Getting Started with the Athena Pavement LCA 2.3

This file contains last-minute product information, download and installation instructions, documentation updates and troubleshooting tips.

 

 

UPDATES

For the latest software, database, help file, sample, and other supporting documentation, please visit the Athena Institute's software website regularly at calculatelca.com/software/pavement-lca

 

 

WEB APP

Want to use the Pavement LCA web app instead of the Windows desktop application? Visit pavementlca.com

 

 

INSTALLATION AND SUPPORT

 

System Minimum Requirements:

 

Installation General Notes:

  1. For the easiest installation experience, quit any open programs, prior to installing the Athena Pavement LCA.
  2. If you are installing an update to the Athena Pavement LCA, we recommend that you uninstall the previous release before installing the update. See below for more details on uninstalling software.
  3. We recommend restarting the computer after uninstalling an older version of the program.
  4. We recommend restarting the computer after installing the program.


Uninstalling an older version of the Athena Pavement LCA


Windows XP
  1. Click the "Start Button"
  2. Launch the "Control Panel" by clicking the "Control Panel" link.
  3. Click on the "Add Remove Program" link
  4. Right-click on the "Athena Pavement LCA" link, then select the "Uninstall" option.
  5. Restart the computer.

Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10
  1. Click the "Start Button"
  2. Launch the "Control Panel" by clicking the "Control Panel" link.
  3. Click on the "Uninstall a Program" link in the "Programs" group. If you are using the "Classic View", click on the "Programs and Features" link.
  4. Right-click on the "Athena Pavement LCA" link, then select the "Uninstall" option.
  5. Restart the computer.

Manually Uninstall Pavement LCA

If "Add/Remove Programs" was unsuccessful in completely removing the previous version of the Pavement LCA from your computer, you may want to try to manually uninstall all traces of the program from your computer. This will involve editing your computer's Registry. Before you proceed, you must be aware that it can be very dangerous to edit your computer Registry. Click here to review the set of instructions that we have used for manually uninstalling the Pavement LCA on both Windows XP and Vista computers.


Installing the Athena Pavement LCA


Windows XP

If you downloaded a ZIP file:

  1. Launch Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder where the ZIP file was downloaded.
  2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file.
  3. Double click the "setup.exe" file to launch the installer program.
  4. Follow the prompts to install the application.
  5. Restart the computer.
  6. Launch the Pavement LCA application and proceed to activate your license.  See "Software Registration" below. NOTE: registration is not part of this release.


If you received a CD:

  1. Insert the CD. If the installation process does not proceed automatically, do the following
    1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the CD drive.
    2. Double click the "setup.exe" file.
  2. Follow the prompts to install the application.
  3. Restart the computer.
  4. Launch the Pavement LCA application and proceed to activate your license.  See "Software Registration" below. NOTE: registration is not part of this release.

Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10

If you downloaded a ZIP file:

  1. Launch Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder where the ZIP file was downloaded.
  2. Extract the contents of the ZIP file.
  3. Double-click the "setup.exe" file to launch the application installation program which will automatically request UAC (User Account Control) elevation and will ask for the "Administrator" password when using Windows Vista or 7 if the user does not have administrator rights.

    Alternatively, you can manually launch the application installation program in an elevated state as follows:
    1. Right-click the "setup.exe" file
    2. Select "Run as Administrator"

  4. Follow the prompts to install the application.
  5. Restart the computer.
  6. Click the "Start" button, navigate to the "Athena Pavement LCA" sub-menu and click the "Athena Pavement LCA" link to launch the application.

    Alternatively, you can manually launch the application in an elevated state as follows:

    Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder where the software was installed. The default location is "C:\Program Files\Athena Institute\Pavement LCA".
    1. Right-click the "Athena.exe" file then select "Run as Administrator" to launch the Pavement LCA application
    2. Proceed to activate your license. See "Software Registration" below. NOTE: registration is not part of this release.


If you received a CD:

  1. Insert the CD. If the installation process does not proceed automatically, do the following
    1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the CD drive.
    2. Double-click the "setup.exe" file to launch the application installation program which will automatically request UAC (User Account Control) elevation and will ask for the "Administrator" password when using Windows Vista or higher if the user does not have administrator rights.

