Oilfield Run Ticket Dispatch for Claimed Tank Run Coordination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The coordination and optimization of truck dispatching in oil or gas fields are challenging due to the complexity of factors involved in selecting and scheduling tank runs, including trucker-specific, load-specific, and dynamic drop-off location factors, which are often unknown to truck drivers, leading to sub-optimal choices and increased labor intensity.
Innovation Solution
A dispatch server system that receives tank-nearly-full messages, creates tank-run records, and sends them to trucker mobile devices, allowing drivers to claim tank runs while confirming unclaimed runs and providing recommendations based on geolocation, fluid type, and drop-off facility constraints, using sensors and site master controllers to optimize fluid transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If truck drivers independently select tank runs without a dispatch system, then driver autonomy is maintained, but coordination efficiency deteriorates and sub-optimal choices increase
Solution Approach 1:
A centralized dispatch server acts as an intermediary between oil/gas facilities and truck drivers. The server receives tank-nearly-full messages from facilities, creates tank-run records with optimized routing information, and distributes them to drivers via mobile devices. This intermediary resolves the contradiction by centralizing coordination functions to improve efficiency while managing system complexity through standardized communication protocols and automated record-keeping.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where drivers submit tank-run claimed messages and completion status back to the dispatch server. The server tracks which tank runs have been claimed and provides real-time updates to facilities about truck arrival expectations. This feedback mechanism enables dynamic optimization of tank run assignments and improves overall coordination efficiency.
2Reliability
If drivers make tank run selections without complete information, then decision speed is maintained, but selection quality deteriorates due to unknown drop-off constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The dispatch server performs preliminary actions by collecting tank run information from facilities in advance, including drop-off facility constraints, capacity availability, and optimal routing data. This information is processed and stored in tank-run records before being distributed to drivers. By preparing this information beforehand, the system ensures drivers receive complete data for making reliable selection decisions without experiencing information loss during the decision-making process.
3Productivity
If multiple drivers compete for the same tank runs without coordination, then driver choice flexibility is maintained, but resource utilization deteriorates with duplicate trips and wasted capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The dispatch server implements real-time feedback by tracking which tank runs have been claimed by drivers and updating the status of drop-off facilities accordingly. When a driver claims a tank run, the server records this information and prevents other drivers from selecting the same tank run, eliminating duplicate trips. The server also monitors facility capacity and dynamically adjusts available tank run assignments to optimize resource utilization while maintaining driver flexibility through the mobile device interface.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a process including: receiving a tank-nearly-full message indicating that a tank at an oil or gas related facility is or will be ready for a truck to unload and transport fluid accumulating in the tank; in response to the tank-nearly-full message, creating a tank-run record; sending a description of the tank-run to a mobile device of a driver of an oilfield truck; receiving, from the mobile device of the driver of the oilfield truck, a tank-run claimed message indicating that the driver will drive to the oil or gas related facility and transport at least some of the fluid accumulating in the tank; and after the tank-run claimed message, performing steps including: confirming that the tank-run has not yet been claimed; after the confirmation, designating the tank-run as claimed by the driver; and sending confirmation to the mobile device of the driver.