A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (Mcda) In A Petroleum Terminal Pipeline Network for Outbound Flow Path Selection
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Ofem, Ajah Ofem1*, Moses Adah Agana2, Obono Iwara Ofem3, Adesola Yusuf Fadeyi4
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DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17101111
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UKR Journal of MultidisciplinaryStudies (UKRJMS)
The route selection operation of a petroleum product storage depot is a daily task and requires precision. Challenges arising from wrong route selection are varied and affect the operations of the depots. This research presents the application of the multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in petroleum terminal pipeline network for outbound flow path selection. This was motivated by the need to optimize the operation of route selection for outbound flow in most petroleum depots which is usually done manually by just choosing any of the available routes without consideration for distance and steady flow of the product due to available quantity in the tank. To achieve this, some personnel of the Rosa Mystica Energy depot were interviewed and basic data for the system development were collected. A software prototype (model) was adopted for the MCDA system to determine the best flow path for outbound petroleum product using a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach. The application was developed on the PhpStorm IDE and has an SQL database running on an apache web server. The system was tested on a mobile device and on a personal computer and the result gotten shows that the idea of automating the decision of selecting route for product flow can greatly improve pump efficiency as there is sufficient supply of product to the pump during operation and the time taken to load trucks will equally be reduced. It is recommended that a more robust route selection application should be developed and deployed for enterprise use.