Patent Document ID: 20170083028
Application ID: 14919706
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A computer-implemented method for scheduling a crude oil operation process in a refinery, the oil operation process comprising one or more tasks DTSs for oil delivering from one or more storage tanks to one or more charging tanks, the refinery comprising a pipeline system used to transport crude oil from the storage tanks to the charging tanks, the pipeline system comprising a pipeline and a number of pumping stations, and a number of sets of machines in each of the pumping stations, the method comprising: determining, by a processor, the number of sets of machines n usable at each of the pumping stations, by minimizing energy consumption J for the process based on a linear programming model as follow: Minimize J = ∑ i ∈ G ∑ j ∈ N ki ∑ h ∈ S C h x ijh ; Subject to : τ 11 ≥ A 11 ; ∑ h ∈ S x 1 jh = V 1 j , j ∈ N k 1 ; τ 11 + ∑ g = 1 j ∑ h ∈ S x 1 gh / f h + Ω ≤ T 1 j , j ∈ N k 1 ; τ i 1 ≥ A i 1 , i ∈ G  { 1 } ; τ i 1 ≥ τ ( i - 1 ) 1 + ∑ j ∈ N k ( i - 1 ) ∑ h ∈ S x ( i - 1 ) jh / f h , i ∈ G  { 1 } ; ∑ h ∈ S x ijh = V ij , i ∈ G  { 1 } , j ∈ N ki ; τ i 1 + ∑ g = 1 j ∑ h ∈ S x igh / f h + Ω ≤ T ij , j ∈ N ki , i ∈ G  { 1 } ; x ijh ≥ 0 and τ i 1 ≥ 0 ; wherein: n is the number of sets of machines usable at each pumping station; S={1, 2,. .. , n} is a set of the number of sets of machines; d is a number of groups of DTSs; G={1, 2,. .. , d}; N ki ={1, 2,. .. , ki}; DTS ij is a j-th DTS in Group iεG and jεN ki that is decided by a predetermined schedule; G i ={DTS i1 , DTS i2 ,. .. , DTS i(ki) }; V ij is an amount of oil to be transported in DTS ij ; TK ij is a charging tank to be charged by performing DTS ij that is decided in the given schedule; A ij is a time point when TK ij starts to be charged by performing DTS ij as given by the schedule; B ij is a time point when the charging of TK ij ends as given by the schedule; T ij is a time point when TK ij charged by performing DTS ij begins to feed a distiller as given by the schedule; Ω is an oil residency time; f i is a most energy-effective oil transportation flow rate when i sets of machines are used at each pumping station; C i is a cost coefficient when i sets of machines are used at each pumping station; x ijh is an amount of oil in DTS ij to be transported by using the most energy-efficient flow rate with h sets of machines being used at each pumping station, iεG, jεN ki , and hεS; and τ i1 is a time point when TK i1 starts to be charged by performing DTS i1 after oil transportation rate is regulated.