Simulation-based operational control of a dry bulk terminal

Dry bulk terminals, located near the deep sea, are used all around the world to handle large quantities of bulk materials, like coal and iron ore. Bulk materials are transported within the terminal using routes of interconnected belt conveyors. Due to several sources of uncertainty, such as the delays of ships and trains and disturbances of terminal equipment, selecting routes is complicated and is now predominately based on the human operators´ experiences. This paper focuses on route selection to transport the materials. A decision support system is proposed that assists a human operator in making the best decision. The proposed, so-called Dynamic Planner consists of a primary simulation model, that simulates the dynamics of the terminal, and within this primary simulation model, a secondary simulation model that simulates and proposes routes. The Dynamic Planner can be a useful tool for assisting terminal planners to select routes on forehand or to present alternative routes if a conveyor or machine breaks down. Practical experiments are carried out in order to assess the performance of the proposed Dynamic Planner. It is found that the determined routes generally correspond with at least the routes selected by the human operator, while in some cases even providing better alternatives.