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Designing a Blood Distribution System Using Heterogeneous Vehicles- a Heuristic and Robust Optimization Approach

Pashapour, Amir Reza | 2020

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 53280 (01)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Industrial Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Modarres Yazdi, Mohammad
  7. Abstract:
  8. Human blood is a valuable and scarce product which is only produced by human body. There is no replaceable material for our blood and there has always been a constant need to donors and blood products in societies. Like every other product, blood has to be transfused to patients after it is donated and this process requires a complete and effective blood supply chain. Considering all properties, complexities and uncertainties of a blood supply chain, we need to develop stable methodologies in order to simplify decision making in blood supply chain. In this research, we develop a novel blood distribution system from a regional blood center (RBC) to its nearby hospitals. It helps RBCs plan the blood distribution process using both cars and drones for transportation. To analyze this system, first a mixed integer programming model is developed based on heterogeneous or mixed fleet vehicle routing problem (HFVRP), while distinct time windows are considered for different requests. The objective is to minimize the total distribution costs. The deterministic model is first applied to the RBC and hospitals in city of Urmia. The data of locations is gathered from GIS and the proposed model is solved by CPLEX solver. Then, a robust optimization approach is developed by considering distribution uncertainties. Finally, some heuristic algorithms are proposed for both certain and uncertain models to solve the larger instances i.e. applicable for metropolitan cities. The results of the model for our proposed distribution system show an average of 55% saving in total blood distribution’s variable costs in comparison to the present distribution system. Other advantages of the proposed system are lower urban traffic and pollution as well as decrease in usage of manpower in the system via drones
  9. Keywords:
  10. Blood Supply Chain ; Heuristic Algorithm ; Robust Optimization ; Mathematical Modeling ; Heterogeneous Vehicles ; Blood Products Distribution ; Heterogeneous Vehicle Routing ; Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

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