Heuristics for the Periodic Mobile Piston Pump Unit Routing Problem

The Periodic Mobile Piston Pump Unit Routing Problem

The vehicle routing problem can be applied in a scenario observed in the northeastern region of Brazil, between the states of Rio Grande do Norte and Ceara, called Potiguar basin. This is an area well known for their petroleum exploration land fields, classified as artesian, which means the internal pressure of the gases is sufficient to lift the oil to the surface, and non-artesian, for which it is necessary to use mechanical equipment to collect the oil.

The determinant factor to decide the operation method to be used for non-artesian wells is their productivity. If the well has a high production, a stationary pumping equipment is installed in the location of each well. A pumping system using mobile piston pumping units (MPPU) can be adopted to extract oil from lower productivity wells, that present a relevant production level, but which the installation of a stationary equipment is not financially interesting.

A MPPU consists of a truck with a storage tank and all the necessary machinery for the pumping operation, which can be set in a short amount of time. After completing the pumping operation on a well, the unit is free to move toward another well and repeat the operation, while the well that was just visited begins its natural refilling process until the column of fluid reaches its static level.