Freight Capsule Control in an Underground Freight Pipeline System G. Luo, M. Sir, and J . Noble

1. Freight Capsule Control in an Underground Freight Pipeline System G. Luo, M. Sir, and J. Noble Center for Engineering Logistics and Distribution (CELDi) Department of Industrial & Mfg Systems Engineering University of Missouri Columbia, MO Henry Liu Freight Pipeline Company Columbia, Missouri Funded in part by the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers Program (IIP- 0815195)

2. In Memory of Henry Liu (1937 – 2010) … an inventor who understood the power of being passionate about his ideas • Ph. D. Colorado State University, specializing in fluid mechanics • Founder and President of Freight Pipeline Company. • MU Chaired Professor of Civil Engineering • Director of NSF Capsule Pipeline Research Center • President of the International Freight Pipeline Society • Holder of six patents • Published more than 100 technical papers • Author of two books: Wind Engineering (1991) and Pipeline Engineering (2003) • 2009 winner of $100,000 “Purpose Prize” for his successful second career as an inventor

3. The Technology What is Pneumatic Capsule Pipeline (PCP)? PCP is the transport of materials or freight by capsules (i.e., containers or vehicles) propelled by air moving through a tube-- pipeline or conduit. • Linear Induction Motor (LIM) Pump

4. Outer tube Conduit ceiling Inner tube Tunnel (4.5 m I.D.) Container Conduit wall Telecom Powerr Capsule wall-floor frame Walkway Water Capsule wheel L I M Secondary Rail L I M Primary Drain Pump Concrete fill Drain Capsule-tunnel cross section

5. Countries Currently Considering PCP for Container TransportChina: Shanghai Port Expansion

6. Countries Currently Considering PCP for Container Transport Australia:Sydney Freight Circle

7. Problem Domain • Logistics issues associated with freight tube system • Tube network design – I/O location, flow path • Dispatch/control of capsules according to freight shipment needs (capacity and schedule) • Tracking of cargo in transit in the pipe and in storage room • Design of cargo loading and unloading process at freight pipeline terminals • Capacity analysis • Network Design • flow path • # & location P/D Vehicle Technology Vehicle Rqmts - size and # Information - ID (RFID) • Operation • dispatching • routing

8. Operation Optimization

9. Operation Optimization • Objective Function: • Minimize the Total Tardiness Squared • Subject to: • Constraint 1 ensures that the start time of each task is not earlier than its release time. • Constraint 2 ensures that the number of capsules in the freight pipe line does not exceed the maximum capacity. • Constraint 3 balances the number of capsule leaving and entering a station. • Constraint 4 specifies the tardiness of each task. • Constraint 5 ensures that the total number of capsules assigned to stations does not exceed the total number of capsules available in the system

10. 12 Job Solution Comparisonoptimal vs. heuristic

11. Network configuration: 50-Job problem Station B Single loop Pipeline Station A Station D Station C • A single loop pipeline with 4 stations and line fill capacity 10; • Capsules travel clockwise with distance: • dAB= 2; dBC= 2; dCD= 3; dDA= 2;

12. Schedule Solution: 50-Job problem • 30 capsules are allocated to finish all 50 jobs.

13. SIMIO Simulation:Control Algorithm Testbed

14. Summary There are several large metro areas in the world that are examining the feasibility of using underground pipelines for transporting freight instead of using truck. Dispatch and control of the freight capsules according to freight shipment requirements is a key issue in the implementation of these systems. A mathematical model that captures the dispatching / control problem and a problem specific heuristic that is capable of obtaining solutions to realistic sized problems has been developed Performance results comparing the solutions of the heuristic to several classic heuristics are promising. 14