BEEST FAQ

Move all sources

dshnayder — 2010-08-11T15:15:58Z

Question: I want to shift all sources, buildings, tanks, etc. in a BEEST file. Is there any easy way to shift all inputs in a uniform direction? Answer: Yes, it's possible to move all objects in a BEEST file. Click File → Preferences and click 'Allow Rotation' in the 'General Setup' tab in the Preferences window, then click OK. Click the 'Show Current data graphically' button to see your objects, then click the Options button on the toolbar on the left side of the screen. Click the Rotate tab when the Options window appears. Click the checkboxes to select the objects to move, then enter the distance by which to move them into the input fields underneath the words 'Translation (Shift amount).' Click OK and BEEST will move the objects and close the Options window.

Emission factors

dshnayder — 2010-06-24T21:38:55Z

Question: I have a process that runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m daily. I want to use emission factors to specify when AERMOD should calculate output concentrations. In BEEST, I select the HROFDY emission rate flag. Which hours need to be enabled for this time period? Answer: You will need to put the emission factor 1 into the enabled hours and 0 into the other hours. As for the hours, different regulatory agencies have different guidelines for which hour should be the first hour for a modeling period. You should ask your regulatory agency, as it could be either hour 7 or hour 8 in your case.

New AERMOD options

dshnayder — 2010-05-24T20:08:30Z

Question: These two options are automatically selected in any preexisting BEEST files that I open using version 9.82. In Control Options -> AER options I see: Disable Dry Depletion Disable Wet Depletion I dont know what these options were set to before version 9.82, since I dont remember seeing them as individual items. But, now they are in there for 9.82 version. Can you explain this? Answer: Dry depletion and wet depletion are new options introduced into AERMOD 09292 released last year by the EPA. If you select these options, you will have to specify additional source parameters related to deposition. AERMOD will then calculate the depletion. The default in BEEST version 9.82 is to omit this new calculation, so that model options are consistent with those you saw in previous versions of BEEST.

USFViewer error

dshnayder — 2010-05-24T20:02:56Z

Question: When I view .SUM files in BEEST 9.82, I sometimes see this error: ---- Not a Model SUM or USF file ---- Answer: This error message is shown when trying to write a .SUM file created by BPIP Prime to the grid. Currently, USF Viewer shows all files with the .SUM extension in its list of files, and this includes those from BPIP Prime.

BEEST file corruption

dshnayder — 2010-05-24T20:00:29Z

Question: I sometimes cannot open a BEEST file that I was able to open previously. Is the .BST file becoming corrupted? Answer: The BEEST file can become corrupt if the source or building descriptions contain quotation marks. Import your file into BEEST (File -> Import -> BEEST Session (All)...) and view the sources. Try removing all source/building descriptions and then saving the .BST file with a different name.

Error 75

dshnayder — 2010-05-24T19:55:15Z

Question: When BEEST is run in Windows Vista, an 'Error 75' message appears and the program does not open. Answer: This is a problem with the BEEST installation folder's permissions. The steps to fix it are: a. Go to 'c:\Program Files (x86)\BEE-Line\' b. Right-click on the 'BEE-Line' folder and select “Properties”. c. Go to the 'Security' tab. d. In the 'Group or user names' list box, click on 'User (your computer name)'. e. Click the 'Edit...' button. f. In the Permissions form, click on 'User (your computer name)'. g. In the 'Permissions for Users' list box, select 'Allow' for 'Full control'. h. Click 'OK'. Click 'OK'.

Flat terrain

dshnayder — 2009-09-17T20:25:29Z

Question: BEEST tells me that I have not entered the receptor elevations. I want flat terrain in my model. What do I need to do to enter zero elevation for the receptors? Answer: To set the option for flat terrain, click the 'Control Options' button on the toolbar at the top of the screen in BEEST. After that, the next step depends on which model you are running. If you are running ISCST3 or ISC-Prime, click the 'ISC Options' tab. Click the check mark next to the words 'Consider Elevated Terrain' to clear the checkbox. If you are running AERMOD, click the 'AER Options' tab. Click the radio button next to 'Non-Regulatory Default.' This will enable the options in the Non-Default Options section of the screen. Click the checkbox next to 'Assume Flat Terrain' to set the option for flat terrain.

