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Comparing airport apron layout designs using computer simulation and the cross-entropy method

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The demand in air travel is continuously increasing. In order to handle
this increase in demand, airports need to physically expand or the
management of the airports needs to improve. When the demand at
OR Tambo International Airport gets too high, more passengers will
need to travel to Lanseria International Airport, which will therefore
need to be expanded. The study was done in collaboration with Virtual
Consulting Engineers, who decided that the concept of Atlanta
International Airport in Georgia, USA, which is ranked the busiest
airport in the world, will be used in this expansion. The aim of the
study was to minimise passenger walking distances and waiting times
at Lanseria International Airport. This was done by comparing di erent
airport apron layouts, using simulation, and improving the aircraft
gate assignment, using the cross-entropy method.
Four di erent designs of airport layouts, all based on that of Atlanta
International Airport, were compared in the study. A model of each
was developed using simulation. The performance measures used to
compare the designs included 1) the average walking distance of arriving
and departing passengers at the airport, 2) the average time spent
at the airport by arriving and departing passengers, 3) the average
distance travelled by aircraft at the airport, 4) the average time by
which each aircraft is delayed and 5) the average number of aircraft
present at the airport.
The walking distance of arriving and departing passengers was largely
a ected by the way in which
ights were assigned to gates. The gates
at the airport are of three di erent sizes: small, medium and large.
Small aircraft can park at any of the gates, while medium aircraft can
only park at medium or large gates and large aircraft can only park at large gates. Three rules for the
ight-to-gate assignment process
were developed. In the rst two rules an arriving
ight was assigned
to the available, suitable gate closest to the terminal building. The
constraint that small aircraft cannot be assigned to medium or large
gates if there are small gates available and that medium aircraft cannot
be assigned to large gates if there are medium gates available,
was used in Rule 1 and not in Rule 2. In the third rule, metaheuristic
optimisation was used to determine a
ight-to-gate assignment schedule
with the objective of minimising the passenger walking distances.
This metaheuristic optimisation was performed in real-time and was
thus repeated every time a delay occurred at the airport.
The background of airports, simulation, metaheuristics and relevant
case studies were investigated in the literature review. The simulation
and metaheuristic optimisation models were then developed. The
results identi ed the best of the four designs that were compared. It
was also concluded that the use of metaheuristic optimisation, using
the cross-entropy method, results in a reduction in passenger walking
distances at the airport. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aantal lugpassasiers neem aanhoudend toe en om in staat te wees
om hierdie toename in vraag te hanteer moet lughawens sies uitbrei
of die bestuur van die lughawens moet verbeter. Wanneer die vraag by
OR Tambo Internasionale Lughawe te hoog raak, gaan meer mense na
Lanseria Internasionale Lughawe moet reis. Die lughawe sal dan dus
moet uitbrei. Die studie is in samewerking met Virtual Consulting
Engineers gedoen. Hulle het besluit dat die konsep van Atlanta Internasionale
Lughawe in Georgia in die VSA, wat die besigste lughawe
in die w^ereld is, gebruik sal word in die uitbreiding Lanseria Internasionale
Lughawe. Die doelwit van die studie was om die loopafstand
en die wagtyd van passasiers op Lanseria Internasionale Lughawe te
minimeer. Die doelwit is bereik deur verskillende lughawe uitlegte te
vergelyk met behulp van simulasie en deur die toekenning van vlugte
aan hekke te verbeter, deur gebruik te maak van die "cross-entropy"
metode.
Die konsep van Atlanta Internasionale Lughawe is gebruik om vier
verskillende lughawe uitlegte te ontwerp. Simulasie is gebruik om die
vier ontwerpe te vergelyk op grond van 1) die gemiddelde loopafstand
van passasiers wat aankom en vertrek, 2) die gemiddelde tyd
wat passasiers wat aankom en vertrek spandeer op die lughawe, 3) die
gemiddelde afstand wat vliegtuie a
^e op die lughawe, 4) die gemiddelde
tyd wat vliegtuie vertraag word, 5) die gemiddelde hoeveelheid
vliegtuie teenwoordig op die lughawe.
Die loopafstand van passasiers wat aankom en vertrek is grootliks
beinvloed deur die manier waarop vliegtuie aan hekke toegeken is.
Die hekke op die lughawe is klein, medium of groot. 'n Klein vliegtuig
mag by 'n klein, medium of groot hek parkeer, 'n medium vliegtuig mag by 'n medium of groot hek parkeer en 'n groot vliegtuig mag
net by 'n groot hek parkeer. Drie reels waarvolgens vliegtuie aan
hekke toegeken kan word is ontwikkel. In die eerste twee reels word 'n
vliegtuig wat aankom aan die beskikbare hek naaste aan die terminaal
gebou toegeken as die hek geskik is vir die vliegtuig. In die eerste
reel is die beperking dat klein vliegtuie nie aan medium en groot
hekke toegeken mag word as daar klein hekke beskikbaar is nie en
dat medium vliegtuie nie aan groot hekke toegeken mag word as daar
medium hekke beskikbaar is nie, ingesluit. Hierdie beperking is nie
in die tweede reel ingesluit nie. In die derde reel is metaheuristiek
optimering gebruik om vliegtuie aan hekke toe te ken. Die doelwit
van die metaheuristiek optimering was om die loopafstand van die
passasiers te verminder. Elke keer as 'n vliegtuig op die lughawe
vertraag was, is die optimering proses is herhaal.
Die agtergrond van lughawens, simulasie, metaheuristieke en gevalle
studies is bestudeer in die literatuur studie. Daarna is die simulasie en
metaheuristiek optimering modelle ontwikkel. Die resultate van die
studie het aangedui watter een van die vier lughawe ontwerpe die beste
is. Dit is ook beslis dat die gebruik van metaheuristiek optimering, en
spesifi ek die "cross-entropy" metode, die loopafstand van passasiers
op die lughawe verminder.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/17821
Date12 1900
CreatorsLeonard, Trudie
ContributorsBekker, J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Industrial Engineering.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format159 p. : ill.
RightsStellenbosch University

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