New AERMOD and AERMET

Posted by dshnayder on Monday, September 23rd, 2019 in Newsletters

What’s Happening Now

EPA News

New AERMOD and AERMET – As we noted in last month’s issue of Providence/Oris Notes, EPA released new versions of AERMOD and AERMET in late August. These are both denoted as version 19191. The new version of AERMOD includes:

A LOWWIND alpha (experimental) option
A new RLINEXT source type for modeling depressed roadways and roadside barriers (alpha option)
A new RLINE source type for modeling roadways (beta option)
Two new building downwash options, AWMADWNW and ORD_DWNW (both alpha)

A previously noted new Tier 2 NO2 option is not included in AERMOD 19191.

The new version of AERMET includes bug fixes related to reading precipitation from surface data files and reading station pressure from upper air data files.

In concert with the new AERMOD release, EPA has updated the AERMOD Implementation Guide, found here.

We have incorporated the new versions of AERMOD and AERMET into BEEST 12.00, now available to all users currently in maintenance.

New BPIP-Prime – At the same time EPA released new versions of AERMOD and AERMET, they also released a new draft version of the Building Profile Input Program for PRIME (BPIP-Prime), called 19191_DRFT. This version is released for testing and evaluation and may not be used for regulatory purposes. 19191_DRFT was released to facilitate testing and evaluation of the ALPHA options associated with building downwash that were incorporated into AERMOD 19191 (AWMADWNW and ORD_DWNW). EPA is asking the user community to submit any informal written comments to the agency by November 4, 2019.

12^th Conference on Air Quality Models – EPA has scheduled the 12^th Conference on Air Quality Models for October 2‑3, 2019 in Research Triangle Park, NC at the EPA campus. This triennial Clean Air Act-mandated conference will provide the opportunity for public input to EPA’s ongoing model and modeling guidance development. The Federal Register notice was recently published (https://www3.epa.gov/ttn/scram/12thmodconf/EPA-HQ-OAR-2019-0454-0001.pdf) and we have a new website containing registration information and a draft agenda: https://www.epa.gov/scram/12th-conference-air-quality-modeling. We hope to see you there!

Conferences and Workshops

**HOT** TCEQ’s Autumn Environmental Conference and Expo – The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s 2019 Autumn Environmental Conference and Expo has been set for October 8‑10, 2019 at the Palmer Events Center in Austin, TX. This event will include both an advanced air permitting seminar and a wastewater/stormwater permitting workshop. For more information on this event, click here. We’ll be there and hope to see you there, too!

**HOT** AMWA Louisiana Section Annual Conference – The Louisiana Section of AWMA will be holding their annual conference October 16‑17, 2019 at the L’Auberge Casino and Hotel in Baton Rouge, LA. For more on registration, sponsor or exhibitor information, click here. Providence will be there and we hope to see you there, too!

**HOT** CAPCA Fall Technical Workshop and Forum – The Carolinas Air Pollution Control Association’s (CAPCA’s) Fall Technical Workshop and Forum will be held October 23‑25, 2019 at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC. For more information on this event, including registration, click here.

If your company, organization, agency, State, etc. has an upcoming modeling or air quality-related event and you’d like it publicized in Providence/Oris Notes, please send that information to us at info@providenceoris.com, and we’ll be happy to include it.

Simply the Best!

BEEST Suite

BEEST 12.00 is now out and includes these updates:

BEEST runs AERMOD 19191
AerMet has full support for AERMET 19191
USF Viewer has full support for AERMOD 19191

As always, users in maintenance can download the most recent version of BEEST from Support → Software Updates.

“Go BEEST Mode!” — What? You still don’t have your own “Go BEEST Mode” t-shirt? Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty left – so email your request to info@providenceoris.com and receive your very own “Go BEEST Mode” T-shirt! You’ll be the envy of modelers everywhere!

AerScreen for Windows

Since AerScreen for Windows uses AERMOD, we will be releasing AerScreen for Windows 4.00 in October. Version 4.00 will include AERMOD 19191 and an updated website link for downloading terrain data.

Users in maintenance can download the most recent version of AerScreen for Windows from Support → Software Updates.

Professional CalPuff

Our most recent version of Professional CalPuff (4.00) was released on August 26, 2016 and is available to all registered users with current maintenance.