UTM zone boundary

dshnayder — 2009-09-17T20:13:55Z

Question: I am trying to model several facilities in a county that has UTM zone 16/17 run right through the county. I have sources on both sides of the line. Is there any way in BEEST to enter the UTM zone the facility is in so that I don't have to set up two models? Answer: BEEST supports only one UTM zone per model because the AERMOD, ISCST3, and ISC-PRIME models do not support multiple UTM zones. The zone is set in the 'AERMAP Options' tab seen when you click the 'Run AERMAP' button. After you set this value, there is not a way to enter UTM zones for individual sources. A solution is to set the model zone so that the majority of sources are in this zone and then convert the coordinates for the rest of the sources to have the same zone value.

Display county boundaries

dshnayder — 2009-06-15T14:14:33Z

Question: It isn't obvious how county (or state) boundaries can be shown in the 'show-in' graphic display. What do I need to do to import and/or display them? Answer: You will need to take two steps to make the county boundaries appear on the screen. The first step is to enable boundaries to be displayed on the screen by clicking the 'Show Terrain Limits' button. This button is located on the toolbar on the left side of the screen. You can also click the 'Label Terrain Limits' button below the 'Show Terrain Limits' button to display county names. The second step is to go to the display options screen by clicking the Options button. Once the 'Show Options' window appears, click the 'Terrain Limits' tab. Click the checkboxes next to the last two options and click OK. You may have to zoom out several times to see the boundaries.

Base datum selection in AERMAP

dshnayder — 2009-06-15T14:09:15Z

Question: Which base datum option should I select on the AerMap Options screen when running the AERMAP model? Answer: This depends on the source of elevation data and the region modeled. If the region modeled is outside the United States, select the 'None (0)' option. If the region modeled is inside the United States, select 'NAD83 (4)' when using NED files and either 'NAD83 (4)' or 'NAD27 (1)' when using DEM files.

National Elevaion Data files

dshnayder — 2009-04-02T17:46:50Z

Q: How do I use National Elevation Data (NED) files in BEEST? A: These files can be used in BEEST 9.78 and later. For instructions on how to download these files and apply them to a modeling project, go to the Support -> Documents page. Download the document called 'NED Files' to your computer and open it to see the instructions.

Windows Vista does not display help file

dshnayder — 2008-12-04T20:52:42Z

Question: When I try to view the BEEST help file in Windows Vista, I see an error message and don't see the help file. How can I view the help file? Answer: You will need to install an additional program from Microsoft to be able to view the help file. To obtain it, open a browser and go to http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/. Enter 'winhlp32.exe' into the search bar, then click on 'WinHlp32.exe for Windows Vista' in the list of files found. Download and install this program to be able to view the help file.

Windows Vista cannot send registration request

dshnayder — 2009-03-11T19:11:02Z

Question: When I try to send a registration request from Windows Vista, BEEST either crashes or does nothing. What should I do? Answer: Create a batch file, cdoreg.bat, with a single line inside it: regsvr32 -v 'c:\Windows\system32\cdosys.dll' Right-click on this file in Windows Explorer, then click 'Run As Administrator' on the popup menu that appears. After you do this, return to BEEST and send the registration request again.

Restart model using a save file

dshnayder — 2008-10-21T14:21:08Z

Question: How do I use save files to restart an AERMOD run that was interrupted? Answer: Load your model into BEEST and go to the Control Options form. Click the 'CO Files' tab. Click the File button next to the 'INITFILE option' file entry textbox. Browse to the location of your save file and select its name. Next, click the File button next to the save file name and select a different name for the save file. This is necessary to avoid having the original save file overwritten when AERMOD starts running. Finally, click the 'Run AERMOD' button and run the model again.

