Delft University of Technology
Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering Transport Technology
M. Kooijman Simulation of a container stacking lane with one or more automatic stacking cranes Computer program, Report 2007.TEL.7168, Transport Engineering and Logistics.
The capacity of an automated stack of a container terminal can be expanded by placing of several Automatic Stacking Cranes (ASCs) per stacking lane. ASCs that can pass each other are most efficient in this case.
A simulation model is made with program language Delphi/Tomas. With the simulation model three types of ASCs can be simulated, to know: one ASC per lane, two each other passing ASCs where the lowest ASC is passed above by the higher one and two each other passing ASCs where the smaller ASC is passed along the side by the bigger one.
The throughput of one ASC on a stacking lane of 6 by 40 containers with a mean waiting time of five minutes per order is 11,3 containers per hour with a standard deviation of 4,7%. With an ASC that passes above there can be handled 23,7 containers per hour (standard deviation: 9,5%). The other ASCs have a throughput of 22,4 container per hour (standard deviation: 11,5%). The efficiency of the ASCs can be improved when the container closest to the ASC is handled first instead of in order of arrival. The ASCs can handle respectively 13,2 (± 3,8%) containers, 28,1 (± 9,3%) containers or 26,0 (± 9,5%) containers per hour.
Reports on Transport Engineering and Logistics (in Dutch)
