TRANSIENT: An Overview

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AutoTransient: An Overview
The AutoTransient tool automates the mechanical parts of an analysis of transient phenomena with HIFREQ and FFTSES. It runs both programs in turn, using the computation frequencies recommended by FFTSES to run HIFREQ, until user-defined termination criteria are met. It also builds the FFTSES computation databases from the resulting HIFREQ databases (F21 files).

Technical Highlights

The TRANSIENT program carries out the standard steps of a HIFREQ-FFTSES transient study automatically. Starting from template FFTSES and HIFREQ files (generated with CDEGS Input Toolbox, or any other editor), the program runs the Forward FFTSES and finds the first set of recommended computation frequencies. After running HIFREQ at those frequencies and building the FFTSES
Input Databases, the program runs the Inverse FFTSES and deduces the next set of recommended frequencies. This last step is repeated until the termination criteria are met.
You can choose to stop the program once there are no more recommended frequencies, when a specified amount of time has elapsed, or when a specified number of cycles of the above procedure have been carried out.
When running HIFREQ, you can choose to run all recommended frequencies, or to run only one frequency at a time. This last method, which would be very cumbersome to do manually, gives a lot of flexibility since many electrical properties (resistivities, permeabilities, etc) can be varied as a function of frequency. The program allows you to specify frequency-dependent soil characteristics
through a simple dialog. With a little bit of programming effort, You can specify a frequency-dependence for any non-geometrical quantity defined in the HIFREQ template file.
The program performs basic data cross-validation between HIFREQ and FFTSES, to help avoid the most common data entry problems in a transient analysis.
You can interrupt the analysis at any time, then restart it where you left off.

Documentation Road Map

Access the following topics for more information.

Getting Started: Provides an overview of the process automated by the AutoTransient program, and describes a simple, typical, AutoTransient session.
Samples & Walkthroughs: Briefly describes the sample files that ship with the program.
Working With Projects and Scenarios: Shows you how to work with AutoTransient Projects and Scenarios.
Advanced Tasks: Describes some of the more advanced features of the program.

Getting Help
You can get help in several ways in AutoTransient. First, you can use the Help | Contents menu item to load this help file. Second, you can get context sensitive help from almost anywhere in the program by pressing the F1 key. This will bring up a help topic describing the part of the program that currently has the focus. Finally, many screens expose a Help button that load a help topic describing the
screen as a whole.
You can also go to the SES Web site at www.sestech.com. A simple way to access the SES web site while using AutoTransient is to select the Help | SES Web Site menu item.
You can get help on how to use the help system itself by pressing the F1 key when viewing the help file.

Getting Support
The following menu items are available to help you contact SES support staff quickly and efficiently:
Help | Contact SES Support: Starts a wizard that allows you to attach some files from your current AutoTransient project to an email message sent to SES support staff. See The Contact SES Support Dialog for details.
Help | SES Software Downloads: Directs you to the software download area of SES Web Site. This area contains the latest updates to the software that are available for download.
You can contact us by phone or fax using the coordinates available on our Web site at http://www.sestech.com/SES/coordinates.asp.

The Transient Study Process

Conceptually, the analysis of transient phenomena with HIFREQ and FFTSES involves the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The conductor network being modelled is described in HIFREQ. This is typically done using Input Toolbox or SESCAD.
The characteristics of the surge (in the time-domain) is defined in FFTSES, using Input Toolbox.
The surge is decomposed in the frequency domain, by running FFTSES in "Forward" mode.
HIFREQ is run at all required frequencies.
The computation results of HIFREQ are collected, and FFTSES is run in "Inverse" mode to deduce the time-domain behavior.

In principle, Step 4 could require running HIFREQ at all frequencies defined in the Fourier Transform operation (FFTSES), typically 212 to 216 runs. This would require a very long time to run. In practice, only a subset of those frequencies are run. The FFTSES program suggests the frequencies that should be run, based on the shape of the input surge, and on the response of the conductor network. This is
an iterative process where the response of the network becomes progressively better defined as more and more frequency are run, until no significant improvements are noticed. This expands the last three steps of the above procedure into the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The surge is decomposed in the frequency domain, by running FFTSES in "Forward" mode.
FFTSES analyses the shape of the surge in the frequency-domain, and suggests an initial set of frequencies (the recommended frequencies) at which HIFREQ should be run.
HIFREQ is run at the recommended frequencies.
The computation results of HIFREQ are collected, and FFTSES is run in "Inverse" mode to deduce the time-domain behavior. At the same time, FFTSES analyses the response of the network, and suggests new computation frequencies, if necessary.
If some new computation frequencies are recommended in the previous step, the process returns to Step 3; otherwise, the analysis ends.

It is this last procedure that the AutoTransient program automates.

Notes
You should be familiar with the HIFREQ and FFTSES programs before you can use AutoTransient. Consult the user's manual of those programs for more details.

A Typical Transient Session

This section outlines what can be done with AutoTransient and how to get started with the program. This is illustrated using the "Pole" sample Transient project, located under "Examples\Tools\AutoTransient\Pole" in your SESSoftware installation folder.
The main steps of a typical Transient session are summarized below:

Starting AutoTransient. This includes opening an existing project file or creating a new one.
Specifying Input Data. Very little data needs to be specified in AutoTransient: most of the data is specified in the HIFREQ and FFTSES template files, created outside AutoTransient.
Processing the Data. This step carries out the computations, and produces several databases and (optionally) plots.
Ending a AutoTransient session.

Starting AutoTransient
To start the program, simply double-click the AutoTransient icon in your SES Software Program Group. The following screen should appear.

This screen displays general information about the AutoTransient project that is currently open. Initially, there is no project open, and you are prompted to create or open one.

The Open Project Dialog

The Open Project dialog is shown in the figures below. This dialog allows you to open an existing project (either from a list of recently used projects or by browsing to a Transient project file), or to create a new one.
In this case, the name and path of the project file should be provided, as well as the name and path of the first scenario of the project. The program suggests default values for these fields. The full path to the HIFREQ and FFTSES template files should also be provided.

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For example, to open the "Pole" sample, use the Existing tab, and browse to the file "Pole.tnt" (located under "Examples\Tools\AutoTransient\Pole" in your SESSoftware installation folder.). The data should be loaded and displayed.
See About Projects and Scenarios for more details on the notion of Projects and Scenarios in AutoTransient.

Specifying Input Data

Most of the data that is required in a Transient analysis is specified in the HIFREQ and FFTSES template files. These files must be created and edited outside Transient, usually in Input Toolbox and/or SESCAD.
The extra data specified in Transient concerns information that is specific to a Transient analysis, and that is meaningless to HIFREQ and FFTSES individually. This includes:

Data controlling under which conditions the analysis is considered complete. (See The Processing Options Dialog.)
Data defining the number of frequencies that should be carried out in each HIFREQ run. (See The Processing Options Dialog.)
Specification of the output and plot files that should be kept at the end of the analysis. (See The File Management Options Dialog.)

In addition, it is possible to specify some HIFREQ input data that varies as a function of the computation frequency, either by using scripting, or (for the soil model) through the use of a dialog.

Processing the Data

To begin the transient analysis, select Project | Process. This carries out the procedure described in the topic The Transient Study Process, namely:

The program runs FFTSES in Forward mode.

The program runs HIFREQ at the recommended frequencies.
The program runs FFTSES in Inverse mode, and deduces the next set of recommended frequencies.

After each step, several output and database files are created. Plots of the desired quantities (GPR, electromagnetic fields, etc...) can also be created.
While the programs are running, several messages appear on the Transient main screen to inform you of the progress and on the status of the operation.
When the processing is finished, you can review the computation results with GrServer or Output Toolbox (for the HIFREQ results at a single frequency), with Output Toolbox for FFTSES to examine the results for a range of points or segments as function of time or frequency, or with FFT21Data to view the spatial distribution of the results at a given time, or an animation of those results as a function of
time.

Ending a Transient Session

To quit the application and terminate the AutoTransient session, use File | Exit. The program will optionally prompt to save the project before terminating.

Samples & Walkthroughs

Several samples are available in the folder "Examples\Tools\AutoTransient" in your SESSoftware installation folder. The list below summarizes the main points illustrated in each of the samples.

Sample Files
The following sample Transient projects are available:
Pole: Computes the transient response of a lightning rod.
Impulse Impedance: Simulates an impulse impedance measurement on a small (20 ft by 20 ft) grid, using different measurement configurations.

Base: Base scenario, with very long current and potential leads (6000 ft), at right angle to each other.
Distance 200: This is similar to the base scenario, but with current and potential leads of 200 ft.
FOP 200: The potential and current leads are parallel to each other, with a current lead of 200 ft and a potential lead of 125.6 ft.
Potential 40: Considers the case where the potential lead is very short (40 ft), and orthogonal to the current lead.
Corner: The current injection is in a corner, with the current and potential leads orthogonal, and 200 ft long.

Advanced Features: Illustrates some of the more advanced features of AutoTransient, namely the specification of frequency-dependent soil properties and the use of scripting code in the HIFREQ template file.

Frequency-Dependent Soil: Illustrates the specification of a frequency-dependent soil model.

Scripting: Illustrates the use of scripting code in a HIFREQ template file.

About Projects and Scenarios

The data used in a AutoTransient session is organized into Projects and Scenarios. A scenario defines all the data required to carry a complete transient study using HIFREQ and FFTSES. A project is simply a collection of related scenarios.
Before anything can be done with AutoTransient, a project must be created (or an existing one must be open).
To open an existing project, select File | Open Project. This brings up a file browser that allows you to select an existing project file (with extension "TNT"). Note that several sample projects are available in the folder Examples\Tools\AutoTransient in your AutoTransient installation directory.
A single project can be open at a given time. Therefore, if you attempt to create a new project or open an existing one while a project is currently open, you will be prompted to save changes to this last project and the project will be closed before opening the new one.
To save a project, select File | Save Project.

Files and Folders in a Project

Several files and folders are created in a typical AutoTransient session. This topic describes those files and folders for the case where the default folder structure of projects and scenarios is used.
Note: It is possible to use a different kind of folder structure as the one described below. This could be useful, for instance, in the case where you run out of disk space on the drive containing a project. Nevertheless, it is recommended to use the default structure as much as possible.
Folder Structure
The figure below shows the folders that are created in a project called My Project containing two scenarios, My First Scenario and My Second Scenario.

These folders contain the following files:

Folder
My Project
My First Scenario

My Second Scenario

Files
My Project.tnt. This is the AutoTransient project file for the
project.
Contains all input, output and result files for scenario My First
Scenario. In particular, all result files (databases, plots, ...) are
stored in the Results subfolder.
Contains all input, output and result files for scenario My
Second Scenario. In particular, all result files (databases, plots,
...) are stored in the Results subfolder.

The AutoTransient Project File

The AutoTransient project file (*.tnt) stores the information regarding the scenarios that are part of a project, and also which scenario is currently the Active Scenario. See The AutoTransient Project File for details.

Files and Folders in a Scenario

The scenario folder contains all the input files needed to carry out a specific AutoTransient study. It also contains all the computation results, including all FFTSES and HIFREQ databases, as well as plots and output files generated while processing the scenario. The latter are stored in the Results and History sub-folders of the scenario.

Scenario File
The scenario file (*.tns) is the only file located in the root folder of the scenario. It defines the location of all important files and folders for the scenario, and contains all input data specific to AutoTransient (i.e., the data not specified in the HIFREQ and FFTSES template files).
See The AutoTransient Scenario File for a detailed description of the contents of this file.

