A metaheuristic method for the multireturn-to-depot petrol truck routing problem with time windows

Abstract

The petrol truck routing problem is an important part of the petrol supply chain. This study focuses on determining routes for distributing petrol products from a depot to petrol stations with the objective of minimizing the total travel cost and the fixed cost required to use the trucks. We propose a mathematical model that considers petrol trucks returning to a depot multiple times and develop a heuristic algorithm based on a local branch-and-bound search with a tabu list and the Metropolis acceptance criterion. In addition, an approach that accelerates the solution process by adding several valid inequalities is presented. In this study, the trucks are homogeneous and have two compartments, and each truck can execute at most three tasks daily. The sales company arranges the transfer amount and the time windows for each station. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by comparing its results with the optimal results. In addition, a real-world case of routing petrol trucks in Beijing is studied to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

MILP formulations for highway petrol station replenishment in initiative distribution mode

“…To solve a wide range of different types of VRPs, Gromicho et al (2012) presented a highly flexible framework accommodating various real-life restrictions. Wang et al (2019) established a mathematical model to solve the petrol truck routing problem and proposed a heuristic algorithm based on a local branch-and-bound search with a tabu list, several inequalities are added to accelerate the solving process. A comparison with state-of-the-art local search methods indicates the superiority of this new framework in practical applications.…”

Collaborative Multidepot Petrol Station Replenishment Problem with Multicompartments and Time Window Assignment

“…Carotenuto et al [13] provided a mathematical formulation to the periodic PSRP and proposed different heuristic solutions. Wang et al [14] proposed a mathematical model that considered petrol trucks returning to a depot multiple times and developed a heuristic algorithm according to a local branch-and-bound search with a tabu list and the Metropolis acceptance criterion to solve it. e aforementioned works are some of the few that are directly related to PSRP modeling and research.…”

“…Constraint (13) represents the total demand quantity of refined product k from all the PSs in a time period. Constraint (14) indicates the demand quantity of all kinds of refined products from all the PSs in a time period. Constraint (15) ensures that a distribution truck serves only one PS at a time.…”

An Integrated Framework for Flexible Refined Products Supply Chain

“…Refined products consumption accounts for a relatively high proportion in the current energy structure in China [1], the scale of its logistics system is growing with the continuous expansion of China's energy demand. Reducing logistics cost and improving transportation efficiency are the key points in the development of refined products transport systems [2]. Due to the unevenly distributed of refineries and markets, long distance transportations are required to ensure the demand of downstream markets, which increase the need of developing a reliable RPSC [3].…”