Mathematical modeling for demurrage reduction in coal transportation for an Indian thermal power plant
Date
2004Author
Dutta, Goutam
Bhatnagar, Amit
Gupta, Ritesh
Pappu, Sriharsha
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Competitive pressures on power plants have seen them attempting to reduce their
operating expenses for profitable operations. In India, the plants use wagons of the
Indian Railways to transport coal from the mines (in case of domestic coal) or from the
ports (in case of imported coal). Once these loaded railway wagons have reached the
power plant, they need to be unloaded and released within a stipulated time frame. If
there is any delay beyond the stipulated time, the power plant has to pay penalty cost to
the Indian Railways. In this paper, we describe an analysis of the underlying causes
behind these delays. We use correlation analysis, queuing theory and simulation to
mathematically model the coal arrival process in the company. The recommendation
suggested by the study is currently under implementation.
Collections
- Journal Articles [3701]