PLANNING THE RECONSTRUCTION OF A SHIPLIFT BY SIMULATION OF A STOCHASTIC PETRI NET MODEL

摘要

In this case study, two alternatives for reconstruction of an existing shiplift are evaluated. At the moment, the shiplift consists of two long chambers. One chamber is to be rebuilt. Instead of rebuilding it in its original length, a shorter and cheaper chamber could also be built. In this paper, a stochastic Petri net model of the shiplift is used to simulate the shiplift and to evaluate the two alternatives, taking performance, load and customer satisfaction into consideration. The Petri net model has been chosen because Petri nets are a universal modeling language that allows a quick creation, validation and evaluation of models of arbitrary systems. Petri nets furthermore offer a graphical illustration/animation that is useful for the communication with the non-simulationists that are involved.