AVIATION FUEL DISTRIBUTION PROCESS
ANALYSIS USING MODELING AND
SIMULATION
Miguel Iturrate
Managing Director
Unamente
INTRODUCTION
Beginning the 80´s, many organizations worldwide
started efforts leading to increase their competitive
advantages. Therefore, continuous improvement
techniques and quality management systems were
born and, in the 90´s begun the very first approaches
to the formal establishment of reengineering and
process redesign methods.
Nowadays, these techniques are supported by
computer assisted modeling and simulation methods.
These techniques allow industrial and business
process to be redesigned or improved by means of
studying the many as possible scenarios without
making investments, every time the system is
simulated through computational methods that include
the level of detail required for every situation.
The practical application of this knowledge
allows the client to increase the degree of control over
the decisions he has to confront, usually related with
the return over investment of the supply chain, in
terms of global and local reach. Generally, the
variables involved are time, costs, flexibility and
quality.
In this context, the following communication
presents the interrelation between Sonangol IBV-5
facility and one of its most important clients,
Aeroporto Internacional 4 de Fevereiro, the
international city airport. Due to the quantities
delivered, the configuration of the fleet and optimal
delivered quantities are some of the critical factors
studied in this paper.
OVERVIEW
The case of aviation fuel distribution from IBV-5
facility to the supply airport tanks is studied. The
developed simulation model considers the variation of
the critical parameters that governs the real system
approach. It is of interest to the executives to study
the options to optimize the actual fleet of tank trucks,
also the introduction of charge and discharge
technology elements that allow improving the overall
process.
To obtain the insight that permit understand
the scope of this objectives, it was necessary to design
a model of the process that consider as parameters the
number of terminals in every facility, number of tank
trucks, and number of quality control lines
availability.
The mix of alternatives is shown in the table
below:
# charge # discharge # tank # #
points points trucks products destiny
points
1-4 1 to 4 1 to 15 1 1
Table 1. Mix of technological alternatives.
This manner it is studied the variation of distribution
capacity as a function of the mix of configurations
charge/discharge points, and number of tank trucks.
This communication describes in short the
distribution of Jet A1 operations process. Then, a
simulation model of the process is presented, input
data sets and hypotheses defined, model construction,
and validation and analysis of the results of the
simulation model.
It is a hope that the simulation model would
be useful to decision making in the inclusion of new
tank trucks, or new charge/discharge points in each
facility.
THE JET A1 DISTRIBUTION PROCESS
The process in study is uni-modal/point/product. The
transported daily volumes vary among 800 m3 to
1.500 m3, and the storage capacity installed at the
airport is of 1.500 m3. The current supply contract
can force the supplier the payment of high fines to the
aeronautical authorities if a break occurs in the stock
at the airport, causing important alterations in flights
programming of several airlines that operate in the
region.
A flow diagram of the operation is presented
in the Figure 1. The process begins when the tank
truck is loaded in IBV-5 facility, located at 9 km from
the airport, in the central sector of the city. The load
of 30 m3 is accomplished in a bottom-loading
modality and there are no vapor recovery systems.
Once concluded the tank loading, and after a
delay of 10 minutes for fuel steady state, it is executed
a quality control test, consistent in a visual inspection,
density and temperature determination, and detection
of water presence in the sample through chemical
reaction. If the sample is approved, the operator
registers the transferring documentation among
facilities and after an exit control, the fleet goes out
with direction to the airport.
At this stage, the model considered the
vehicular congestion in function of the hour of the
day.
1
 historical data sets of residence of the trucks in the
Orders Fleet Invoicing Quality
Reception Configurati Control Exit facility were also considered.
Charge Control
on

Entrance
• For loading and discharge times, a logNormal
Control Return Time Discharge Route
Time
distribution was used with averages of 17 and 32,
and standard deviations of 2 and 3 minutes,
Figure 1.Diagram of the distribution process of Jet respectively.
A1. • For quality control times, a uniform distribution
was utilized, with maximums and minimum of 30
Once finished the IBV5-airport route, the and 0 minutes respectively.
tank truck enters the airport facility, and parks for
another operation of quality control, similar to the Figure 3 presents the used simulation model.
described previously.
Afterwards, the operator removes the ev ent
# T U
use #

discharge seal and the tank truck starts the discharge count Chof er

change
u

T U
demand

open 1
D

Tiempo Llenado
Rand

# T U

via bottom unloading. Then, the fleet leaves the V 1 2 3

N° Pedidos/dia
t y
D demand D
1 2 3
Tiempo Control # u
C
Tiempo de Ciclo Tiempo Llenado Count

airport and returns to IBV-5 facility. # u

F
C
a b c
a
b
D M
L W
F
open 2
# T U
F
T U
CD
Contr Salida
r #

# camiones a ruta
Count c demand D L W F
Tiempo Llenado D
CD L W a CCalidad1 ASR
r # demand sensor open 3 CCalidad1
Recep pedidos T U L W AGV F
#
Tiempo CCalidad a Salida
Pedidos recepcionados speed X Y

