Diagnostics and tips for linked 1D river and TUFLOW simulations

If you are struggling to get your integrated model to run to completion, the model diagnostics will help you pinpoint the cause of the problem. The locations of these messages vary:

• User interface - a pop-up window will appear to indicate a problem.
• Running a simulation via the UI - the simulation window contains a log of all the messages from the engines.
• 1D river engine - the messages are in files with extension lf1 and/or zzd.
• 2D engine - the messages are in files with extension lf2 and/or log.
• 1D urban engine - the messages are in a file with extension rpt.
• TUFLOW - the messages are in a file with extension tlf.

General tips

If time allows, test running each component of your linked model individually to check how stable each model is.
A 1D river only model may require a higher “glass wall” to account for there not being anyway for overtopping flows to go to (ensure this is changed back for the linked version).

Tips on integrating river networks and TUFLOW

Flood Modeller v5.0 (and later versions) are compatible with all versions of TUFLOW; however,an error can occur if the TUFLOW kernel files become mismatched between the two software. If receiving an error when trying to run a linked Flood Modeller -TUFLOW simulation (especially after changing versions of TUFLOW), the following steps should be taken:

1. Completely close out of Flood Modeller
2. Browse to the TUFLOW folder and copy the following 4 files:
   • kernels_nSP.ptx
   • kernels_nDP.ptx
   • QPC_kernels_nDP.ptx
   • QPC_kernels_nDP.ptx
3. Browse to your Flood Modeller\bin folder. By default,this is located here: C:\Program Files\Flood Modeller\bin
4. Paste the four kernel (.ptx) files into this folder, selecting to paste these over the existing versions

This should resolve the issue.

Another common issue due to a mismatch of files between the TUFLOW folder and the Flood Modeller\bin folder manifests itself by the model failing with the last line written to the .tlf stating the following:

Attempting to create XMDF file "model_name.xmdf"

This issue can be resolved following the steps below.

1. Completely close out of Flood Modeller
2. Browse to the TUFLOW folder and copy the following 2 files:
   • hdf5.dll
   • hdf5_hl.dll
3. Browse to your Flood Modeller\bin folder. By default,this is located here: C:\Program Files\Flood Modeller\bin
4. Paste the two .dll files into this folder, selecting to paste these over the existing versions

Finally, if receiving an error relating to “illegal storage access” (especially at the start of simulations), this is a bug that has been prevalent in several versions of TUFLOW. The error seems intermittent, so you may find simply re-running the simulation resolves things. If using WLL lines, we recommend removing these as other users have found this resolved things. Others still have found that things were resolved using Flood Modeller v5.1 and TUFLOW 2020-10-AB. Please note, even with the slightly earlier version TUFLOW 2020-10-AA, the issue persisted.

Issues with TUFLOW

For general problems with TUFLOW, many error messages and how to resolve them are provided online at wiki.tuflow.com.

If running a simulation that completed in a previous version of the software but is showing errors within a newer version, it may be possible to "downgrade" the errors to warnings. It is recommended the underlying cause of the error is ultimately addressed; however,this method can be used to allow the simulation to run initially without adjusting the model.

Some other information that may be helpful:

Are you using OneDrive? It is not generally recommended to write results on OneDrive or similar file sharing services.

Are you getting an error saying the file in use by other application? Often the best starting point, to ensure no application is using the file in the background, is to reboot the machine and run Flood Modeller-TUFLOW as the first task upon restart.

Are you getting an error related to a file? In the first instance, please check that you have the relevant permissions(e.g. read/write permissions) for that particular file.