Error: Tecplot timestep is greater than 9999

EFDC+
1

I keep getting error message: “Tecplot timestep is greater than 9999, increase field width or reduce writing frequency”
I changed my time step, but I still have this error. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!
maria

2

When do you get this message ? While running the model or while trying to export the data to tecplot ?

John

3

while running the model. Model is still able to run through. However, after the run is finished, model is unable to load results (even though I can see that tecplot file is big). and I can’t open tecplot file either.

4

As far as we are aware the only place in EFDC_DSI that uses a command related to TECPLOT is in the SEDZLJ module. All of the input files for this module must be managed manually as they are not yet linked to EFDC_Explorer. We are not sure how you turned this on or if it was intentional or not. However, you can refer to the paper by Scott James on SEDZLJ in the Downloads > Documents section on our site if you are wanting to learn more about this sub-module.

5

I defiantly did not turn it on intentionally. However, I am really confused; SEDZLJ is the sediment transport module. I am not running sediment transport in this model. SEDZLJ sediment dynamics is marked by 0 (“0-NOT USED”) in EFDC input file.
I created the same model from the very begging and end up running into the same problem. It is a simple straight channel model with some dunes and 10 water layers. Again, I am not trying to run sediment transport. Could it be something else? And if I turned this on accidentally, how can I turn it off?

Thank you for your help!
maria

6

Hello Maria,

Could you please upload your input files here or somewhere so that I could take a look ? It seems you are having a weird problem. I will try to find the problem if I can.

Thanks.

John

7

Thank you, John! Please let me know if you will find out what’s wrong.
Maria

8

Sorry, I am struggling with uploading model files (none of the formats that I am trying are supported). Is there an email address I can use to send these files? Thanks again!

9

Maria,

Did you upload the input files for your model ? I couldn’t find it here. If you don’t want to post it here, you can send your model grid to me on jzd0009@auburn.edu.

Thanks.

John

10

John;
I send my files on the email you provided. Please, let me know if you didn’t get it. Thank you!
maria

11

Maria:

I looked at your input files and loaded into EFdC model. I found out that the cell sizes are very very small. Your maximum cell size is 0.3 m. When you have very very small dx you need to provide very small time step also. Could you please tell what type of simulation are you doing ? Your bottom elevation also seems strange. Why don’t you change your cell size little bit larger and then run ? The time step I needed to use was very very small. That way you can use relatively larger delt and that will speed up your simulation. I think improving the cell size might help your computation and this weird problem you are describing.

John

12

Hi Maria, in order to help solve your problem can you please tell us what version of EFDC you are using and where you obtained it?

13

John;
I apologize for the late reply. I am using an old version of software, EFDC_Explore5. I got a copy of the software package from my supervisor at university (I can ask him for more details if you need some particular information).
I did change resolution (from 0.1 m up to 0.25 m) and I decreased number of water layers (from 10 down to 7) and I end up having similar error message.
However, I figured out that I am able to load results for all of the models I have run previously (that had this message). I guess due to the number of layers it takes a while for EFDC to load velocity results in Profile Location Option, and most of the times it would show me just an empty grid (I don’t really know why). So, I just had to export velocity data and use Excel/matlab.
I addressed an error message issue to other EFDC user and was told that this is rather a warning message, and results of the models should not be affected. Would you agree with this? That is all I really want to confirm, if there is no way to eliminate this message.
Thank you for your help!
Maria

14

Hi Maria, without going back a looking in detail at the model and code we can’t be completely sure it won’t have an impact on the model results, but we are reasonably sure it won’t. This error appears to be associated with SEDZLJ as that is the only place in the code where this error message appears. It would seem you may have inadvertently switched something on that is causing this as it is not a known bug with EE5 and we haven’t come across it before. Unfortunately, we only support the most recent versions of EE which, is now at version 7, so cannot provide much more help with this issue.