Templates Folder
The FFTSES and HIFREQ template files for a scenario are located in the "Templates" sub-folder of the scenario folder. The list below describes the purpose of these two files.
File
hi_Scenario Name.f05
ft_Scenario Name.f05

Purpose
The template file for the HIFREQ engineering
program.
The template file for the FFTSES engineering
program.

The command syntax for those files is documented in the file Command.chm located in your AutoTransient installation folder. You can modify those files by hand, or using one of several input data processors from SES (Input Toolbox, SESCAD).

Results Folder
After a successful AutoTransient run, the Results folder contains files that can be used to produce plots and reports of the computation results (the FFTSES computation database files, FT_*.F21), or to compute the transient response at points or segments that were not initially specified in the FFTSES template file (FT_*.F8*). It can also contain the FFTSES and HIFREQ input files automatically
generated by AutoTransient at every cycle of the run, and the corresponding output files.
In greater detail, this folder contains the following files:
File
FT_Forward.F05
FT_Forward.F21

FT_Forward.F07

FT_Forward.F09

FT_Forward.F27

FT_Forward[_M].F30

FT_RunN.F05
FT_RunN.F21

Purpose
The FFTSES input file used in the Forward FFT
operation.
The computation database file for the Forward FFT
run of the FFTSES engineering program. This can
be used to plot the transient input surge that was
used in the run.
Contains the frequency spectrum of the input surge
defined in the FFTSES template file. This file is
required when carrying out the inverse FFT
operation.
Output file for the Forward FFT run for FFTSES.
This file summarizes the calculations made, and
displays any relevant error or warning messages.
Contains the list of recommended computation
frequencies obtained from an analysis of the
frequency spectrum of the input surge defined in the
FFTSES template file. AutoTransient automatically
runs HIFREQ at all those frequencies.
Contains plots of the time-domain input surge signal
and of its frequency spectrum. When several files
are created, they are distinguished by the number M.
The FFTSES input file used in the nth run of the
Inverse FFT operation.
The computation database file for the nth Inverse

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FT_RunN.F8*

FT_RunN.F07
FT_RunN.F09

FT_RunN.F27

FT_RunN[_M].F30

HI_RunN.F05
HI_RunN.F21

HI_RunN.F33

HI_RunN.F09

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FFT run of the FFTSES engineering program. This

can be used to plot the transient response of the
network when only the frequencies included up to
the nth cycle are included.
Input database files for the (n+1)th Inverse FFT run
of the FFTSES engineering program. These files can
be used to obtain quickly the response of the
network at points or segments that were not initially
defined in the FFTSES template file.
The FFTSES input surge frequency spectrum file
used in the nth run of the Inverse FFT operation.
Output file for the nth Inverse FFT run for FFTSES.
This file summarizes the calculations made, and
displays any relevant error or warning messages.
This file lists the recommended computation
frequencies based on an analysis of the frequency
response of the network after the nth run of the
Inverse FFT operation. Normally, these frequencies
are run in the (n+1)th cycle.
Plot files showing the frequency and time-domain
response of the network after the nth run of the
Inverse FFT operation. When several files are
created, they are distinguished by the number M.
The HIFREQ input file used in the nth
AutoTransient cycle.
The HIFREQ computation database file computed in
the nth AutoTransient cycle. This file can be used to
create plots and reports of the response of the
network at any of the frequencies that were run in
the cycle.
The HIFREQ "Current Recovery" file computed in
the nth AutoTransient cycle. This file can be used to
re-run the case more quickly, without having to
recompute the current distribution in the network.
Output file for the nth cycle run for HIFREQThis file
summarizes the calculations made, and displays any
relevant error or warning messages.

In addition to those files, the last of the "RunN" files is copied under the standard JobID for the scenario (e.g., HI_Scenario Name.F05, FT_Scenario Name.F27, etc...). These files represent the "best" results obtained so far in the analysis, i.e. those that are based on the largest number of computation frequencies.
Note that these files need not be all present in the Results folder; by default some of the files that contain rarely used or redundant information are not kept. This behavior can be customized. See The File Management Options Dialog for more details.

History Folder
The History folder contains files that are required to help restart an AutoTransient run, should it be interrupted for any reason.
In greater detail, this folder contains the following files:
File
FT_Scenario Name.F07
FT_Scenario Name.F8*
HI_RunN.F21
HS_Scenario Name.HIS

Purpose
The frequency spectrum file for the input signal used
in the scenario.
The FFTSES Input Databases computed in the last
step of the processing.
The HIFREQ computation databases for all
processing cycles.
This file summarizes the processing history of the
scenario. See The AutoTransient History File for a
detailed description of the contents of this file.

Work Folder
The Work folder contains temporary files that are created and destroyed while AutoTransient processes a scenario. At the end of a successful run, this folder should normally be empty. When a run terminates abnormally (because of a program error), the files in this folder can help determine the source of the problem.

The Active Scenario

Many projects will contain only a single scenario. When opening a project that contains several scenarios, only one of them can be processed. This scenario is called the Active Scenario.
With minor exceptions, the Active Scenario is the only one that can be edited. The name of the Active Scenario is displayed in the Project Summary section of the main screen of AutoTransient.

Creating a New Project

To create a new AutoTransient project:
1. Use Input Toolbox, SESCAD, or a text editor to prepare a HIFREQ and a FFTSES input file (F05). These files are to be used as templates by AutoTransient, and will be needed at Step 3.
2. Select File | New Project. You are prompted for the location and name of the project as well as for the name and location of the first scenario of this project. The new project is created under the filename Project Name.tnt and the scenario under the filename Scenario Name.tns where Project Name and Scenario Name are the provided names of the project and scenario, respectively.
3. Once the Scenario and Project names are defined, the Define Template Files dialog prompts you to specify the HIFREQ and FFTSES template files for the first scenario of the project. You can browse to any valid FFTSES/HIFREQ file.

Remarks
Since only one project can be open at a given time, you are prompted to save any open project (if necessary) before creating the new project.
The files specified at Step 3 are copied to the Templates folder of the scenario; the original files are not used directly.
Note: The 'JobID' for the scenario is the Scenario Name and the selected location for the scenario is used as 'Working Directory'. The database and output files are produced using the usual naming conventions for CDEGS files. For example, the database file for FFTSES is produced in the scenario directory under the name ft_'Scenario Name'.f21.

Opening an Existing Project

To open an existing AutoTransient project:

Select File | Open Project. The resulting screen offers three different ways to open a project: through a standard file browser, through a list of recently open projects, and as a brand new project. - OR
Select a recently opened project file directly from the File menu.

Editing a Scenario
Most of the data of an AutoTransient scenario can be edited only when the scenario is the Active Scenario. The exception is the Description of the scenarios, which can be edited at all times using the Project Properties dialog.
Proceed as follows to edit the various types of data required in AutoTransient.

To define general scenario properties, use Project | Properties.

To specify the Processing Options, i.e. the data that controls under which conditions the processing of the scenario should stop, use Project | Edit Scenario Processing Options .
To define the files that the program should keep at the end of each processing cycle, select Project | Edit Scenario File Management Options .
To view or specify the frequency-dependent characteristics of the soil model, use Project | Edit Soil Model .

Adding a Scenario to a Project

It is possible to have several different scenarios in an AutoTransient project. This is typically used to regroup cases that are related in some ways. The scenarios can share data with each other, making it possible, for instance, to easily study the same conductor network under different energizations.
To add a new scenario to a project:
1. Select Project | New Scenario. You have the choice to create a brand new, default scenario or to create a copy of an existing scenario of the project. This last option is useful when you want to examine small design variations. Either way, you have to provide a unique name for the new scenario.
2. Once the Scenario name and location are defined, the Define Template Files dialog prompts you to specify the HIFREQ and FFTSES template files for the scenario. You can browse to any valid FFTSES/HIFREQ file. If the new scenario is based on an existing scenario of the project, you can choose to share or copy the template files of that scenario instead of browsing to a new file.

Remarks
The newly created scenario automatically becomes the Active Scenario.

Deleting Scenarios from a Project

Occasionally, you may want to remove scenarios from a project, perhaps because they contain erroneous data, or for any other reason.
To delete scenarios from a project:
1. Select Project | Delete Scenarios.
2. In the Delete Scenarios Dialog select the scenarios to delete. Press the Ctrl or Shift keys to select several scenarios.
3. Select whether to delete all files and folders for the selected scenarios, and click OK.

Remarks
It is not possible to delete the active scenario. Note also that this operation cannot be undone (even if the scenario files are not deleted) in the sense that it is currently impossible to import a scenario in a project.

Importing Template Files into a Scenario

It is sometimes convenient to change the template files associated to a scenario. You can do this by importing new template files into the scenario.
To import a template file into a scenario:
1. Select Project | Import Templates in Scenario.
2. In the Define Template Files dialog, specify a template file for either FFTSES or HIFREQ, or for both programs. You can browse to any valid FFTSES/HIFREQ file. Leave the field blank if you want to keep the existing template file for a program.
3. Click OK.

The selected template files are imported in the project, and overwrite any existing file in the Templates folder.

Making a Scenario the Active Scenario

The Active Scenario of a project is the only scenario that can be run. Almost all commands in AutoTransient target the active scenario.
To make a scenario the Active Scenario:
1. Select Project | Activate Scenario.
2. In the Select Active Scenario dialog, select the desired scenario and click OK.

Remarks
This command is available only when there are at least two scenarios in a project. When a project contains a single scenario, the scenario is always active.

Processing a Scenario
Once the data for a scenario is specified, the analysis can begin. To do this, simply select Project | Start Processing. The program begins the AutoTransient process, and stops processing only when the termination conditions are met, or when an explicit Stop Processing command is issued.
The program issues several messages indicating the progress of the calculations. Assuming the processing is not interrupted, the program creates the requested database and plot files, and places them in the Results folder for the scenario.

Stopping and Restarting a Scenario

When dealing with a large conductor network, a transient study can require a substantial amount of time. It is not unusual to have to interrupt a study in order to free the computer for other activities. AutoTransient simplifies this process by allowing you to stop and restart a run with minimal loss of data and time.
To stop a running scenario:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Select Project | Stop Processing.

In the Stop Processing Options dialog, specify whether to stop immediately, or to wait until the end of the current processing cycle. When selecting the first option, the output files of the program can be left in a corrupted state. This can prevent the process to restart successfully. You can elect to delete all output files generated in the last cycle to prevent this situation.
Click OK to confirm. When the option to stop immediately is selected, the program should take very little time to stop processing the scenario. Otherwise, all frequencies remaining in the current HIFREQ run will be processed before the program stops the processing.
Once the processing has stopped, you can save the project and exit the program.

Remarks
Since it is often preferable to delete the output files created in the last processing cycle (when the processing is stopped immediately), it can be advantageous to restrict the number of frequencies that are computed in each HIFREQ run, to make sure that not too much computation effort is lost. See The Processing Options Dialog for details.

Restarting a scenario is similar to processing the scenario for the first time, with a few additional options.
To restart a scenario:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Open the project containing the scenario to restart, and make sure to activate that scenario.
Select Project | Start Processing.
In the Restart Options dialog, specify at which point to restart the processing.
Click OK to confirm.

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Remarks
This restart option can also be used to compute the desired quantities at different observation points or segments than were initially specified in the FFTSES template input file. To do this, the FFTSES template should first be modified to define the new points, segments, or field quantities to compute, then the Start Processing command should be used.

