This chapter introduces several case studies which have been conducted during a long period of collaboration with Prof. Bernard Schroer, Ph.D., University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), who is coauthoring this chapter of this book. Section 6.1 introduces, from a general perspective, critical issues in the design, development, and usage of simulation models of transportation systems. The Coal Terminal case study in Sect. 6.2 refers to the real-world situation at the McDuffie Coal Terminal at the Alabama State Docks in Mobile. The Port of Mobile was interested in increasing the volume of coal to 30 million tons annually and had looked at a number of process improvements to achieve this goal. The objective of the simulation was to evaluate the impact of these process improvements on the volume of coal through the Port. The Container Terminal case study in Sect. 6.3 gives an overview of the container terminal at the Port of Mobile and its intermodal container handling facilities. The Port of Mobile had just completed a major expansion to its container terminal and was very interested in validating the design of the expanded facilities. The objective of the simulation was to identify maximum throughput capacities, especially utilization of the very expensive large cranes used for unloading and loading containers. The Intermodal Container Center in Sect. 6.4 offers an approach to analyzing the operation of an intermodal center and evaluating various operational alternatives before finalizing the design of any planned expansion. Hence, the objective used was to determine if throughput can satisfy anticipated demand and if sufficient resources are available to meet anticipated growth in demand. Port Security Inspection is the topic of the case study in Sect. 6.5. Increased security is having a significant impact on the operation of seaports. The objective of the simulation was to evaluate the impact of various inspection protocols on the operation of the container terminal at the Port of Mobile. The objectives of the Interstate Traffic Congestion case study in Sect. 6.6 were to determine the congestion point as traffic increased and to evaluate adding additional lanes at congestion points. This is an important issue because the growth in automotive vehicle manufacturing in the south has greatly increased traffic on I-65 from Chicago to Mobile, AL. The objective of the simulation was to evaluate the increase in congestion on I-65 south from Birmingham to Montgomery, AL. The objective of the simulation case study in Sect. 6.7 was to evaluate the impact of increased 18-wheel truck traffic on the I-10 tunnel crossing the Mobile River in Downtown Mobile, AL. The case study in Sect. 6.8 focuses on passenger and freight operations at Hamburg Airport to estimate the maximum numbers of passengers and freight that can be dispatched and to identify potential opportunities in process optimization with regard to the expected growth in passenger and freight numbers. In Sect. 6.9, a case study of a project modeling and simulating an Italian airport transportation operation conducted by an international student team is introduced to demonstrate how an international group of students can be motivated to conduct an innovative, advanced project in a very complex area of concentration in modeling and simulation.
Transportation Use Cases
Simulation Foundations, Meth., Applicat.
Introduction to Transportation Analysis, Modeling and Simulation ; Chapter : 6 ; 229-334
2014-08-12
106 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
Road Segment , Container Terminal , Truck Traffic , Container Throughput , Unify Modeling Language Activity Diagram Computer Science , Simulation and Modeling , Mathematical Modeling and Industrial Mathematics , Engineering Economics, Organization, Logistics, Marketing , Operations Research/Decision Theory
Hazardous materials transportation in Mexico City: Chlorine and gasoline cases
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