Operation optimization of the pump unit combination for storage and transportation operation at oil ports

For the implementation of the oil port storage and transportation operation optimization, the storage and transportation operation system of crude oil pipeline at the oil port was taken as the study object to compare multiple pump unit combination schemes based on data statistics and field investigation. Then, the optimization model for the storage and transportation operation at the oil port was established with the minimum sum of heating cost and power cost as the objective function. And it was solved by means of the pump combination optimization and analysis method which is based on the minimum energy consumption ratio per unit mass flow. Finally, the optimization model was solved with the crude oil pipeline at one specific oil port as an example, combined with the field data. It is shown that the electric charge for each delivery task at this oil port is reduced by more than 19.9%. It is indicated that this new optimization method is superior to the existing methods in terms of economy and energy saving. The optimization scheme is verified to be feasible. It provides the reference for scientifically storage and transportation operation at oil ports.