potential patterns of export coal movements in the Eastern U.S. with respect to transportation costs, optimal location and activity levels for port coal handling facilities and related investment expenditures.

Environmental impacts of U.S. coal exports

Many factors will determine the extent to which the U.S. will be a significant supplier of coal to world markets. Important among these factors is the ability of the domestic coal transport system to move coal from mines to export ports and the capability of these ports to efficiently transship the coal to export markets. This paper describes the use of a mixed-integer mathematical programming model, called the Coal Logistics System (COLS), to provide information for transportation infrastructure planning with regard to increasing U.S. coal exports. COLS is a comprehensive coal transportation model that includes the location and activity levels for coal handling technology. It is used in this study to evaluate potential patterns of export coal movements in the Eastern U.S. with respect to transportation costs, optimal location and activity levels for port coal handling facilities and related investment expenditures.