A combined CLP‐MILP approach for scheduling commodities in a pipeline

This paper addresses the problem of developing an optimization model to aid the operational scheduling in a real‐world pipeline scenario. The pipeline connects refinery and harbor, conveying different types of commodities (gasoline, diesel, kerosene, etc.). An optimization model was developed to determine pipeline scheduling with improved efficiency. This model combines constraint logic programming (CLP) and mixed integer linear programming (MILP) in a CLP‐MILP approach. The proposed model uses decomposition strategies, continuous time representation, intervals that indicate time constraints (time windows), and a series of operational issues, such as the seasonal and hourly cost of electric energy (on‐peak demand hours). Real cases were solved in a matter of seconds. The computational results have demonstrated that the model is able to define new operational points to the pipeline, providing significant cost savings. Indeed the CLP‐MILP model is an efficient tool to aid operational decision‐making within this real‐world pipeline scenario.