Sharing Data Between Scenarios

It is possible to share the HIFREQ computation databases between different scenarios of a project. This is particularly useful to examine the effects of different input surge signals on the response of the same conductor network. Usually, the frequencies computed in HIFREQ for one input surge are also suitable for a different input surge. Sharing the computation databases in this case can greatly reduce
the required computation time.
This feature can also be used to share the same input signal information (FFTSES template file) for two different conductor networks, although this is considerably less useful.
Currently, the decision to share data must be made when creating a new scenario: there is no way to share data when a scenario is already created. You can, however, break the data sharing connection between two scenarios at any time.
To share data between two scenarios:
1. Select Project | New Scenario.
2. In the New Scenario Dialog, specify the Scenario File Location. In the Reference Scenario section, select the Based on Existing Scenario option, and select the scenario with which to share data in the drop-down menu. Click OK.
3. In the resulting Define Template Files dialog, select the option Share template file from scenario "Scenario Name" for either the HIFREQ Template File or the FFTSES Template File. (It is not possible to share both files, since this would generate a scenario identical to the reference scenario.) Specify a file for the other template file, and click OK.

To break the data sharing connection between two scenarios:

1. Select Project | Break Data Sharing.
2. Click OK in the resulting message window.

Remarks
When breaking the data sharing connection, the necessary files are copied from the reference scenario to the scenario that shares the data. From this point on, the scenario that used to share the data behaves as an ordinary scenario, and evolves independently of the reference scenario.
The data sharing connection is broken automatically (after a warning message) when deleting the scenario that acts as the source of the data.

Specifying Frequency-Dependent Soil Parameters

The electrical characteristics (resistivity, permittivity, and permeability) of the soil are known to vary to some extent as a function of frequency. In AutoTransient, you can account for this effect by specifying a soil model for which the characteristics of selected layers are dependent on the computation frequency. You can do this by specifying the characteristics at several values of the frequency; the
program interpolates and extrapolates the rest.
To specify a frequency-dependent soil model:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Select Project | Edit Soil Model.

In the Define Soil Model dialog, check the Define a frequency-dependent soil model option.
Select the desired Soil Type.
Select a Layer to modify.
Check the Frequency Dependent option if the selected layer is to made frequency-dependent, otherwise leave it cleared.
If the selected layer is the Top layer of a two-layer soil model, define its Thickness .
Enter the resistivity, permittivity, and permeability for the layer. If the layer is frequency-dependent, enter those quantities for all frequencies for which you have data.
Repeat Steps 4 to 7 for all layers of the soil model.
Click OK to confirm the changes.

Remarks
When using a frequency-dependent soil, the program automatically runs only one frequency at a time in the HIFREQ runs.

Using Scripting in AutoTransient

You can use scripting code to specify several quantities in the HIFREQ input file as a function of frequency. Examples include:

The electrical characteristics (resistivity, permittivity, and permeability) of the soil.

The electrical characteristics (resistivity, permittivity, and permeability) of conductors.
The properties (resistance, inductance) of lumped impedances.
The strength of the ENERGIZATIONs.
...

For every computation frequency, the program executes the specified script, providing the computation frequency through the "AutoTransient" object. The resulting file is used as input file for HIFREQ for that computation frequency.
The use of scripting in an input file follows the same rules as in the SESScript program. Refer to that program's documentation for more details. One addition is the "AutoTransient" object which can be accessed through the script and that defines the computation frequency.
Notes:

Use of this feature requires some programming knowledge.

When some scripting code is detected in the HIFREQ template file, the program automatically switches to computing only one frequency at a time. Moreover, the normal template file diagnostics are turned off.

To use scripting code in a scenario:

1. Prepare a HIFREQ input file (F05) containing the desired scripting code.
2. Create a new project or a new scenario, using the file created at Step 1 as the HIFREQ template file.

Remarks
The AutoTransient scripting object has the following properties:
Property Name
Description
Frequency
The computation frequency (in Hz) for the run.
AngularFrequency The angular frequency (2f) corresponding to the above frequency.
DisplayFrequency The frequency in string form, for display purposes. The main difference between this value and the Frequency property is that the latter never reaches 0 while the DisplayFrequency does. The Frequency is prevented to reach zero (the minimum value is 10-6) to avoid possible problems that could occur in the script at f=0.
RunNumber
Identifies the run number. This number appears in the JobID for the run, e.g. RunN.

The properties of the Context object of SESScript can also be used in the scripting code.

The AutoTransient Main Screen

This screen is the starting point for all operations in the AutoTransient program. It is divided into four areas:

The Menu Bar: Gives access to all the functionality of the program.
The Project Summary region: Gives summary information about the project that is currently loaded and its active scenario.
The Program Output region: Shows the output of the HIFREQ and FFTSES programs when processing a scenario.
The Messages region: Displays detailed messages about the state of the program.

In addition, the toolbar gives a quicker way to access some important functions of the program, and the status bar provides summary information about the last operation carried out in the program.

The AutoTransient Menu Bar

The menu bar gives access to all the functions of the program.

File: Regroups functions related to opening and saving of project files.

Project: Regroups functions related to project management, such as setting project options, adding or removing scenarios in a project, or processing a scenario of a project.
View: Controls the visibility of some interface elements.
Tools: Regroups functions that give access to various utilities to edit or view the template files of the active scenario, or the computation results.
Options: Regroups functions that allow you to define program-level options.
Help: Gives access to the program's help file, and other support options.

The File Menu

The File Menu regroups functions related to opening and saving of project files.

New Project: Creates a new project. This command loads the New Project dialog, that allows you to define the name and location of the new project and of its first scenario. It also prompts you to provide the location of an FFTSES and a HIFREQ template file for the scenario. This command can also be accessed through the New Project button
on the toolbar. If a modified project is currently
loaded, you will be prompted to save before creating the new project.
Open Project: Opens an existing project. This command loads the Open Project dialog, which allows you to select the project file to open by either browsing to it, or picking it from a list of recently open projects. You can also select to create a brand new project with this command. This command can also be accessed through the Open Project button
on the toolbar. If a modified project is
currently loaded, you will be prompted to save before opening the new project.
Save Project: Saves the currently loaded project and all of its scenarios. This command can also be accessed through the Save Project button
on the toolbar.
Recent Projects: Opens the project file for one of the most recently used projects.
Exit: Exits the program. You can also do this by simply closing the main screen. If a modified project is currently loaded, you will be prompted to save before opening the new project.

The Project Menu

The Project Menu regroups functions related to project management, such as setting project options, adding or removing scenarios in a project, or processing a scenario of a project.

Start Processing: Starts (or restarts) processing the current scenario. If this is not the first time the scenario is run, the Restart Options dialog is shown, allowing you to define which of the existing computation results to use in the current processing session. This command can also be accessed through the Start Processing button
Stop Processing: Stops the current processing session. You have the option (with the Stop Processing Options dialog) to wait until the current processing cycle is complete before stopping, or to stop immediately. This command can also be accessed through the Stop Processing button
on the toolbar.
Pause Processing: Pauses the current processing session, freeing program resources for other applications. This is not available currently.
Resume Processing: Resumes a processing session that was previously paused with Pause Processing. This is not available currently.
New Scenario: Creates a new scenario, and adds it to the project. This loads the New Scenario dialog, allowing to define a name and location for the scenario, as well as the location of the FFTSES and HIFREQ template files for the scenario.
Activate Scenario: Activates a scenario of a project. This loads the Activate Scenario dialog, allowing you to select the scenario of the current project that should be activated. This command is only available when there are several scenarios in a project.
Delete Scenarios: Deletes some scenarios from the project. This loads the Delete Scenarios dialog, allowing you to select the scenario(s) to delete. This command is only available when there are several scenarios in a project. It is not possible to delete the active scenario of a project.
Import Templates in Scenario: Imports a FFTSES template file or a HIFREQ template file (or both) in the active scenario. This loads the Define Template Files dialog, allowing you to specify the location of the desired template file(s).
Break Data Sharing: Breaks the data sharing connection of this scenario with its source scenario. See Sharing Data Between Scenarios for more details.
Edit Processing Options: Loads the Processing Options dialog, allowing you to define the processing options for the active scenario. These settings are used to determine under which conditions the processing should terminate, as well as the number of frequencies to run in each iteration cycle.
Edit File Management Options: Loads the File Management Options dialog, allowing you to control which FFTSES and HIFREQ output files to keep in each iteration cycle of the processing of the active scenario.
Edit Soil Model: Loads the Define Soil Model dialog, allowing you to to define a frequency-dependent soil model in HIFREQ.
Properties: Loads the Project Properties dialog. Use this dialog to view or edit descriptions of the various files in the project.
Browse: Opens a Windows Explorer in one of the active scenario's important folders.
 Project Folder: Opens the folder containing the project file.
 Scenario Folder: Opens the folder containing the scenario file for the active scenario.
 Results Folder: Opens the 'Results' folder for the active scenario.
 Templates Folder: Opens the 'Templates' folder for the active scenario.
 History Folder: Opens the 'History' folder for the active scenario.
 Work Folder: Opens the 'Work' folder for the active scenario.
 AutoTransient Installation Folder: Opens the installation folder of the program.

on the toolbar.

The Tools Menu

The Tools Menu regroups functions that give access to various utilities to edit or view the template files of the active scenario, or the computation results.

Edit HIFREQ Template File: Edits the HIFREQ Template file.

 With Input Toolbox: Use CDEGS' Input Toolbox to edit the file.
 With SESCAD: Use SESCAD to edit the file.
 With MultiPad: Use the MultiPad text editor to edit the file.
Edit FFTSES Template File:
 With Input Toolbox: Use CDEGS' Input Toolbox to edit the file.
 With MultiPad: Use the MultiPad text editor to edit the file.
View HIFREQ Output File: View the HIFREQ Output file (F09 file) for the last run preserved in the Results folder, using the FileView file viewer.
View FFTSES Inverse Output File: View the FFTSES Output file (F09 file) for the last Inverse operation preserved in the Results folder, using the FileView file viewer.
View FFTSES Forward Output File: View the FFTSES Output file (F09 file) for the Forward operation, using the FileView file viewer.
View/Plot HIFREQ Results: View or plot the HIFREQ computation results, as extracted from the computation database (F21) for the last run. This file is read from the History folder.
 With Output Toolbox: Use CDEGS' Output Toolbox to view or plot the results.
 With GrServer: Use the GrServer utility to view or plot the results.
View/Plot FFTSES Inverse Results: View or plot the FFTSES computation results, as extracted from the computation database (F21) for the last Inverse run preserved in the Results folder.
 With Output Toolbox: Use CDEGS' Output Toolbox to view or plot the results.
 With FFT21Data: Use the FFT21Data utility to view or plot the results.
View/Plot FFTSES Forward Results: View or plot the FFTSES computation results extracted from the computation database (F21) for the Forward run. This file is read from the Results folder.
 With Output Toolbox: Use CDEGS' Output Toolbox to view or plot the results.
 With FFT21Data: Use the FFT21Data utility to view or plot the results.
Electromagnetics Calculator: Launches the Electromagnetics Calculator, a small tool that allows you to compute the propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves as a function of frequency in a medium of known resistivity, permittivity and permeability.

The View Menu

The View Menu regroups functions that control the visibility of some interface elements.

Clear Program Output: Clears the Program Output section of the main screen. (This is also done automatically whenever the Start Processing function is invoked.)
Clear Messages: Clears the Messages section of the main screen. (This is also done automatically whenever the Start Processing function is invoked.)
Messages: Controls whether the Messages section of the main screen is visible or not.

