An application of a multi-agent auction-based protocol to the tactical planning of oil product transport in the Brazilian multimodal network

Abstract The transportation planning of oil products in Brazil's multimodal network is a complex problem that involves various negotiations between decentralized entities in order to agree on which products to transfer, their amounts, and the allocation of shared resources. Due to such complexity, there is a clear need for a decision support tool. This paper presents a model for solving this problem based on a new multi-agent auction protocol. The developed model is used to solve a real scenario of the Brazilian oil supply chain in a multi-level topological approach.

[1]  Christian Kray,et al.  The eager bidder problem: a fundamental problem of DAI and selected solutions , 2002, AAMAS '02.

[2]  Louis Cloutier,et al.  A commitment-oriented framework for networked manufacturing co-ordination , 2001, Int. J. Comput. Integr. Manuf..

[3]  Ning Liu,et al.  Research on the Negotiation Strategy of Multi-agent Based on Extended Contract Net , 2009, 2009 ETP International Conference on Future Computer and Communication.

[4]  Michal Pechoucek,et al.  Competitive Contract Net Protocol , 2007, SOFSEM.

[5]  Juan Feng,et al.  Simultaneous Vs. Sequential Sales, Intensity of Competition and Uncertainty , 2008 .

[6]  Lúcia Valéria Ramos de Arruda,et al.  A multiagent simulator for supporting logistic decisions of unloading petroleum ships in habors , 2010 .

[7]  Victor R. Lesser,et al.  Advantages of a Leveled Commitment Contracting Protocol , 1996, AAAI/IAAI, Vol. 1.

[8]  Tuomas Sandholm,et al.  An Implementation of the Contract Net Protocol Based on Marginal Cost Calculations , 1993, AAAI.

[9]  Onn Shehory,et al.  Agent-Oriented Software Engineering , 2014, Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

[10]  Huaglory Tianfield,et al.  An extended contract net mechanism for dynamic supply chain formation and its application in China petroleum supply chain management , 2006, Multiagent Grid Syst..

[11]  Yan-Ling Wang,et al.  Multi-agent System Developed for the Logistics Supply Chain Coordination and Risk Management , 2010, 2010 International Conference on E-Business and E-Government.

[12]  S. Shaheen Fatima,et al.  A Comparison of Sequential and Simultaneous Auctions , 2006, TADA/AMEC.

[13]  Agostino Poggi,et al.  Developing Multi-agent Systems with JADE , 2007, ATAL.

[14]  Fabrício Enembreck,et al.  Planning transport of crude oil derivatives with simultaneous auctions , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics.

[15]  Reid G. Smith,et al.  The Contract Net Protocol: High-Level Communication and Control in a Distributed Problem Solver , 1980, IEEE Transactions on Computers.

[16]  Hans-Jürgen Appelrath,et al.  Scheduling the supply chain by teams of agents , 2003, 36th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 2003. Proceedings of the.

[17]  Ana Paula Barbosa-Póvoa,et al.  An Operational Scheduling Model to Product Distribution through a Pipeline Network , 2010 .

[18]  P. Klemperer.  Auction Theory: A Guide to the Literature , 1999 .

[19]  Zhou Pucheng,et al.  Extended Contract Net Protocol for Multi-Robot Dynamic Task Allocation , 2007 .

[20]  Bernhard Bauer,et al.  UML 2.0 and agents: how to build agent-based systems with the new UML standard , 2005, Eng. Appl. Artif. Intell..

[21]  Flávio Neves,et al.  A mixed integer programming approach for scheduling commodities in a pipeline , 2004, Comput. Chem. Eng..

[22]  Juhua Wu,et al.  Multi-agent Coordination Based on Contract Net Protocol , 2009, 2009 International Symposium on Intelligent Ubiquitous Computing and Education.

[23]  Daniel Divenyi,et al.  Agent-Based Modeling of Distributed Generation in Power System Control , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Sustainable Energy.

[24]  Michal Pechoucek,et al.  Social knowledge in multi-agent systems , 2004, 2004 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (IEEE Cat. No.04CH37583).

[25]  Susana Relvas,et al.  Heuristic batch sequencing on a multiproduct oil distribution system , 2009, Comput. Chem. Eng..

[26]  Thatiana C. N. de Souza,et al.  Transgenetic algorithm for the biobjective oil derivatives distribution problem , 2011, 2011 11th International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design and Applications.

[27]  Cid C. de Souza,et al.  A hybrid model for a multiproduct pipeline planning and scheduling problem , 2009, Constraints.

[28]  Elizabeth Chang,et al.  Q-Contract Net: A Negotiation Protocol to Enable Quality-Based Negotiation in Digital Business Ecosystems , 2010, 2010 International Conference on Complex, Intelligent and Software Intensive Systems.

[29]  Samir Aknine,et al.  An Extended Multi-Agent Negotiation Protocol , 2004, Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems.

[30]  Marc-Philippe Huget,et al.  Agent UML Notation for Multiagent System Design , 2004, IEEE Internet Comput..

[31]  Paul Davidsson,et al.  Multi agent based simulation of transport chains , 2008, AAMAS.

[32]  Michel Gendreau,et al.  Combinatorial auctions , 2007, Ann. Oper. Res..