      Alternatively, you can manually launch the application installation program in an elevated state as follows:
      1. Right-click the "setup.exe" file
      2. Select "Run as Administrator"

  2. Double-click the "setup.exe" file to launch the application installation program which will automatically request UAC (User Account Control) elevation and will ask for the "Administrator" password when using Windows Vista or higher if the user does not have administrator rights.

    Alternatively, you can manually launch the application installation program in an elevated state as follows:
    1. Right-click the "setup.exe" file
    2. Select "Run as Administrator"

  3. Follow the prompts to install the application.
  4. Restart the computer.
  5. Click the "Start" button, navigate to the "Athena Pavement LCA " sub-menu and click the "Athena Pavement LCA " link to launch the application.

    Alternatively, you can manually launch the application as follows:

    Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder where the software was installed. The default location is "C:\Program Files\Athena Institute\Pavement LCA".
    1. Right-click the "Athena.exe" file then select "Run as Administrator" to launch the Pavement LCA application
    2. Proceed to activate your license. See "Software Registration" below. NOTE: registration is not part of this release.

 

Software Registration:

No software registration is required for this release of the Pavement LCA.

 

 

License Agreement:

Click here to review the License Agreement.

 

 

DOCUMENTATION

A Help system is installed with the application. Help topics can be searched from within the program. The web browser enabled version of the help system can be accessed by clicking here.

 

 

GENERAL PROGRAM NOTES

Microsoft® Windows 8 and Windows 10 Notes:

  1. 32 Bit: The application has been tested on 32 Bit versions of Windows 8 and Windows 10.
  2. 64 Bit: The application has been tested on 64 Bit versions of Windows 8 and Windows 10.
  3. User Account Control: For all types of Windows 8 and Windows 10, if you have User Account Control turned on, when you launch the Athena Pavement LCA application, a User Account Control prompt might be displayed and you may be prompted to consent to running the application. Click the "ALLOW" button to run the application, or "CANCEL" to quit.

 

Microsoft® Windows 7 Notes:

  1. 32 Bit: The application has been tested on 32 Bit versions of Windows 7.
  2. 64 Bit: The application has been tested on 64 Bit versions of Windows 7.
  3. User Account Control: For all types of Windows 7, if you have User Account Control turned on, when you launch the Athena® Pavement LCA application, a User Account Control prompt might be displayed and you may be prompted to consent to running the application. Click the "ALLOW" button to run the application, or "CANCEL" to quit.

 

Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Notes:

  1. 32 Bit: The application has been tested on Vista 32 Ultimate and Business.
  2. 64 Bit: The application has been tested on Vista 64 Home Premium.
  3. User Account Control: For all types of Vista, if you have User Account Control turned on, when you launch the Athena Pavement LCA application, a User Account Control prompt might be displayed and you may be prompted to consent to running the application. Click the "ALLOW" button to run the application, or "CANCEL" to quit.

 

General Operating System Notes:

  1. The Pavement LCA will not run on Windows 3.1™ or MAC OS and has not been tested on Windows 95/98/2000/NT™.
  2. When copied and decompressed The Pavement LCA takes up approximately 270 MB of disk space. Microsoft® Windows XP/Vista™/7/8/10 and 512 MB of RAM are the minimum hardware and software systems requirements.
  3. We assume you are familiar with the basic operation of Microsoft® Windows XP/Vista™/7/8/10, such as opening files, saving files, and clicking on menu items. If not, please refer to your Windows XP/Vista™/7/8/10 User’s Guide.

 


 

 

WHAT’S NEW


Changes between versions 2.2 and 2.3


Version 2.3 includes the following enhancements and updates:

  1. Updates to the TRACI measure characterization factors for Global Warming Potential and Acidification Potential.
  2. Updates to the Material data for Ready Mix Concrete Process as well as crushed and natural, coarse and fine aggregates.
  3. Updates to the Equipment data.
  4. Updates to the Pavement Vehicle Interaction (PVI) module.


Changes between versions 2.1 and 2.2


Version 2.2 includes the following enhancements and updates:

  1. Updates to the Canadian manufacturing data for Portland Cement and Portland Lime Cement.
  2. Updates to the Quebec and Ontario Sample Projects and the corresponding Scenario library entries.
  3. Updates to the rigid pavement steel calculator. It is now available from the Roadway design form.
  4. Updates to the Maintenance & Rehabilitation effects calculations
  5. The width value entered for Roundings and Sub-Base roadway design elements is now for the width at the top of the element. Previously the width was defined for the bottom of the element which could result in negative area and volume values could be calculated.


