| Author | Pradhananga, Rojee |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.TE-06-03 |
| Subject(s) | Hazardous substances--Transportation--Thailand
|
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Transportation Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. TE-06-03 |
| Abstract | Hazardous materials (Hazmat) are used in a wide range of industrial and economic activities. Due to the nature of hazardous materials, every production, storage and transportation activity related to the use of these materials inherits many risks for both society and environment. Route optimization enables decision maker to determine best route for transport. In general, optimization is based on economical factors related with transport operation. However, minimization of risks related with transport operation is another major objective in case of Hazmat transport routing. This research study introduces an optimization model for Hazmat transport routing under a perspective of pursuing cost minimization at the same time keeping risk at its minimum level. Unlike other models, this model was developed to satisfy customers demand within the specified time window still maintaining a proper balance between economic and risk cost tradeoff. A Vehicle Routing Problem with Time Window (VRPTW) model was proposed with an objective to minimize the economic and risk cost in transport operation. A solution to the problem was developed using metaheuristic Genetic Algorithm (GA) in MATLAB 7.1. Muang District of Rayong Province, Thailand was the area under study. Gasoline was the hazardous material used. Elements of risk considered were population including both on route and off route population and facilities including the residential buildings, hospitals, schools, factories and pavement. Explosion was the hazard used in this study. All data required to run model were obtained from field survey, using ArcView GIS 3.3 and some other secondary resources. Optimized routes, number of vehicles required, their starting times and the corresponding optimized costs were obtained for each of the weekday. The existing system of transport in field was studied and the corresponding costs involved were calculated. The routes and costs of optimized system were then compared with that of existing system. A more flexible system without time penalty was also analyzed and was then compared with the results obtained for system with time penalty. Lastly, an optimized system solely based on economic criterion was obtained and was then compared with the results obtained for the original optimized system obtained based on both economic and risk criterion. The comparison of results showed that the proposed optimization model results to a large reduction in total transportation cost. It has been found that the optimized routes are not only economically sound but are also safer than the one being used by existing system. This can be depicted clearly from the observed large reductions in both economic and risk costs for the case of optimized system. Furthermore, it was found that the exclusion of time penalty do not have any effect when the number of customers are low but for increased numbers of customer nodes, the total cost of transport was found to be reduced considerably. Finally, it was observed that even the model performed well in economic view since the economic costs associated with the two systems with and without risk consideration were not so different though there was a large difference in the risk cost associated with the two systems. |
| Year | 2007 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. TE-06-03 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Department of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Structural Engineering (STE) /Former Name = Structural Engineering and Construction (ST) |
| Chairperson(s) | Hanaoka, Shinya; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Kunnawee Kanitpong;Voratas Kachitvichyanukul; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Japan; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2007 |