THE SIMULATION MODEL T U demand

open 4
D

Tiempo Llenado
Tiempo en ruta ida

D
# T U F
t y Rand
use #
L W
u demand D a CCalidad2

Several assumptions were validated through 1 2 3 # u

open 5 Tiempo descarga
change Tiempo Control
# T U
Flota

a CD

interviews to the direct operators of the process and b

c
demand
Chof er

L W
a Ruta
F
demand

open 6
# T
D

Tiempo descarga
U T U T
Contr Entrada

on site/on route direct observations. The considered # u

C
Count demand D D D
T Reposo Control Calidad
CD r Tiempo descarga
# open 7

assumptions were: Contr Entrada

Rand speed X Y
F
Pedidos atendidos
#

demand
T U

D
L W
F Tiempo Reposo
Tiempo CCalidad

a Descarga
1 2 3 Tiempo en ruta v uelta open 8 Tiempo descarga
Tiempo Control

• An operation of 24 hours, in two shifts. Figure 3. Extendtm Simulation model for the
• The graphs of speeds and times of transfer are distribution process of Jet A1.
presented in the Figure 2 (case of a loaded truck
heading to the airport). The simulation was executed with Extendtm
• The operators eat lunch and they have dinner, software v5, created by Imagine That Inc.
with a delay of approximately 60 minutes every (www.imaginethatinc.com). The block libraries
time. contain more than 150 blocks for a logical
• It is not always practiced a quality control, interconnection for the representation of the problem
situation detected at the airport. and the simulation of the exit variables for its study.
• It is not included in the simulation the rain In this case, each simulation was executed 100 times,
possibility, a fact that impedes the discharge for with a medium time for execution of 2 sec.
not having the installation an appropriate
protection for that case. RESULTS

In order to validate the structure of the model, several

Ve l o c i d a d e / T e m p o I B V5 - A e r o p u e r t o I D A
meetings with the responsible of the distribution
60
km/ hr
process were taken. Some of the hypotheses were
50
min validated through direct field measures. Other data
40
showed properly to take in account to systematically
30
evaluate systematically in a timely basis the validity
20
of data that initially were considered as reference, like
facility residence times of the fleet.
10

The simulation model gave the following groups

-
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 of graphs, according to the combinations presented in
H or a do di a ( hr )
the Table 1.

Figure 2. Times and speeds of circulation of a 1. Number of delivered orders vs number of tank
loaded truck in Luanda. trucks in operation for the actual configuration of
load/discharge points.
To model the previous assumptions, direct
measures were registered from each truck route, and

2
2. Number of delivered orders vs number of tank control point for multiple operations, without effects
trucks in operation for alternative configurations in the delivered volume.
of load/discharge points. Final recommendation issued demonstrated
3. Number of delivered orders vs alternative that was not necessary to invest in more loading and
configurations of tank trucks number in operation discharging points, both at IBV-5 facility and at the
and number of load/discharge points. airport, but to refine procedures to consider multi-
quality control operations to leverage parallel tasking.
The previous was summarized in a just one graph
Deliveries / Number of tank trucks/ Number of load- REFERENCES
discharge points. This graph is represented in Figure
4. Real Data from DIA Management Control System.
Study of times IBV5, January-March 2001.
Pedidos entregues vs N° de camiões
Real Data from SPMP Stage I. Study of times DTR,
90 January-March 2001.
80
2 a 4 bocas de descarga
70
Real Data Study of times through fleet route
60

50
following, April 2002.
1 boca de descarga
40

30 Diamond, R., Modeling with Extend, Imagine That

20 Inc, 1999.
10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 Law, A., Kelton, D., Simulation Modeling and
Analysis, McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Figure 4. Number delivered orders for fleet size
and load/discharge configuration. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

ANALYSYS Miguel Iturrate is founder and director of Unamente,

an internet based company wich applies process
Figure 4 summarizes the results of the accomplished computer modeling and simulation in order to
simulation. The abscissas represent number of maximize business revenue. With background from
available tank trucks. The ordinates represent number Gas and Oil, Mining and Forest Products industry,
of delivered orders for several combinations of nowadays specializes in Supply Chain Management,
loading and discharge points. Just one graph presents MES and ERP systems and Business Intelligence. It is
the interaction of these two groups of variables. For a Mechanical Civil Engineer and is a Master in
the actual load/discharge points configuration (2/3), Industrial Engineering candidate from Universidad de
and the actual tank trucks number in operation (5), the Santiago de Chile. For more information please
simulation model predicts that the system this way contact info@unamente.com
configured should deliver 40 orders approximately
per day, meaning close or more than 1.200 m3 per
day of Jet A1.
The results confirm some restrictions
detected in field in the operation of the process. The
simulation model, as a management tool, can help to
determine shifts changes and their impact in the
distribution capacity. It is also possible to appreciate
the effects and influence of each variable in the
others, and the intervention of another functional
areas and its impact in the global result of the process.
To install more discharge points in the
airport, and the incorporation of more tank trucks,
will gain effect in the daily delivered volume if the
number of quality controls is proportional to it and its
sequence is accomplished in parallel. In other words,
and as Figure 4 depicts, an increase in these variables
is constrained by the existence of only one quality