OPERATION OF PIPELESS BATCH PLANTS - II - VESSEL DISPATCH RULES

Pipeless batch plant operation using schedules generated by an MILP is analyzed in Part I of this paper; In this part the results of the MIL P are compared to the results obtained by using local dispatch rules t o govern station operation and vessel movement. These local dispatch r ules are developed using general notions of efficient performance of f lexible manufacturing systems combined with specific observations of t he MILP solutions. It is found that the dispatch rules perform quite p oorly when based on general principles, but can achieve almost indisti nguishable performance compared to the MILP when the features of the M ILP schedule are incorporated into the rules. It is found that the rul es are sensitive to the particular layout structure of the plant, and that customized rules for a layout can be obtained. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.