Using SimPy to simulate the refueling process of a gas station
If you own a car, visiting a gas station every other week has most likely become part of your routine: pull over next to the pump, swipe your card (or pay inside), fuel up your car, and leave.
However, if you put yourself in the shoes of a gas station owner before it is even built, a number of possible questions come to mind:
- What is the frequency of cars pulling over to fill up?
- How would that affect the wait time for each driver? (We do not want a driver to wait for too long as he or she might choose a competitor.)
- Will the number of distributors be enough to satisfy demand?
- How often will I have to call the supplier to replenish the tanks?
- How much profit can I make?
These are, however, just a handful of questions that you, as the owner of a future gas station, might be asking yourself.
There are also those what-if questions. What if I add two more distributors? What if I put bigger tanks so that I do not have to call the supplier...
