[...] we must not look for equal exactness in all departments of study, but only such as belongs to the subject matter of each, and in such a degree as is appropriate to the particular line of enquiry. A carpenter and a geometrician both try to find a right angle, but in different ways; the former is content with that approximation to it which satisfies the purpose of his work; the latter, being a student of truth, seeks to find its essence or essential attributes. We should therefore proceed in the same manner in other subjects also, and not allow side issues to outbalance the main task in hand. (Aristotle in 23 Volumes, Vol. 19, translated by Harris Rackham, Harvard University Press, 1934) Declaration Herewith I confirm that all of the research described in this dissertation is my own original work and expressed in my own words. Any use made within it of works of other authors in any form, e.g., ideas, figures, text, tables, are properly indicated through the application of citations and references. I also declare that no part of the dissertation has been submitted for any other degree — either from the Eötvös Loránd University or another institution.

Abstract. Petroleum industry production systems are highly automatized. In this industry, all functions (e.g., planning, scheduling and maintenance) are automated and in order to remain competitive researchers attempt to design an adaptive control system which optimizes the process, but also able to adapt to rapidly evolving demands at a fixed cost. In this paper, we present a multi-agent approach for the dynamic task scheduling in petroleum industry production system. Agents simultaneously insure effective production scheduling and the continuous improvement of the solution quality by means of reinforcement learning, using the SARSA algorithm. Reinforcement learning allows the agents to adapt, learning the best behaviors for their various roles without reducing the performance or reactivity. To demonstrate the innovation of our approach, we include a computer simulation of our model and the results of experimentation applying our model to an Algerian petroleum refinery.

[...] we must not look for equal exactness in all departments of study, but only such as belongs to the subject matter of each, and in such a degree as is appropriate to the particular line of enquiry. A carpenter and a geometrician both try to find a right angle, but in different ways; the former is content with that approximation to it which satisfies the purpose of his work; the latter, being a student of truth, seeks to find its essence or essential attributes. We should therefore proceed in the same manner in other subjects also, and not allow side issues to outbalance the main task in hand. (Aristotle in 23 Volumes, Vol. 19, translated by Harris Rackham, Harvard University Press, 1934) Declaration Herewith I confirm that all of the research described in this dissertation is my own original work and expressed in my own words. Any use made within it of works of other authors in any form, e.g., ideas, figures, text, tables, are properly indicated through the application of citations and references. I also declare that no part of the dissertation has been submitted for any other degree — either from the Eötvös Loránd University or another institution.