The Options Menu

The Options Menu regroups functions that allow you to define program-level default settings. These settings apply by default to all new scenarios created in Transient, although they can be overridden using the commands of the Project menu.

Processing Options: Loads the Processing Options dialog, allowing you to define the default processing options. These settings are used to determine under which conditions the processing should terminate, as well as the number of frequencies to run in each iteration cycle.
File Management Options: Loads the File Management Options dialog, allowing you to control which FFTSES and HIFREQ output files to keep by default in each iteration cycle of the processing of a scenario.

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The Help Menu

The Help Menu regroups functions that give access to the program's help file, and other support options.

Content: Loads the program's help file, and shows its table of contents. This command can also be accessed through the Help button
on the toolbar.
Index: Loads the program's help file, and shows its index.
SES Web Site: Opens the home page of the SES Web site in your default Web browser.
SES Downloads: Opens the Downloads page of the SES Web site in your default Web browser. Regular updates to the program will be posted at this location.
Contact SES Support: Starts the Contact SES Support wizard. This wizard allows you to send a support request to SES via email, and easily attach important files from your project to the message.
About AutoTransient: Shows general program information.

The Activate Scenario Dialog

The Activate Scenario Dialog (which can be accessed with Project | Activate Scenario) allows you to select a new active scenario.
To use the dialog, select a scenario from the list, and click OK.

Remarks
Most of the commands in AutoTransient (including the commands controlling the processing of a scenario) apply only to the active scenario of a project. In a multi-scenario project, this dialog allows you to change the active scenario.

The Define Template Files Dialog

This dialog is used in three different contexts:
1. When creating a new project.
2. When creating a new scenario.
3. When importing a FFTSES or HIFREQ template file (or both) in an existing scenario.

The behavior of the dialog differs according to the context.

Creating a New Project

When creating a new project, both the HIFREQ and FFTSES template files must be specified explicitly, using their respective File Selector.

Creating a New Scenario

When creating a new scenario of a project, both the HIFREQ and FFTSES template files must again be specified. In addition to using the File Selectors to specify the filename, you can elect to either share or copy the template file of the reference scenario (specified in the New Scenario dialog).
When sharing a template file, the changes made to the file are automatically reflected in all scenarios using that file. You can only share either the FFTSES or the HIFREQ template file, not both. See Sharing Data Between Scenarios for an overview of data sharing in AutoTransient.
You can also copy one or both template files from the reference scenario. In this case, the changes made to the template files are not propagated to any other scenario.

Importing Template Files

When importing template files, you can import only an FFTSES Template file, a HIFREQ Template file, or both. The filenames must be specified explicitly, using their respective File Selector.

General Behavior
The OK button in the dialog becomes available only when all necessary filenames have been defined and point to existing files.

Using the File Selector

The File Selector allows you to select a filename either from a list of recent files (through the drop-down menu), by browsing to the desired file (click on the ... button), or by typing the filename directly.

The Delete Scenario Dialog

The Delete Scenario Dialog (which can be accessed with Project | Delete Scenarios) allows you to delete one or more scenarios from a project.
To use the dialog, select the scenario(s) to be deleted from the list, and click OK.
Delete all files and folders for the selected scenarios: Select this option if you want to delete all scenario files from disk. When this option is not selected, the scenario is removed from the project, but its files are still available on disk.

Remarks
You cannot delete the active scenario of a project. You will be warned if you try and delete a scenario that is the source of data shared with other scenarios of the project.

The Electromagnetics Calculator

The Electromagnetics Calculator tool (Tools | Electromagnetics Calculator) is a simple tool that allows you to calculate the propagation characteristics of an electrical medium as a function of its electrical parameters and of the frequency. In particular, it can calculate the propagation wavelength in a medium, something that is useful to know when defining the segmentation of the conductor network in
HIFREQ.
In addition to the wavelength, this tool calculates the wavenumber (k), the attenuation constant (), the phase velocity (/k), and the group velocity (/k). The program can compute these quantities as a function of frequency, or can compute the frequency needed to reach a specified wavelength.
Properties of Propagation Medium: Defines the electrical properties of the medium.

Resistivity: Resistivity of the medium, in -m.

Relative Permeability: Permeability of the medium, relative to that of the vacuum.

Relative Permittivity: Permittivity of the medium, relative to that of the vacuum.

Frequency and Wavelength: Computation frequency and wavelength of propagation in the medium. One of these quantities should be specified; the other is computed.

Frequency: Computation frequency, in Hz.

Wavelength: Propagation wavelength, in meters.

Propagation Constants: Computed propagation characteristics of the medium.

Remarks
This tool is completely independent: none of the data specified here is used anywhere else in AutoTransient.

The File Management Options Dialog

The File Management Options Dialog allows you to select which of the HIFREQ and FFTSES output files to keep at the end of an AutoTransient analysis. This dialog can be used in two different contexts:

To select the files to keep when processing the active scenario (Project | Edit Scenario File Management Options). The settings defined in this case apply only to the active scenario.
To select the files to keep by default when processing a scenario (Options | Default File Management Options). The settings defined in this case apply by default to all new scenarios. They can be overridden for the active scenario using Project | Edit Scenario File Management Options.

Generally, an AutoTransient analysis can generate one file of each type for each iteration of the procedure (corresponding to one or more computation frequencies). For each of the available types of files, you can select one of the options below:

All Files: Keep all files of this type generated during the entire process.
First File Only: Keep only the file produced in the first run.
Last File Only: Keep only the file produced in the last run.
None: Do not keep any files of this type.

File Types
Type of File
Description
The FFTSES Input file.
The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
The Inverse FFTSES Computation Database (F21) file.
The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
The Forward FFTSES Computation Database (F21) file.
The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
The FFTSES Spectrum Scaling (F07) file.
The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
The FFTSES Input Databases (F81-F84) files.
The default for these files is to keep the last file only.
The FFTSES Animation (F85) file.
The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
The Inverse FFTSES Recommended Frequencies (F27) file. The default is to keep all files of this type.
The Forward FFTSES Recommended Frequencies (F27) file. The default for this file is to keep the first file only.
The Inverse FFTSES Output file (F09).
The default for this file is to keep the first file only.
The Forward FFTSES Output file (F09).
The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
The HIFREQ Input file.
The default is to keep all files of this type.
The HIFREQ Computation Database (F21) file.
The default for this file is to keep the first file only. (Note that all such files are kept as part of the processing history).
The HIFREQ Current Recovery (F33) file.
The default is to keep all files of this type.
The HIFREQ Output file (F09).
The default for this file is to keep the first file only.
The HIFREQ Plot files (F22-F23).
The default is to keep none of those files.
The HIFREQ Conductor Segment Information (F17) file.
The default is to keep none of those files.
The Forward FFTSES Plot Files.
The default is to keep the first of those files.
The Inverse FFTSES Plot Files.
The default is to keep the last of those files.

The New Project Dialog

Use this screen to create a new project. The following information must be provided:

Project Name: Desired name of the project.

Project File Location: Full path to a folder that is to contain the project file. If the folder doesn't exist, it will be created. Click on the Browse button () to browse to an existing folder.
Scenario Name: Desired name of the first scenario of the project. This name is used to identify all the files produced by the program for this scenario.
Scenario File Location: Full path to a folder that is to contain the scenario file. This folder will also contain all other files created by the program. If the folder doesn't exist, it will be created. Click on the Browse button () to browse to an existing folder.

Remarks
Once this dialog is closed, you will be prompted to specify the path to template files for FFTSES and HIFREQ. These files should be prepared before attempting to create a new AutoTransient project.

Usage Notes
When you type something in the Project Name field, the program automatically adjusts the Project File Location field to make sure the project file is located in a folder with the same name as the project. This makes it easier to find the project files subsequently. Similarly, when you type something in the Scenario Name field, the program automatically adjusts the Scenario File Location field to make sure
the scenario file is located in a folder with the same name as the scenario. Finally, the Scenario File Location is also adjusted whenever you change the Project File Location to make sure that the scenario file is located in a sub-folder of the project folder.
These adjustments establish a standard structure for the project folders. While this is not recommended, you can use a different structure for the project folders. If you chose to do so, you should modify the Scenario File Location last, since any change to the other fields of the screen automatically modify the Scenario File Location. Similarly, you should modify the Project File Location only after you
defined the Project Name.

The Open Project Dialog

The Open Project Dialog (Open | Project) allows you to open an existing project, or to create a new one. This dialog can be used in one of three ways:

To browse to an existing project file, using a standard file browser (on the Existing tab).
To select a project file from a list of recently used projects. (on the Recent tab)
To create a brand new project. (on the New tab)

Remarks
See The New Project Dialog for details on how to specify data on the New tab.

The New Scenario Dialog

Use this screen to create a new scenario. The following information must be provided:

Scenario Name: Desired name of the scenario. This name is used to identify all files produced by the program for this scenario.
Scenario File Location: Full path to a folder that is to contain the scenario file. This folder will also contain all other files created by the program. If the folder doesn't exist, it will be created. Click on the Browse button () to browse to an existing folder.
Reference Scenario: Allows you to define a scenario to be used as reference when creating the new one. The new scenario becomes a copy of the selected reference scenario.
 Default: A default scenario is created. The data of the default scenario is as specified in the program default settings.
 Based On Existing Scenario: Allows you to select one the projects existing scenarios as a reference. Use this option when you want to create a new scenario that represents a small design variation on an existing scenario, or if you intend to share data with this scenario.

Remarks
Once this dialog is closed, you will be prompted to specify the path to template files for FFTSES and HIFREQ. These files should be prepared before attempting to create a new Transient scenario.

Usage Notes
When you type something in the Scenario Name field, the program automatically adjusts the Scenario File Location field to make sure the scenario file is located in a folder with the same name as the scenario.
This adjustment helps establish a standard structure for the scenario folders. While this is not recommended, you can use a different structure for the scenario folders. If you chose to do so, you should modify the Scenario File Location last, since changing the Scenario Name automatically modifies this field.

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The Processing Options Dialog

The Processing Options Dialog allows you to control the way in which the individual cycles of the iteration are carried out in an AutoTransient analysis, and also the conditions under which the analysis is considered to be complete.
This dialog can be used in two different contexts:

To define the processing options for the active scenario (Project | Edit Scenario Processing Options). The settings defined in this case apply only to the active scenario.
To define the default processing options to use when processing a scenario (Options | Default Processing Options). The settings defined in this case apply by default to all new scenarios. They can be overridden for the active scenario using Project | Edit Scenario Processing Options.

Terminate processing when at least one of the following conditions are met: Regroups the settings that control the conditions under which the processing of a scenario is considered complete.

There are no more recommended frequencies: The processing stops as soon as FFTSES no longer recommends any new computation frequencies. In the current version, this is always selected.
The following number of processing cycles was carried out: Specifies the maximum number of iteration cycles that should be carried out. By default, this is not selected, which means that the program will carry out as many iteration cycles as is necessary to meet the other conditions. In many practical cases, using 3 cycles yields decent results, and can reduce computation time somewhat.
The following time has elapsed: Specifies the maximum amount of time (in hours) that the processing should run. The processing will stop at the end of the first complete cycle after the specified time has elapsed. By default, this option is not selected.

Run Frequency Determination: Determines how the computation frequencies recommended by FFTSES are distributed amongst HIFREQ runs in each iteration cycle.

