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  • Improving efficient resource usage and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by optimizing fleet management for winter services [Elektronski vir]
    Kovačič Lukman, Rebeka ...
    Heavy duty vehicles (HDVs), such as those used for winter services (e.g. snow plowing), are responsible for around 25% of CO2 emissions caused by road transportation, which is also a challenge of ... energy resources. In this paper an optimization approach developed for the fleet management of winter services is presented, which was also evaluated in city of Maribor, Slovenia. The algorithm used is based on a mathematical graph theory, specifically on a solution to the Chinese postman problem, using two types of optimization: 1) optimization of the entire plan of the winter service and 2) optimization of the completed part of the planned service. The winter service includes plowing and a salting process that requires refilling the salt reservoirs on the vehicles. In our real-world case only one base was available for refilling the salt reservoirs, so two additional optimization approaches were evaluated: a) optimization of the traversals of plans starting form a single base and b) using proposed three additional recharge bases distributed across the city and recharging at the closest base when needed. The results of the optimization suggested a reduction of route length by 28.3% when executing the entire plan. When considering a redistribution of the salting material at three other locations, our estimation has showed that additional savings up to 9.8% could be achieved regarding to the selection of those locations. Less routes traveled consequently leads to a reduction of resource usage (diesel) and lower CO2 emissions. When executing 15 plans in a single winter service campaign, 210 L less diesel was used, resulting in 1.362 t less CO2 emissions per campaign, representing a reduction of 30%. Our model was initially based on real-life snow plowing processes and their statistics; where possible we used real-life data to configure the model, such as the salting material, loading times, the quantity of salting material distributed per km, the characteristics of the plowing vehicle, etc. Due to the heavy conditions during the execution of planned winter services, plans sometimes had to be readjusted on the go. Combining optimization with custom software for real-time execution, planning and service monitoring, assisted from the cloud, provided even more deterministic cost and environmental management, and gave further opportunity for optimization processes.
    Source: Journal of cleaner production [Elektronski vir]. - ISSN 1879-1786 (Vol. 177, 10. Mar. 2018, str. 1-11)
    Type of material - e-article
    Publish date - 2018
    Language - english
    COBISS.SI-ID - 512887613

    Link(s):

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652617331013
    DOI

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