Changes between versions 2.0 and 2.1


Version 2.1 includes the following enhancements and updates:

  1. A brand new name. In effort to more strongly brand the desktop application and the upcoming web application, the name has been changed from to “Pavement LCA” from the “Impact Estimator for Highways”.
  2. Support for US regions (US Average, California, Illinois).
  3. Addition of 8 new sample projects and corresponding Roadway Assembly Library records for US Roadway Designs (US Average, California, Illinois).
  4. Disaaggretation of PVI Effects. In previous versions, the Use Phase Excess Fuel Consumption due to PVI was all lumped into a single bucket. The effects due to Roughness (IRI) and Deflection are now reported separately under the “Use Phase: Excess Fuel Consumption due to PVI” banner.
  5. Estimating steel reinforcement input mass requirements is easier now, thanks to a new spreadsheet resource file.


Changes between versions 1.0 and 2.0


Version 2.0 includes the following enhancements and updates:

  1. TRACI 2.1: The US EPA issued a new version of its TRACI impact characterization methodology in 2012 and this new version of our software now supports the new methods and equivalency measures advocated by the EPA
  2. The Composite Products Library module was overhauled to be more intuitive, and to improve the user experience.
  3. PVI Generation II: The Pavement Vehicle Interaction (PVI) module is based on the latest research and model from the Concrete Sustainability Hub at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), "PVI Mechanistic Model Gen II", Dr. Arghavan Louhghalam, in collaboration with Mehdi Akbarian and Prof. Franz-Josef Ulm. December 2013
  4. Addition of 48 new sample projects and corresponding Roadway Assembly Library records for Southern Quebec (Montreal) Roadway Designs.
  5. Addition of 48 new sample projects and corresponding Roadway Assembly Library records for Northern Quebec (Quebec City) Roadway Designs.
  6. Updated purchased electricity profiles on a regional, national and North American inter-tie level
  7. Updated transportation by truck profiles

 

 

Known Issues

The following issues have been identified in the Athena Pavement LCA (formerly Impact Estimator for Highways) Version 2.3 Build 0101 as of its release in January 2018. For an up–to–date list, click here to visit the Athena Institute website.

  1. All Forms - Forms do not accept numeric entries if the decimal symbol is a comma. (e.g., French Language numeric values). This will occur in the "Add Project" form, where the user may enter data into any of the input boxes, but will not be able to click the "OK" button to accept the new project. If the Regional and Language settings in the Windows Control Panel are set to a language such as French (Canada), where the decimal symbol is set as a comma, as opposed to a period, the forms will not validate properly, and an error will occur. Workaround: To work around this, open Regional and Language Options in the Control Panel, and either switch the format to English, or Customize the French format so that the decimal symbol is a period. After making the change, re-open the Pavement LCA desktop applciation and proceed. Don't forget to switch the period back to a comma when you are finished working in the Pavement LCA.
  2. Virtual or Lab Runtime Environments : When the Pavement LCA desktop application is installed in a lab (client-server) or virtual desktop session runtime environments, some of the user specific files do not successfully install in each user specific folder when the application runs for the first time. The offending files are only successfully installed in the user folder for the account under which the application was installed.
    Workaround: The workaround for this is to download the ZIP file from here and decompress it in the user specific folder (e.g., C:\Users\YouUserAccount.YourDomain\Documents\Athena\Pavement LCA\). Once the ZIP file has been downloaded, you can choose to use Group Policy Objects or a copy script to accomplish wide distribution of these files.

 

 

Changes & Issues Addressed in Version 2.3 Build 0101:

The following software enhancements, updates and fixes have been made in Version 2.3, Build 0101, released in January 2018:

General Changes

  1. TRACI Measures: Updated TRACI measure characterization factors for Global Warming Potential and Acidification Potential. Methane and N20 factors for GWP and Ammonia and Sulphur Oxides factors for Acidification Potential were aligned with the current values used in LCA software. The EPA has not updated those TRACI factors, our software had been using values updated to more recent IPCC values, but our SimaPro LCA software is using the previous values, so we’ve reverted them back to be in line with those values.