Run all recommended frequencies: When this option is selected, all frequencies recommended by FFTSES in an iteration cycle are computed in a single HIFREQ run. This corresponds to the way a "manual" transient analysis with HIFREQ and FFTSES is normally done.
Run a maximum number of frequencies at a time: When this option is selected, the number of frequencies computed in any given HIFREQ run does not exceed a value specified in Maximum Number of Frequencies.

Remarks
There are two main advantages to running a maximum number of frequencies at a time:
1. If the run must be interrupted, only a few frequencies are lost.
2. When running a single frequency at a time, it becomes possible to modify many network parameters as a function of frequency.
The main disadvantage of this approach is that it can create a very large number of files, which can become somewhat difficult to manage.

Note
When specifying a frequency-dependent soil model or when specifying a script file for the HIFREQ template file, the processing is automatically set to run a single frequency at a time, and cannot be modified.

The Project Properties Dialog

The Project Properties Dialog allows you to view or edit some basic properties of a project and of its scenarios. It can be used to view the path of the project and scenario files that are part of the project, and to attach descriptions/comments to those files.
Comments can be attached to the project as a whole, to each of the scenarios, and also to describe various aspect of the input data. These comments are transmitted to the HIFREQ and FFTSES input files.

The Stop Processing Options Dialog

The Stop Processing Options Dialog is automatically invoked by the program when you stop a run before its normal completion conditions have been reached. It allows to define whether or not the program should wait until the current processing cycle is complete before stopping the run.
The following options are available.

Stop processing only after the current processing cycle has completed: The processing stops only after the end of the current processing cycle. This gives the program the time to properly complete all operations, and results in well-defined, valid output files (in the Results and History folders). However, the program may have to wait a very long time before stopping.
Stop processing immediately: The processing stops immediately, regardless of the state of the computations. This can result in corrupted output files and can make it difficult to restart the analysis.
Delete all output files produced in the last processing cycle: Use this option to delete all output files that were produced in the interrupted cycle. This helps prevent the data corruption that can occur when the option Stop processing immediately is selected.

The Restart Options Dialog

The Restart Options Dialog is automatically invoked by the program when the Start Processing command is used and the program detects the presence of some output files from a previous run in the History folder. This dialog allows you to control the behavior of the program under such conditions.
The program initializes the options in this screen based on the contents of the History folder. The initial values are chosen to minimize the run-time necessary to complete the run. You can modify those settings in order to meet other requirements.
The following options are available:
Ignore all existing files and restart from scratch: Restarts the processing from scratch. This has the same effect as starting the processing the first time. This option should be used when the processing fails to restart when using one of the other options. When this option is selected, all other options are unavailable.
Run the Forward FFTSES operation: Instructs the program to run the Forward FFTSES operation. This option should be used when the data affecting the Forward FFT operation in the FFTSES template file was modified since the scenario processing was stopped.
HIFREQ Database Files: Regroups the options that control which HIFREQ computation database files from the History folder are to be used when restarting.

Use all the HIFREQ Computation Database Files present in the History folder: When this option is used, the program ignores the information contained in the History file, and attempts to restart the processing by using all HIFREQ computation database (F21) files found in the History folder of the scenario. This mode can be useful to import into the Active Scenario some HIFREQ F21 files that
were generated in a different scenario or outside AutoTransient altogether. Note, however, that some of the more advanced features of AutoTransient (Data Sharing, Restricted Frequency Mode, ...) may not work correctly when using this option.
Use only the HIFREQ Computation Database Files that were computed in this scenario: When this option is used, the program uses the information contained in the History file to restart the processing in an identical state as when it was last stopped. This is the safest restart option to use. This option is not available if the History file of the scenario cannot be found or is corrupted.

Rebuild the FFTSES Input Databases: Instructs the program to rebuild the FFTSES Input Databases (FT_*.F8*) from scratch, rather than trying to append to them. This option is selected by default (and disabled) if those files are missing from the History folder. You can choose to use this setting even when the files are present in the History folder when you suspect that some of these files may be
corrupted (perhaps because an earlier run gave an error message to that effect).

The Soil Model Dialog

The Soil Model Dialog (which can be invoked using Project | Edit Soil Model) can be used to specify frequency-dependent values for the resistivity, permittivity and permeability of selected layers of the soil model used in HIFREQ. You can choose to make any layer(s) frequency-dependent and leave the others frequency-independent.
Note that when using a frequency-dependent soil model, the program automatically runs only one frequency at a time.
The following options are available in this dialog:
Define a frequency-dependent soil model: Instructs the program to use a frequency-dependent soil model. When this option is not selected, you can view the characteristics of the soil model defined in the file, but you cannot modify them.
Soil Type: Selects the soil model; either Infinite (an infinite medium with homogeneous characteristics), Uniform (two regions with homogeneous characteristics - Air and Earth - separated by an infinite plane), or Two Layer (three regions with homogeneous characteristics - Air, Top and Bottom - separated by two horizontal planes.
Layer Data: Regroups the data defining a single layer of the soil model.

Layer: Selects the layer whose properties are to be viewed or edited.

Frequency Dependent: Controls whether or not the characteristics of the selected layer are frequency-dependent. Check this option to specify the characteristics as a function of frequency. In this case, the resistivity, permittivity, and permeability of the layer should be specified for at least two frequencies in the table. When this option is not checked, a single value can be specified for the resistivity,
permittivity, and permeability of the layer.
Thickness: Defines the thickness of the layer, in meters or feet. This is applicable only to the Top layer of a Two Layer soil.
Frequency: For a frequency-dependent layer, specifies the frequency at which one set of resistivity, permittivity, and permeability is specified.
Resistivity: Defines the resistivity of the layer, in Ohm-m. For the frequency-dependent case, a value should be specified for each of the frequencies defined in the table.
Permittivity: Defines the permittivity of the layer relative to the permittivity of the vacuum, in per-unit. If not specified, a value of 1 is used.
Permeability: Defines the permeability of the layer relative to the permeability of the vacuum, in per-unit. If not specified, a value of 1 is used.

Remarks
The frequencies can be specified in any order. It is not necessary to specify frequencies over the entire frequency range for the analysis: the program will interpolate and extrapolate frequencies as needed. When extrapolating the values at frequencies below the specified range, the program uses the value for the lowest specified frequency. Likewise, when extrapolating the values at frequencies above the
specified range, the program uses the value for the highest specified frequency.
You can easily specify a range of linearly spaced frequencies by using the Fill Cells feature of the data grid. Right-click the grid and select Fill Cells to use this feature.
Also, you can easily specify the same value for several cells by selecting the desired cells and typing the value.

Input Diagnostics in AutoTransient

The HIFREQ and FFTSES template files that can be used in AutoTransient are subject to some constraints that do not normally apply when those programs are used by themselves. These extra constraints are necessary to guarantee a successful transient study.
AutoTransient detects and reports whenever those constraints are not satisfied, and can "repair" the problem in some cases. It can also report more fundamental problems that would affect those files whether they are used in AutoTransient or not. This analysis of the template files is triggered whenever a template file is imported into a scenario.
The following lists show the various problems that are detected by AutoTransient.

Fatal Errors

Invalid HIFREQ Template File: The file that was specified as a HIFREQ template is not recognized as a valid HIFREQ input file.
Invalid FFTSES Template File: The file that was specified as a FFTSES template is not recognized as a valid FFTSES input file.
No Conductors Defined: No conductors were defined in the HIFREQ template file.
No Energization Defined: No energization was defined in the HIFREQ template file.
No Energized Conductors Defined: No energized conductors were defined in the HIFREQ template file.
Nothing to Extract: Nothing was requested to be extracted from the FFTSES input databases in the FFTSES template file.
Invalid Script: The HIFREQ template file contains invalid scripting code.

Repairable Errors

HIFREQ Syntax Error: Syntax errors were found in the HIFREQ template file.
FFTSES Syntax Error: Syntax errors were found in the FFTSES template file.
Nothing Selected to Build Database: Nothing was selected in the FFTSES template file to build the FFTSES Input Databases from the HIFREQ Computation Databases.
Multiple Energizations: Multiple energizations were defined in the HIFREQ template file.
Multiple Energized Conductors: Multiple energized conductors were defined in the HIFREQ template file.
Energization Not Set to 1: The value of the energization is not 1 + j 0.
Insufficient Accuracy: The computation accuracy in the HIFREQ template file is insufficient for a Transient study.
Multiple Extract: More than one quantities were requested to be extracted from the FFTSES input databases in the FFTSES template file.
Extract-Determine Consistency: The quantities that were requested to be extracted from the FFTSES input databases in the FFTSES template file are inconsistent with the quantities that are requested to be computed (in the HIFREQ template file).

Diagnostics - Invalid HIFREQ Template File

Description
A file imported as a HIFREQ template file was not recognized as a valid SICL command file for HIFREQ. This means that the HIFREQ command is not found in the file at all, or it is found too late (after too many unrecognized commands).
This normally happens as a result of selecting the wrong type of file when browsing for a template file. It could also happen when modifying a template file by hand.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to browse to a valid HIFREQ F05 file generated by one of the dedicated SES editor programs (Input Toolbox or SESCAD).
Repairable?
No. The program cannot process a scenario until a valid HIFREQ template file is specified.

Diagnostics - Invalid FFTSES Template File

Description
A file imported as a FFTSES template file was not recognized as a valid SICL command file for FFTSES. This means that the FFTSES command is not found in the file at all, or it is found too late (after too many unrecognized commands).
This normally happens as a result of selecting the wrong type of file when browsing for a template file. It could also happen when modifying a template file by hand.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to browse to a valid FFTSES F05 file generated by Input Toolbox.
Repairable?
No. The program cannot process a scenario until a valid FFTSES template file is specified.

Diagnostics - No Conductors in HIFREQ Template File

Description
A file imported as a HIFREQ template file does not contain any CONDUCTOR commands. This normally happens as a result of selecting the wrong file when browsing for a template file.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to browse to a valid HIFREQ F05 file generated by one of the dedicated SES editor programs (Input Toolbox or SESCAD). Note that you are warned in Input Toolbox when trying to save a HIFREQ file that doesn't contain any conductors.
Repairable?
No. The program cannot process a scenario until a HIFREQ template file containing some conductors is specified.

Diagnostics - No Energizations in HIFREQ Template File

Description
A file imported as a HIFREQ template file does not contain any ENERGIZATION (BUSS) commands. This normally happens as a result of selecting the wrong file when browsing for a template file.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to browse to a valid HIFREQ F05 file generated by one of the dedicated SES editor programs (Input Toolbox or SESCAD). Consult the topics Diagnostics - Multiple Energizations in HIFREQ Template File and Diagnostics - Energization Not Set to 1 in HIFREQ Template File for more details on the restrictions regarding energization in AutoTransient.
Repairable?
No. The program cannot process a scenario until a HIFREQ template file containing at least one energization is specified.

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Diagnostics - No Energized Conductor in HIFREQ Template File

Description
A file imported as a HIFREQ template file contains at least one valid ENERGIZATION command, but it is not applied to any conductor.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure define the Energization Code of the conductor that should be energized to 1 (or to the index of the appropriate ENERGIZATION command). This can be done in the Characteristics screen in SESCAD, and in the System screen's Conductor data grid in Input Toolbox.
Repairable?
No. The program cannot process a scenario until a HIFREQ template file containing at least one energized conductor is specified.

