Multiproduct pipeline scheduling: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review

Abstract

Multiproduct pipeline scheduling problem has garnered increasing attention over the past few decades due to potential economic savings and increased operational efficiency. This paper presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review on multiproduct pipeline scheduling, focusing on works published from 2000 to 2023. Using three reputable bibliographic databases, the research gathers and examines metadata to provide an understanding of research evolution, key themes, relevant authors, and journals, as well as the country-wise distribution of authors’ affiliations. The selected articles were refined for a systematic literature review. A research framework was developed to classify the literature into common themes for easier navigation. The classification criteria include industry sectors, pipeline systems’ topologies, scheduling accuracy, parameter certainty, operation constraints, time and volume representations, solution strategies, and objectives. The results provide a comprehensive understanding of the field's current state and highlight promising directions for future research.