Running EPA AERMOD test cases in BEEST

dshnayder — 2008-10-21T14:17:49Z

Question: Can the AERMOD executable installed by BEEST be run with a standard AERMOD.INP file from one of EPA's test cases? Answer: No, but you can run the test case by taking the following steps. 1. Open BEEST. 2. Go to the File->Import menu. Select the 'Generic AERMOD DTA' menu entry (second from the bottom). 3. Select 'All' as the file type to look at and browse to the directory with the Aermod test case files. 4. Select an input file, such as AERTEST.INP. Click the Open button. 5. Click OK in response to the messages generated by the import process. 6. Save the BEEST file. 7. Click the 'Show current data graphically' button on the toolbar at the top of the screen. You should see the sources and receptors on the screen. 8. Click the 'Run BPIP-Prime' button if there are point sources and buildings in the test file. Click the File button to specify where to save downwash information, then click the 'Run BPIP-Prime' button. 9. Click the 'Run AERMOD' button. If you went through step 8, click the 'Include downwash' button; otherwise, click the 'No downwash' button. 10. On the next screen, click the 'Run AERMOD' button.

File inetwh32.dll cannot be found

dshnayder — 2008-10-21T14:12:27Z

Question: When I click on Help in BEEST I get a message: 'Cannot find or load the file inetwh32.dll. This file should be copied to c:\windows\system32\ or a directory in your path.' When I click 'OK' I get another message: 'An error existing in this help file. Contact your application vendor for an updated help file. (1024)' But then the help screen appears and it works. Is there something I can do to stop getting the error messages? Answer: To get rid of the error, use Google or another search engine to search for 'inetwh32.dll'. You will see several websites from which you can download the file. Save it on your computer in the C:\Windows\System32 directory, and the error should disappear.

Loading AutoCAD files into BEEST

dshnayder — 2008-07-23T18:54:18Z

The procedure for loading AutoCAD files into BEEST is to export AutoCAD data to a DXF file and then load the DXF file into BEEST. Creating the DXF file 1. Open a file in AutoCAD. 2. Click File → Save As and select Release12V as the file format. In the options tab, choose 'Select Objects.' 3. Make sure all lines, polylines, circles, arcs, etc. have a 'z value' of 0. 4. Turn off text in drawing that is not needed in the exported file. 5. Save the file with a .DXF extension. 6. If loading the file fails, you may have too many AutoCAD layers in your file. If so, reduce the number of layers and save the file again. Loading the DXF file 1. Open a model in BEEST. 2. Click the 'Open DXF File' button. 3. Click the 'File' button and select the .DXF file you previously saved. 4. Select the units for the file and click the 'Load DXF' button. 5. To remove the DXF file from BEEST, click the 'Open DXF File' button again and click the 'Unload DXF' button.

Loading background images into BEEST

dshnayder — 2008-07-23T18:39:44Z

BEEST allows images in several formats to be loaded into BEEST. The images then replace the white background on the screen. 1. Open the model in BEEST. 2. Click the 'Show Background Map' button. Click the 'File...' button, select the file to display, and click Open. Click the 'Show Map' button to load the image. 3. To remove the background image, click the 'Show Background Map' button again and click the 'Remove Map' button. Image files with extensions .BMP, .JPG, and .TIF can be loaded into BEEST. Shape files are not currently supported.

AERMOD version

dshnayder — 2008-07-23T18:24:30Z

Question: Which version of AERMOD is included in BEEST? Answer: BEEST includes the latest AERMOD release from the U.S. EPA; currently, this is version 07026. To view the version number, run AERMOD with any input file. After the run ends, open the output file with the .LST extention in Notepad. The AERMOD version number is located near line 20 in the file.

PM10 multi-year run

dshnayder — 2008-07-23T18:22:09Z

Question: How can I re-start a PM10 multi-year run that crashed while processing the last year? Answer: Edit the batch file BEEST created for the run. It should have five lines of text, corresponding to the five years in the run. Remove the first four lines and save the file. Run the batch file again to resume the run.