Diagnostics - No EXTRACT in FFTSES Template File

Description
No computation quantities are requested to be extracted from the FFTSES input databases during the inverse FFTSES operation. FFTSES refuses to run under those circumstances, since there is nothing to compute.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to specify a quantity to be extracted. This can be done in the Computations screen for the Inverse FFTSES option in Input Toolbox. You should specify both the Entity Being Processed, and either a valid range of Segment Numbers (if the requested quantity belongs to the conductor segments, e.g. GPR or Longitudinal Current) or a valid range of both Profile Numbers and Point Numbers (if the
requested quantity is a field-type quantity computed at various points in space, e.g., Scalar Potential or Electric Fields).
Note that you should normally request only one quantity (profile, point, or segment) at a time. Consult the topic Multiple EXTRACT Commands in FFTSES Template File for more details.
Repairable?
No. The program cannot process a scenario until a FFTSES template file containing at least one EXTRACT command is specified.

Diagnostics - Invalid Script Code in HIFREQ Template File

Description
A file imported as a HIFREQ template file contains scripting code that either does not compile, or generates run-time errors. This problem should normally not happen unless you explicitly decided to use the advanced "Scripting" feature of AutoTransient.
To avoid this problem...
The scripting code should be reviewed, and corrected. A file containing pure script code should normally be available in the Work folder of the active scenario to help you with the debugging. Executing this script (once the errors it contains have been removed) should generate a correct HIFREQ file.
Repairable?
No. The program must be able to execute the script successfully before processing a scenario. Note that this error can also occur while processing a scenario if the script generates a run-time error only for some frequencies (but not for the zero frequency, which is used to assess whether the script is correct or not).

Diagnostics - Syntax Error in HIFREQ Template File

Description
A file imported as a HIFREQ template file contains syntax errors such as unrecognized commands, or invalid data types in a valid command. This normally happens when the imported HIFREQ template file was edited manually.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to browse to a HIFREQ F05 file generated by one of the dedicated SES editor programs (Input Toolbox or SESCAD).
Repairable?
Yes and no! The program can "repair" a template file containing syntax errors by removing the commands that are in error, but this is normally not a good idea; you should let the program do this only when you are aware of the error and know that removing the command will be harmless.

Diagnostics - Syntax Error in FFTSES Template File

Description
A file imported as a FFTSES template file contains syntax errors such as unrecognized commands, or invalid data types in a valid command. This normally happens when the imported FFTSES template file was edited manually.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to browse to a FFTSES F05 file generated by Input Toolbox.
Repairable?
Yes and no! The program can "repair" a template file containing syntax errors by removing the commands that are in error, but this is normally not a good idea; you should let the program do this only when you are aware of the error and know that removing the command will be harmless.

Diagnostics - No Database Selection in FFTSES Template File

Description
A file imported as a FFTSES template file does not contain any selection of data to be exported from the HIFREQ database(s). As a result, the FFTSES Input Databases cannot be constructed by AutoTransient.
To avoid this problem...
This problem can easily occur since Input Toolbox does not validate that some data is specified. You should make sure to specify some data in the Desired Computation Results section of the FFTSES Database Managament screen in Input Toolbox. This screen can be accessed by Computations -> Inverse-FFT -> Extract From Database -> Database Management. in the
You should be careful to select a value that is selected to be computed in the HIFREQ template file. Note that it is not necessary to specify anything in the FFTSES Database Creation section of the FFTSES Database Managament screen, since AutoTransient automatically manages the HIFREQ computation databases.
Repairable?
Yes. The program can repair this problem by allowing you to select the desired computation results directly from within AutoTransient.

Diagnostics - Multiple Energizations in HIFREQ Template File

Description
A file imported as a HIFREQ template file contains multiple ENERGIZATION (BUSS) commands. It is recommended to use a single ENERGIZATION in a HIFREQ template file. This is because of the scaling of the energization(s) carried out by the program: FFTSES rescales all energizations in the same way as a function of frequency, meaning that all specified energizations end-up having the same
shape in the time domain. This situation is unlikely to occur in practice. Nevertheless, you can safely ignore this problem if your model requires two or more energizations that have the same time-domain shape.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to specify a single energization in the HIFREQ template file.
Repairable?
Yes. The program can "repair" this problem by removing all energizations but the first. Note that it is normally preferable to edit the file yourself, since removing all but the first energization is probably not the desired solution to this problem in most cases.

Diagnostics - Multiple Energized Conductors in HIFREQ Template File

Description
A file imported as a HIFREQ template file contains multiple conductors that are energized either from the same bus, or from different ones. It is recommended to use a single energized conductor in a HIFREQ template file. This is because of the scaling of the energization(s) carried out by the program: FFTSES rescales all energizations in the same way as a function of frequency, meaning that all
specified energizations end-up having the same shape in the time domain. This situation is unlikely to occur in practice. Nevertheless, you can safely ignore this problem if your model requires two or more energizations that have the same time-domain shape.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to specify a single energized conductor in the HIFREQ template file.
Repairable?
Yes. The program can "repair" this problem by removing the energization code from all conductors but the first energized conductor. Note that it is normally preferable to edit the file yourself, since removing the energization from all but the first energized conductor is probably not the desired solution to this problem in most cases.

Diagnostics - Non Unit Energization Value in HIFREQ Template File

Description
A file imported as a HIFREQ template file contains conductors that are energized with an energization whose strength is not set to 1. This is normally due to an attempt to specify the amplitude of a surge directly in the HIFREQ file. It is preferable to define the amplitude of the surge in FFTSES, and to use a unit (Real Part = 1, Imaginary Part = 0) energization in HIFREQ.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to specify a single unit energization in the HIFREQ template file.
Repairable?
Yes. The program can repair this problem by replacing the energization by a unit energization.

Diagnostics - Insufficient Accuracy in HIFREQ Template File

Description
The accuracy settings in a file imported as a HIFREQ template file are insufficient for a typical transient study. This should not happen very often, since the default accuracy settings in HIFREQ are normally adequate. It could happen if the accuracy settings were explicitly specified to be lower than the default values, in order to speed up the runs. Note that the results obtained in this way may not be very
reliable, especially at high frequencies. When using lower accuracy, it is recommended to always do a "confirmation" run using higher accuracy settings, to verify that the results are correct.
To avoid this problem...
Use the default accuracy settings (or better) in the HIFREQ template file. The simplest way to change those settings is through the "Repair" mechanism of AutoTransient.
Repairable?
Yes. When this condition is detected, the program offers you a choice of accuracy settings. Note that you can choose to keep the accuracy settings defined in the file.

Diagnostics - Multiple EXTRACT Commands in FFTSES Template File

Description
A file imported as a FFTSES template file contains several EXTRACT commands. This can make FFTSES recommend a very large number of frequencies during the inverse operation, and can unnecessarily lengthen the run-time. It is preferable to extract a single quantity (observation point or segment) at a time.
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to specify a single quantity to be extracted. This can be done in the Computations screen for the Inverse FFTSES option in Input Toolbox. You should specify both the Entity Being Processed, and a range containing a single segment number (if the requested quantity belongs to the conductor segments, e.g. GPR or Longitudinal Current) or a range containing a single profile and a single point (if
the requested quantity is a field-type quantity computed at various points in space, e.g., Scalar Potential or Electric Fields).
Repairable?
Yes. The program "repairs" the problem by eliminating all EXTRACT requests but the first, and by restricting the range of profiles, points, or segments to a single value, equal to the value initially specified for the start of the range.

Diagnostics - No Energizations in HIFREQ Template File

Description
The quantities that were requested to be extracted from the FFTSES input databases in the FFTSES template file are inconsistent with the quantities that are requested to be computed (in the HIFREQ template file).
To avoid this problem...
Make sure to request the same quantities in both programs. Note that it is not necessary to requested any conductor currents in HIFREQ, as the currents are always computed.
Repairable?
Yes. This is repaired by transforming the HIFREQ template file to request all quantities that are selected to be extracted in FFTSES.

The AutoTransient Project File

The AutoTransient Project File stores the locations of the scenario files for the various scenarios in a project. It is normally named <Project Name>.TNT.

Sections
Name
Description
GENERAL Contains general identification settings.
SCENARIOS Defines the number of scenarios in the project, and the location of the scenario file for each scenario.

AutoTransient Project File - GENERAL Section

The GENERAL Section of the AutoTransient Project File stores general identification settings for the project.

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Settings
Name
Description
ID
Uniquely identifies an AutoTransient Project File. This value must be 'TNT - Project'.
Version
Integer value identifying the version of the file format used when writing the file. Currently, the only supported value is 1.
Name
Alphanumeric string identifying the name of the project. This must be valid as a component of a filename.
Description Description of the project. If this character string includes quotes or extends over several lines, then the string must be placed inside quotes. In this case, any quotes (") in the string must be replaced by double-quotes ("").

AutoTransient Project File - SCENARIOS Section

The SCENARIOS Section of the AutoTransient Project File stores information regarding the scenarios of the project.

Settings
Name
Description
Count
Number of scenarios in the project. This must be an integer greater than zero.
Active
Index of the active scenario of the project. This should be an integer between 1 and Count.
ScenarioN Path name of the scenario file for scenario N, relative to the folder containing the project file. Here, N=1,...,Count.

Remarks
If there are more scenario file paths specified than are indicated by Count, the extra scenarios are not loaded.

The AutoTransient Scenario File

The AutoTransient Scenario File stores all the settings necessary to run an AutoTransient scenario.

Sections
Name
Description
GENERAL
Contains general identification settings.
DESCRIPTION
Contains a detailed description of the scenario.
FILES
Defines the important files that are part of the scenario.
DATA
Root section for the user-specified data of the scenario.
SHARING
Stores information related to data sharing between this scenario and other scenarios of the same project.
TEMPLATEDATA Stores data extracted from the FFTSES/HIFREQ template files, or that is to replace data from those templates.

AutoTransient Scenario File - GENERAL Section

The GENERAL Section of the AutoTransient Scenario File stores general identification settings for the scenario.

Settings
Name Description
ID
Uniquely identifies an AutoTransient Scenario File. This value must be 'TNT - Scenario'.
Version Integer value identifying the version of the file format used when writing the file. Currently, the only supported value is 1.
Name Alphanumeric string identifying the name of the scenario. This must be valid as a component of a filename.

AutoTransient Scenario File - FILES Section

The FILES Section of the AutoTransient Scenario File stores the locations of the important files that are part of the scenario.

Settings
Name
Description
ParentProject
Filename of the project file of the AutoTransient project containing this scenario, relative to the folder containing the scenario file.
Filename
Fully qualified filename of the scenario file (i.e. this file).
Templates
Path of the Templates folder (i.e. the folder containing the template files), relative to the folder containing the scenario file for this scenario.
History
Path of the History folder (i.e. the folder containing the files required to restart this scenario), relative to the folder containing the scenario file for this scenario.
Results
Path of the Results folder (i.e. the folder containing the result files obtained by processing this scenario), relative to the folder containing the scenario file for this scenario.
Work
Path of the Work folder (i.e. the folder containing temporary run files while processing this scenario), relative to the folder containing the scenario file for this scenario.
HIFREQRelative Filename of the HIFREQ template file, relative to the Templates folder.
HIFREQOriginal Fully qualified filename of the last HIFREQ file that was imported in the scenario.
FFTSESRelative Filename of the FFTSES template file, relative to the Templates folder.
FFTSESOriginal Fully qualified filename of the last FFTSES file that was imported in the scenario.

AutoTransient Scenario File - DATA Section

The DATA Section of the AutoTransient Scenario File stores the user-defined data for the scenario.

