Optimal Planning on Gate System on Container Terminals Based on Simulation Optimization Method and Case Study

A simulation optimization method is presented to realize the optimal planning on the gate system on container terminals. At first, the formulation of mathematical programming model is established including the planning objectives and constraints according to the analysis on the operation requirement of the gate system. The optimal objective is to minimize the total cost of construction and ensure the desired operation efficiency. Then, considering the uncertain and stochastic activities in the system, the discrete-event system simulation model is built. To solve the optimal planning problem, the requirement for optimization algorithm suit for the simulation model is discussed and the approach of simulation optimization is presented. The optimization method is presented that combines genetic algorithm with the discrete-event system simulation model of the gate system. At last, an actual case is analyzed to illustrate the validity and effectiveness. The results from simulation optimization method are compared with traditional planning method and the advantage of this method is shown. Moreover, the sensitivity of this planning result is analyzed