    Even if material LCI data hasn’t changed, the GWP and Acidification results will change solely due to the changes in the characterization factors, and will depend on the material. For example, Portland Cement results are barely changed, decreasing 0.2% for both GPW and Acidification. Bitumen GWP results decrease by 3%, while Acidification results increase by 75%.
  2. Material Updates: The only major material updates were for crushed and natural, coarse, fine and lightweight aggregates. There is no industry wide LCA reports available, but these LCI data were updated to use the same Ecoinvent profiles that have been used in recent years for the NRMCA and CRMCA ready mix concrete industry wide LCAs. Aggregates have relatively low effects on a per unit basis compared to other materials, but compared to the previous profiles, GWP and Energy results have increased by approximately 90-100%, with similar increases in the other LCA measures.
  3. Material Updates: In addition to the new North American (in scope) aggregate updates, the aggregate profiles were regionalized for electricity use and local transportation distances to permit users to enter their own material manufacturing transportation distances for their projects.
  4. Equipment Table: The biggest change to the equipment table is to correct an error in the fuel use of the Milling Machine, it is now 160 times less per tonne than before. This equipment is chosen by default in any milling activity, and as an example, all of the sample projects include milling operations and the results of the construction and maintenance & rehabilitation phases of each of those projects will decrease compared to previous results.

    A bug was reported for Cold In-Place Asphalt Recycler was reported where the fuel use was being calculated incorrectly when changes were made to the production rate or load factor. It turns our that this error also affected Back Topper, Milling Machine, Compressors and Pavement Router, the bug has been corrected and the fuel use values have been updated.

    There was also an error in any equipment that uses Secondary Fuel (Asphalt Remixer, Heating Machine and Black Topper). The secondary fuel use was being calculated in litres per hour instead of litres per whatever the appropriate unit is. These have been corrected.
  5. Pavement Vehicle Interaction: The PVI module has been updated. The IRI model has not changed, but there was an error in how it was calculated in the tool and that bug has been corrected. The Deflection model has been updated and the tool is now using this new model.
  6. Ready Mix Concrete Process: The energy profile for Ready Mix Concrete was updated to the profile developed in the Industry Wide NRMCA Ready Mix LCA of 2016.

So what do all these changes mean to your results?

If you run the same roadways in v3.0.01 and compare to your previous results, those results will almost certainly decrease. We compared the results of two of the sample projects, Ontario Municipal Major Arterial - 10,000 AADTT, both HMA and PCC from one version to the other. Overall, the embodied total results for the HMA road, the GWP decreased by 42% and Energy Use by 20%, and for the for the PCC road the GWP decreased by 33% and the energy use by 43%.

We tried to break this down a little using a PC concrete as an example. The changes in the aggregate background data, new TRACI factors and the ready mix process change account for about a 5% increase in GWP and Energy use and about 10% for Acidification potential. Of that, 4% of the increase is due to the new aggregate data and the remaining 1% is due to the new TRACI factors and ready mix process for GWP and energy use, and for Acidification it is similar except the TRACI factors were responsible for about 4% of the 10% increase.

Overall though, these increases were hidden by drastic decreases in the construction and maintenance results due to the change in the equipment fuel use. Two factors relating to the use of the Milling Machine account for the vast majority of this decrease. One, the milling machine fuel consumption data was corrected and decreased by a factor of 160 times. Two, the milling machine is used in the construction phase to mill rumble strips, a bug in the code was assuming that the entire roadway was being milled, not just the rumble strips. This resulted in about an 85% decrease in the construction phase results. In the maintenance phase there is a decrease 30% GWP and 10% energy use for the HMA road, and 50% GWP and 20% energy use for the PCC road. Of these, the vast majority of the change can be attributed to the incorrect fuel usage value for the milling machine.