Sub-Sections
Name
Description
Cycle
Contains data controlling the processing of the scenario.
FileManagement Defines which output files should be kept during the processing of the scenario.

AutoTransient Scenario File - DESCRIPTION Section

The DESCRIPTION Section of the AutoTransient Scenario File contains text descriptions of various aspects of the scenario.

Settings
Name Description
RunID Defines the RunID for the scenario. This is used to identify plots, reports and output files produced by the program. This is automatically set to the name of the scenario, and cannot be modified in the program's user interface. (Only the first 20 characters of this value are used.)
Project Description of the project containing this scenario.
Scenario Description of the scenario.
HIFREQ Description of the HIFREQ template file used in the scenario.
FFTSES Description of the FFTSES template file used in the scenario.
Soil
Description of the soil model used in the scenario.

Remarks
All descriptions can extend over several lines. If any description string includes quotes or extends over several lines, then the string must be placed inside quotes. In this case, any quotes (") in the string must be replaced by double-quotes ("").

AutoTransient Scenario File - SHARING Section

The SHARING Section of the AutoTransient Scenario File stores information related to data sharing between the scenario and other scenarios of the same project.

Settings
Name
Description
SharedScenario Name of the scenario with which this scenario shares data. If this is empty, the scenario doesn't share any data. When specified, it should be the name of a scenario that is part of the project containing this scenario (excluding this scenario). If the specified name doesn't satisfy this condition, the data sharing is not operational.
Integer value defining the type of data sharing between this scenario and the scenario identified by SharedScenario. Three values are allowed:
SharingMode

0: None. No data is shared. This is the default, if not specified.

1: FFTSES. The FFTSES Template file is shared.
2: HIFREQ. The HIFREQ Template file and computation database files (*.F21) are shared.

Remarks
For the data sharing to be in effect, both the SharedScenario and the SharingMode must be set to correct, non-default values.

AutoTransient Scenario File - TEMPLATEDATA Section

The TEMPLATEDATA Section of the AutoTransient Scenario File stores data extracted from the FFTSES/HIFREQ template files, or that is to replace data from those templates.

Sub-Sections
Name
Description
GENERAL General settings extracted from the template files.
SOIL
Contains information about the initial soil data found in the HIFREQ template file and/or the user-defined frequency-dependent soil model.

AutoTransient Scenario File - TEMPLATEDATA\GENERAL Section

The GENERAL sub-section of the TEMPLATEDATA section of the AutoTransient Scenario File contains general settings extracted from the template files.

Settings
Name
Description
IsHIFREQScript Boolean value (T = True; anything else = False) recording whether or not the HIFREQ file contains scripting code. This is used for cross-checking purposes only, as this value is recalculated every time the scenario file is loaded.
Integer value defining the system of units used when reading/writing the scenario file. This is read from the HIFREQ template file. Four values are allowed:

Units

2: Metric. Both distances and radii are expressed in meters.

3: MetricCM. Distances are expressed in meters, and radii in centimeters.
4: British. Both distances and radii are expressed in feet.
5: Inch-Radius. Distances are expressed in feet, and radii in inches.

AutoTransient Scenario File - SOIL Section

The SOIL sub-section of the TEMPLATEDATA section of the AutoTransient Scenario File contains information about the initial soil data found in the HIFREQ template file and/or the user-defined frequency-dependent soil model.

Settings
Name
Description
Customized Boolean value (T = True; anything else = False) controlling whether the Custom Soil (True) or the Initial Soil (False) should be used when processing the scenario. The default value is False.

Sub-Sections
Name
Description
INITIAL SOIL MODEL-type section containing the data initially read from the HIFREQ template file. This is used for cross-checks only, as this data is re-read from the HIFREQ template file every time the scenario is loaded.
CUSTOM SOIL MODEL-type section containing the user-defined, frequency-dependent soil model. This is used only when the Customized setting is True.

AutoTransient Scenario File - SOIL MODEL Section Type

The SOIL MODEL type of section stores information about a frequency-dependent or frequency independent soil model.

Settings
Name

Soil Type

Description
Integer value defining the type of the soil model. Three values are allowed:

0: Infinite. The soil model consists of a single region of uniform electrical properties filling the entire space.
1: Uniform. The soil model consists of two semi-infinite regions of different uniform electrical properties (typically the air and the earth), separated at Z = 0.
2: Two-Layer. The soil model consists of three horizontal regions of different uniform electrical properties, the air layer, the top layer and the bottom layer. The air and the bottom layer are of infinite thickness, while the top layer has a finite thickness.

Sub-Sections
Name

LAYERN (N = 0, 1, 2)

Description
SOIL LAYER-type section containing the data for a single layer of the soil model. The layer that is defined for a given value of N depends on the value of the SoilType setting:

N = 0 Defines the infinite medium for the Infinite soil model, or the air layer for a Uniform or a two-Layer soil model.
N = 1 Defines the earth layer for a Uniform soil model, or the top layer for a two-Layer soil model.
N = 2 Defines the bottom layer for a two-Layer soil model.

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AutoTransient Scenario File - SOIL LAYER Section Type

The SOIL LAYER type of section stores information about a single frequency-dependent or frequency independent layer (or region) of a soil model.

Settings
Name
Description
IsFrequencyDependent Boolean value (T = True; everything else = False) that determines whether the electrical properties of the layer are frequency-dependent or not. The default value is False.
Size
Positive real number defining the size (height) of the layer. This is specified in the units of distance defined in the GENERAL section of the TEMPLATEDATA. This is used only for the top layer of a two-layer soil model.

Sub-Sections
Name
Description
FrequencyIndependent ELECTRICAL MEDIUM-type section containing the data for a layer, for the case that the data is frequency-independent.
FrequencyDependent ELECTRICAL MEDIUM COLLECTION-type section containing the data for a layer at several frequencies, for the case that the data is frequency-dependent.

AutoTransient Scenario File - SOIL ELECTRICAL MEDIUM Section Type

The SOIL ELECTRICAL MEDIUM type of section stores information about the electrical properties of a single layer (or region) of a soil model, at a single frequency.

Settings
Name
Description
Frequency Non-negative real value defining the frequency (in Hz) for which the electrical properties of the medium are defined. This is ignored if the properties of the medium are frequency-independent.
Resistivity Non-negative real value defining the resistivity (in Ohm-m) of the medium at the specified Frequency.
Permittivity Non-negative real value defining the relative permittivity (with respect to the permittivity of the vacuum) of the medium at the specified Frequency. If not specified, this is set to 1.
Permeability Non-negative real value defining the relative permeability (with respect to the permeability of the vacuum) of the medium at the specified Frequency. If not specified, this is set to 1.

AutoTransient Scenario File - SOIL ELECTRICAL MEDIUM COLLECTION Section Type

The SOIL ELECTRICAL MEDIUM COLLECTION type of section stores information about the electrical properties of a single layer (or region) of a soil model, at several frequencies.

Settings
Name Description
Count Non-negative integer defining the number of frequencies for which the electrical properties of the medium are defined.

Sub-Sections
Name
Description
FrequencyN ELECTRICAL MEDIUM-type section containing the electrical properties for a medium, at a single frequency. Here, N = 1:Count.

Remarks
The program interpolates the resistivity, permittivity, and permeability values linearly between the specified values. The frequency values need not be ordered. If a computation frequency is outside the range for which the electrical properties are defined, the values at the smallest specified frequency are used if the computation frequency is smaller than all specified frequencies, and the values specified at
the largest frequency are used if the computation frequency is larger than all specified frequencies.

AutoTransient Scenario File - TERMINATION Section

The TERMINATION sub-section of the CYCLE section of the AutoTransient Scenario File contains data that determine the circumstances under which the processing should terminate.

Settings
Name
Description
TerminationRecommendedFrequency Boolean value (T = True; anything else = False) defining whether or not the processing should stop when the program runs out of recommended frequencies. Currently, this setting is ignored, and is always True
TerminationNumberOfCycles
Boolean value (T = True; anything else = False) controlling whether or not to stop the processing after a specified number of complete iteration cycles. The default value is False. When set to True, the NumberOfCycles setting defines the maximum number of cycles to carry out.
TerminationRunTime
Boolean value (T = True; anything else = False) controlling whether or not to stop the processing after a specified amount of time has elapsed. The default value is False. When set to True, the MaximumRunTime setting defines the maximum amount of time that the processing is allowed to run.
TerminationCovergence
Boolean value (T = True; anything else = False) controlling whether or not to stop the processing once specified accuracy has been reached. Currently, this setting is ignored and is always set to False.
ConvergenceAccuracy
Positive real number that defines the desired target accuracy (in per unit) when TerminationConvergence is set to True. The default value is 0.01. Currently, this is ignored.
MaximumRunTime
Positive real number defining the maximum amount of time (in hours) that the processing of the scenario is allowed to take. The default is 48 hours. This is used only when the TerminationRunTime setting is set to True.
NumberOfCycles
Positive integer defining the maximum number of iteration cycles to carry out during the processing of the scenario. The default is 3. This is used only when the TerminationNumberOfCycles setting is set to True.

AutoTransient Scenario File - CYCLE Section

The CYCLE sub-section of the DATA section of the AutoTransient Scenario File contains data controlling the processing of the scenario.

Settings
Name

Description
Integer value that defines how the computation frequencies are distributed among the HIFREQ runs. Two values are allowed:

FrequencyMode

0: Regular. A single HIFREQ run containing all frequencies recommended by FFTSES is carried out in each cycle of the iteration. This is the default value.
1: Restricted. The set of recommended frequencies at every cycle of iteration is split among several HIFREQ runs, so that each HIFREQ run contains at most a specified maximum number of frequencies. In this case, the NumberOfFrequencies setting defines the maximum number of frequencies for each run.
NumberOfFrequencies Maximum number of frequencies that can be specified in a HIFREQ run. This is used when the FrequencyMode is set to 1, in which case the default value is 1.

Sub-Sections
Name
Description
TERMINATION Defines the conditions that determine the circumstances under which the processing should terminate.

AutoTransient Scenario File - FILEMANAGEMENT Section

The FILEMANAGEMENT sub-section of the DATA section of the AutoTransient Scenario File contains data that defines which output files should be kept during the processing of the scenario.

Settings
Name

Description
Integer value defining which files to keep for file type N. Four values are allowed:

KeepModeN (N = 1:17)

0: Last. Keep only the file produced in the last run.

1: First. Keep only the file produced in the first run.
2: All. Keep the files produced in all runs.
3: None. Do not keep any files of this type.

The default value varies with the file type.

File Types
KeepMode Value Description
KeepMode0
The FFTSES Input file. The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
KeepMode1
The Inverse FFTSES Computation Database (F21) file. The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
KeepMode2
The Forward FFTSES Computation Database (F21) file. The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
KeepMode3
The FFTSES Spectrum Scaling (F07) file. The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
KeepMode4
The FFTSES Input Databases (F81-F84) files. The default for these files is to keep the last file only.
KeepMode5
The FFTSES Animation (F85) file. The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
KeepMode6
The Inverse FFTSES Recommended Frequencies (F27) file. The default is to keep all files of this type.
KeepMode7
The Forward FFTSES Recommended Frequencies (F27) file. The default for this file is to keep the first file only.
KeepMode8
The Inverse FFTSES Output file (F09). The default for this file is to keep the first file only.
KeepMode9
The Forward FFTSES Output file (F09). The default for this file is to keep the last file only.
KeepMode10
The HIFREQ Input file. The default is to keep all files of this type.
KeepMode11
The HIFREQ Computation Database (F21) file. The default for this file is to keep the first file only. (Note that all such files are kept as part of the processing history).
KeepMode12
The HIFREQ Current Recovery (F33) file. The default is to keep all files of this type.
KeepMode13
The HIFREQ Output file (F09). The default for this file is to keep the first file only.
KeepMode14
The HIFREQ Plot files (F22-F23). The default is to keep none of those files.
KeepMode15
The HIFREQ Conductor Segment Information (F17) file. The default is to keep none of those files.
KeepMode16
The Forward FFTSES Plot Files. The default is to keep the first of those files.
KeepMode17
The Inverse FFTSES Plot Files. The default is to keep the last of those files.

