A DISCRETE-EVENT SIMULATION OF SUGAR-CANE HARVESTING OPERATIONS

Sugar cane harvesting consists of the following operations: cutting the cane, carrying it from the field to the processing plant and unloading it there. Before being harvested, the sugar cane is burnt and after burning it has to be processed within 15 days, otherwise the saccharose in it will gradually transform into ethylic alcohol and the cane will have to be discarded, because sugar cannot be extracted from it. In this paper, we present a simulation algorithm for scheduling the operations and for planning the resources available, in such a way that the time between the end of cane burning and the start of processing is minimized. This algorithm can provide the basis of a decision support system for minimizing the quantity of discarded cane and optimizing the utilization of resources.