Used Cooking Oil Recycling

Challenge

This project involved the operations of a facility specializing in used cooking oil (UCO) recycling. The facility processes UCO collected from food service establishments and refines it into recycled vegetable oil while managing byproducts like fats, solids, and waste water.

The objective was to develop a proof of concept model to test the current schedule of trucks arriving to unload raw UCO, trucks transporting settled water to waste water treatment plants, and tanker trailers transporting processed oil to clients.

The facility's operations include multiple processing stages: filtration of solids, settling of oil and water, heating and separation of fats, and centrifugation for final purification. Each stage has different processing times, tank capacities, and operational constraints.

Solution

A simulation model was built in AnyLogic to replicate the entire facility's UCO recycling process using the fluid library. The process modeling library simulated truck arrival, loading, and unloading processes.

The model accounted for key operational elements:

• Vacuum trucks arrival and unloading: Studying waiting times at unloading stations
• Filtration & settling: Flow through filtration and settling tanks for optimal processing rates
• Fat heating and centrifugation: Separation of oil, water, and solids with processing time analysis
• Tanker trailer loading: Studying waiting times at loading stations and tank storage capacities

Operational parameters were dynamically configured using an Excel-based input system for rapid experimentation.

Results

For each scenario, the user could export information related to tanks and trucks:

Truck data:

• Arrival time
• Truck type
• Load utilization
• Departure time

Tank data (exported at truck departure):

• Amount of fluid in tank
• Timestamp

This project is a small example of something that can be done quickly to gain visibility, trust, or funding for a larger project.

Project Features

• Industry: Recycling, Oil Processing
• Model: Fluid Library
• Duration: 2 weeks