Users in maintenance can download the most recent version of Professional CalPuff from Support → Software Updates.

AERMOD Wizard

AERMOD Wizard is here! We think that this handy tool will be a game changer and so will you! Imagine being able to download ambient monitoring data and creating a temporally-varying (e.g. HROFDY, SEASHR) AERMOD-ready background file with just a few clicks! Or what about being able to do multiple Class I area Q/D analyses with just a few clicks? Or building wind roses and/or pollutant roses and be able to export them to Google Earth – also with just a few clicks?

Version 1.02 will be released in October and will include these enhancements:

Support for downloading EPA ambient data published in May 2019
Ability to generate forward and backward trajectories from AERMET-generated SFC files
Additional short-term averaging periods on the Analyze form
Ability to select the colors for trajectory line segments for AERMOD Wizard on-screen graphics and Google Earth exports

Check AERMOD Wizard out here and get your own copy!

*We’re off to see the Wizard!*

If you have suggestions for an enhancement to any of our modeling software products, please let us know and we’ll do our best to incorporate it into the software ASAP!

“Our expertise is contagious. Catch it!”

AERMOD Modeling for Permits

Our last scheduled AERMOD Modeling for Permits class for 2019 will be December 3‑4 in Austin, TX. Register today and plan to join us in the Live Music Capital of the World. Click here to register!

Advanced AERMOD

Similarly, our last scheduled Advanced AERMOD class for 2019 is going to be December 5‑6, also in Austin.

Advanced AERMOD covers those topics that are near and dear to modelers, such as:

NAAQS modeling for 1-hour NO2, 1-hour SO2 and 24-hour PM2.5 (including MaxDCont Viewer)
Meteorological data processing with AERMET / AERMINUTE / AERSURFACE
AERSCREEN
Changes related to the new Appendix W (Guideline on Air Quality Models)
MAXIFILE and ARRAY2 processing
AERMOD alpha options, such as PSDCREDIT
AERMOD Wizard and its uses

Click here to register!

**Don’t forget, if our schedule of classes doesn’t mesh with your schedule, or if you have several people that need to be trained at once, contact us about setting up an on-site class. Have laptop, will travel!**

BeestXpress

BeestXpress users have some great system enhancements to work with:

The “Job Details” webpage now displays the pollutant being modeled;
The “Job Details” webpage now displays run progress for MAXDCONT calculations;
Modeling runs with multiple partitions now include a combined AERMOD input file (*.DTA) in the output .ZIP file;
Added an option to the “Submit Job” webpage that affects modeling runs with multiple partitions: the intermediate output files created by each partition can be omitted from the output .ZIP file
The “Job Search” webpage now includes the option to search by project number
Users have access to up to 50 partitions per AERMOD run

To date, BeestXpress has processed over 300,000 AERMOD runs.

If you’ve never used BeestXpress, or it has been a while since you did, you may want to log on at www.beestxpress.com to take advantage of our AERMOD “force multiplier”. That AERMOD run that might have taken a day to run on your desktop computer can finish in an hour or less on BeestXpress. When time is money, BeestXpress is the best modeling return on investment there is!

BeestXpress has been updated to run AERMOD 19191.

Meteorological Data Processing Services

Do you need AERMOD-ready or CalPuff-ready meteorological data? If so, we can help! Whether it’s running the AERMET / AERMINUTE system or a full CalMet run, Providence has the background, know-how, and experience to have your data processed and ready for you ASAP. Need on-site data processed? We do that, too! If you’d like more information, contact us at info@providenceoris.com or jamesred@providenceeng.com.

Consulting Solutions

One thing that we’re very proud of is the depth and range of our modeling experience and expertise. The kinds of air quality models we’ve used include all types, ranging from simple screening tools like SCREEN3 and AERSCREEN to plume models like ISC and AERMOD to CalPuff to CAMx. The types of analyses included basic Significant Impact Level, NAAQS, PSD increment consumption, Class I analyses, air toxics, and SIP attainment demonstrations. Most recently, we have begun conducting nonattainment permit inter-pollutant trading (NOx for VOC) modeling using CAMx. So, we’ve seen it all. To that end, should you or your clients need additional modeling assistance or just a second set of eyes to QA or peer review your modeling (ranging from initial protocol up to final submission), we stand ready to help. Feel free to contact us at (512) 258-8855 or info@providenceoris.com.

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