The AutoTransient History File

The AutoTransient History File stores information that helps to restart the processing of a scenario, and to estimate the progress of the iterative process. It is normally named "hs_<Scenario Name>.his".

Sections
Name
Description
GENERAL Contains general identification settings.
FILES
Stores information about various files that are important to the processing history.
STEPS\N Contains information about each iteration (step) of the process. Here, N should run from 1 to the actual number of steps completed. When reading the file, the program stops when there are no more STEPS to read, or the moment a gap is encountered in the sequence

AutoTransient History File - GENERAL Section

The GENERAL Section of the AutoTransient History File stores general identification settings for the file.

Settings
Name
ID
Version

Description
Uniquely identifies an AutoTransient History File. This value must be 'TNT - History'.
Integer value identifying the version of the file format used when writing the file. Currently, two values are supported:
1: Original file format, used in the Beta version of the program. This version differs from the current one by using a semi-colon (;) as a separator for the FILES setting. This was replaced by a pipe (|) in the current version (since a semi-colon can be used legally in a filename.)

2: Current file format. This is always used when writing the file.
Integer value identifying the state of the processing when it was interrupted. Currently, seven values are allowed:

0: Undefined. The processing hasn't started yet, or else the processing state is unknown (perhaps due to an error).
1: After Forward. Only the Forward FFTSES operation was completed.
State

2: In HIFREQ. A HIFREQ run was underway.

3: After HIFREQ. A HIFREQ run was just completed; the computation results from the HIFREQ computation database were not added to the FFTSES input database.

4: After Extract. A HIFREQ run was just completed and the computation results from the HIFREQ computation database were added to the FFTSES input database.

5: After Inverse. An Inverse FFTSES run was just completed. (This is the normal end-point of a complete iteration cycle).

6: Complete. The processing was completed.
RecommendedFrequencies Lists the recommended frequencies that have not yet been processed in the current processing cycle. This is a series of pipe-separated non-negative real values. For example, if the frequencies 1.0MHz and 1.2MHz were recommended by FFTSES, but have not been processed yet, this setting would show: '1000000|1200000'.

AutoTransient History File - FILES Section

The FILES Section of the AutoTransient History File stores information about various files that are important to the processing history.

Settings
Name
Description
FFTTemplate
Contains data about the FFTSES template file used in the processing.
HIFREQTemplate Contains data about the HIFREQ template file used in the processing.
F07
Contains data about the FFTSES Spectrum scaling file used in the processing.
F80
Contains data about the FFTSES Computation Control Database file used in the processing.
F81
Contains data about the FFTSES Scalar Potential Input Database file used in the processing.
F82
Contains data about the FFTSES Electric Field Input Database file used in the processing.
F83
Contains data about the FFTSES Magnetic Field Input Database file used in the processing.
F84
Contains data about the FFTSES Configuration Input Database file used in the processing.

Remarks
The information stored in this section is used to detect modifications to those files by external programs. See the File Information Format topic for details about the value of these settings.

AutoTransient History File - STEP Section

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The STEP Section of the AutoTransient History File contains information about a specific iteration step of the process.

Settings
Name
Description
RunNumber
Positive integer identifying the run number. This is used for internal cross-checks only.
IsFinished
Boolean value (T = True; anything else = False) indicating whether the processing of the step is complete.
Date and Time at which the processing of the step started.
StartTime
EndTime
Date and Time at which the processing of the step ended.
HIFREQDatabase File Information about the HIFREQ computation database file (F21) for the step.
Frequencies
Lists the frequencies that were processed in the step. This is a series of pipe-separated non-negative real values. For example, if the frequencies 1.0MHz and 1.2MHz were processed, this setting would show: '1000000|1200000'.

AutoTransient History File - File Information Setting

The File Information setting of the AutoTransient History File stores information about a file. The data consists of 3 fields, separated by pipe (|) symbols.

Fields
Field
Description
Filename
Filename of the file, relative to the History folder.
ModificationDate Last modification date of the file as recorded by the program. See the Date Format topic for details on the format used for dates.
HashCode
Hashed value of the contents of the file. This is not used currently.

AutoTransient - Date Format

The following format is used for dates in Transient files: #YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:SS#
YYYY Four-digit value of the year.
MM Two-digit abbreviation of the month (1-12).
DD
Day of the month (1-31)
HH
Hour of the day (0-23)
mm
Number of minutes elapsed in the hour (0-59)
SS
Number of seconds elapsed in the current minute (0-59)

Example
The date format for January 1, 2000; 6:32:00 AM is: #2000-01-01 06:32:00#.

The AutoTransient Registry Settings

AutoTransient stores some global settings in the Windows Registry. The settings are stored in a Key - Value format in nested folders of the registry (hives, in the registry terminology). This structure is similar to that used in the AutoTransient Project and Scenario files)
The AutoTransient settings can be found at "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA program Settings\AutoTransient". While it is not recommended to do so, it is possible to edit these registry settings with the help of standard registry editors, for example the RegEdit.exe utility that ships with Windows. Note that, depending on your Windows configuration, this may require administrator or
power-user privileges.

Registry Settings - Top Level Folders

Name
Description
Options
Contains default settings for the program, as defined mainly in the Options menu.
Recent Projects Recent file list containing the fully qualified paths of the recently open or created project files.
Settings
Stores configuration settings for the Open Project window.

AutoTransient Registry Settings - Settings Folder

The Settings folder of the AutoTransient registry settings stores configuration information for the Open Project window.

Settings
Key
Description
OpenProjectFolderBrowseHeight Non-negative real number defining the height (in Twips) of the Browse for Folder window used in the Open Project screen.
OpenProjectFolderBrowseWidth Non-negative real number defining the width (in Twips) of the Browse for Folder window used in the Open Project screen.
OpenProjectHeight
Non-negative real number defining the height (in Twips) of the Open Project screen.
OpenProjectWidth
Non-negative real number defining the width (in Twips) of the Open Project screen.

AutoTransient Registry Settings - PATHS Folder

The PATHS folder in the AutoTransient registry settings stores information about recently used paths and files.

Settings
Key
Description
LastPath Identifies the last folder path in which a project was open or created.

Sub-Folders
Name
Description
FFTTemplates
Recent file list containing the fully qualified paths of the most recent files imported as FFTSES templates.
HIFREQTemplates Recent file list containing the fully qualified paths of the most recent files imported as HIFREQ templates.

AutoTransient Registry Settings - Options Folder

The Options folder in the AutoTransient registry settings stores most of the AutoTransient options. This includes the size of most of the program's windows, and the default setting defined in the Options menu.

Settings
Key
Description
Errors
This setting is used for internal consistency checks only.
MainConfiguration
Window configuration of the main screen of the program. The last number of this setting represents the fraction of the screen height devoted to the Program Output section.
MessagesVisible
Boolean value (T = True; everything else = False) recording whether the Messages section of the main screen is visible. The default is True.
ProcessOnImport
Boolean value (T = True; everything else = False) recording whether the option to "Start processing as soon as the Import operation completes" is selected in the Import Templates screen. The default is False.
PropertiesConfiguration Window configuration of the Properties screen. The last number in the setting represents the fraction of the width of the screen occupied by the tree.
SelectConfiguration
Window configuration of the Activate Scenario and Delete Scenarios screens. The last number in the setting represents the fraction of the width of the screen occupied by the list.

Sub-Folders
Name
Description
MESSAGES Contains preferences for the Messages section of the main screen.
PATHS
Contains recently used paths and filenames.
PROCESSING Stores default settings controlling the processing of a scenario. This is identical in structure to the DATA section of a Transient Scenario file, and defines the default values to use for this data when not explicitly specified in a scenario.

AutoTransient Registry Settings - Recent Files

Several folders of the AutoTransient registry settings store information about recently used files. In all cases, these settings have the following structure.

Settings
Key

Description

N (N = 0, 1, ...) Filename of the Nth recent file.

Remarks
The most recent file in the list is associated to the setting N = 0, the second is associated to the setting N = 1, etc...

AutoTransient Registry Settings - MESSAGES Folder

The MESSAGES folder in the AutoTransient registry settings contains preferences for the Messages section of the main screen.

Settings
Key

Description
Pipe (|) separated list containing seven positive real numbers. These numbers define the width of the columns in the message list, as a fraction of the total width of the list. These values are in one-to-one correspondence with the message information items described in the Message Information Items section. They should add-up to 1. The values for the columns that are not selected (as per
ColumnWidth
the InfoSelected setting) are ignored, and the remaining ones are normalized to 1.
DetailsFraction Positive real number specifying the height of the Details portion of the Messages section of the main screen, as a fraction of the height of the Messages section. This is ignored if ShowDetails is False.
Pipe (|) separated list containing seven Boolean values (T = True; everything else = False) recording whether the corresponding column is visible in the message list. These values are in one-to-one correspondence with the message information items described in the Message Information Items. This setting is True by default for the 'Message Type' and 'Message' columns, and False for the
InfoSelected
other columns. Currently, it can be modified only for the 'Date and Time' and 'Message Code' columns.
MaxMessages Positive integer specifying the maximum number of messages that can be displayed simultaneously. The default value is 100. Once the maximum number is reached, the earlier messages are removed from memory as newer messages are generated.
ShowDetails Boolean value (T = True; everything else = False) controlling whether the Details portion of the Messages section of the main screen is visible or not. The default value is True.
Integer value controlling the sort direction of the messages in the list. The allowed values are:
SortDirection

-1: None. The messages are not sorted. This is the default setting.
0: Ascending. The messages are sorted in ascending order.

1: Descending. The messages are sorted in descending order.
SortedColumn Non-negative integer identifying the column that is sorted in the message list. The default value is 'Date and Time'. This value is ignored if the SortDirection is set to 'None'.
TypeSelected Pipe (|) separated list containing six Boolean values (T = True; everything else = False) recording whether the corresponding type of message should be displayed. These values are in one-to-one correspondence with the types of messages described in the Message Types section. This setting is True by default for all but the 'Trace' message type.

Message Types
The following types of messages can be displayed.
Message Type
Description
Information
General information messages.
Warning
Warning messages.
Error
Error messages.
Progress
Special information message announcing progress on some operation.
Internal Check Failure Reports the failure of an internal consistency check. This should be reported to SES.
Trace
Provides information on the internal state of the program. This can be useful for troubleshooting.

Message Information Items

The following types of information items are available when displaying messages.
Information Item Description
Code
Integer code identifying the message.
Description
The body of the message.
TimeStamp
Date and time at which the message was generated.
MessageType
Type of the message.
HelpID
Integer defining a help topic containing more detailed information about the message.
HelpFile
Fully qualified path of the help file containing the help topic associated with the message (if any).
Source
Identifies the source of the message in the code. This can be useful for troubleshooting.

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