 

 

Changes & Issues Addressed in Version 2.2 Build 0101:

The following software enhancements, updates and fixes have been made in Version 2.2, Build 0101, released in May 2016:

General Changes

  1. Roadway Design - Rigid Pavement - Steel Calculator: a new Excel based tool for calculating the mass of steel used in a roadway has been linked to the Roadway form.
  2. Roadway Design - Roundings & Sub-Base Granular Layers - Width: The width value entered for Roundings and Sub-Base roadway design elements is now for the width at the top of the element. Previously the width was defined for the bottom of the element which could result in negative area and volume values could be calculated.
  3. Sample Projects & Roadway Library: Updated all Ontario and Quebec Sample Projects. Repopulated the database Roadway Library that is used in the "Scenarios" dropdown box in the Roadway Form.
  4. Construction Equipment Record - Primary Fuel Consumption: When editing a Construction Equipment record for Imperial units, the wrong Primary Fuel Consumption value was being calculated. This bug affects both Project level Construction Equipment and the Construction Equipment Library.
  5. Secondary Transportation Effects are being overestimated. There was a bug in the algorithms that calculate the transportation related secondary (pre-combustion) effects.
  6. Construction Equipment Transportation Effects - Hauled Equipment: Energy consumed to float hauled pieces of roadway construction equipment is now calculated only if roadway assemblies are present in a project. This affected both Construction and Maintenance & Rehabilitation life cycle stages.
  7. Construction Equipment Transportation Effects - Self Propelled Equipment: Energy consumed to drive self-propelled pieces of roadway construction equipment that do not transport material was being under estimated. This affected both Construction and Maintenance & Rehabilitation life cycle stages.
  8. Material & Construction Equipment Transportation Effects: Energy consumed to haul material and self-propelled pieces of roadway construction equipment was using the wrong distance factor. This affected both Construction and Maintenance & Rehabilitation life cycle stages.
  9. Material Transportation to Site: Dump truck is now the default piece of equipment used to transport material to site if the material is not linked to a specific piece of equipment that can haul material. This affects both Construction and Maintenance & Rehabilitation life cycle stages.
  10. Rehabilitation - Construction Equipment Operating Energy - Material: The energy consumed by operating construction equipment during rehabilitation activities where material was added or removed was being over estimated.
  11. Rehabilitation - Construction Equipment Operating Energy - No Material: The energy consumed by operating construction equipment where material was neither added nor removed was being under estimated.
  12. Rehabilitation - Construction Equipment Operating Energy - Precombustion Effects: The precombustion effects for the energy consumed by operating construction equipment during rehabilitation activities was being over estimated.
  13. Rehabilitation - Removed Material Transportation Effects: The energy consumed by transporting removed material from the construction site was being underestimated.
  14. HMA Plant Process - Manufacturing Effects: The energy per unit mass of HMA product being consumed by the modelled HMA Plant was updated.
  15. WMA Plant Process - Manufacturing Effects: The energy per unit mass of WMA product being consumed by the modelled WMA Plant was updated.
  16. Roadway Assembly - Manufacturing Transportation Effects: The energy consumed to transport material for roadway assemblies was being over estimated.
  17. User Defined Composite Products - Pavements: User defined products corresponding to Pavement materials were not being properly categorized as Rigid Pavement or Flexible Pavement. This caused wrong supporting materials and quantities to be in the BOM for user defined pavement products.
  18. Summary Measure Reports - Total Primary Energy: The TPE results in Summary Measure reports were being over estimated.
  19. Pavement Vehicle Interaction - IRI : Changed the IRI Imperial base unit to "ft/mi" from "in/mi". For SI, the base unit remains unchanged at "m/km"

Database Updates

  1. Portland Cement : Updated the Canadian data for Portland Cement
  2. Portland Lime Cement : Updated the Canadian data for Portland Lime Cement

 

 

Changes & Issues Addressed in Version 2.1 Build 0102:

The following software enhancements, updates and fixes have been made in Version 2.1, Build 0102 (hot fix), released in July 2015:

General Changes

  1. Product Library - Update Synchronization: When the product library is saved, all assemblies being modified should be closed for projects that are affected by any product library record updates so that the product library record updates can be applied to the project and assemblies. This behaviour was not happening properly.
  2. Product Library Record - Component Contribution Type: When the Component Library Record Component Contribution Type is changed, the component level unit contribution values can change, thereby changing the Product calculated density. The form was not being updated to reflect these changes.

 

 

Changes & Issues Addressed in Version 2.1 Build 0101:

The following software enhancements, updates and fixes were made in Version 2.1, Build 0101, released in July 2015:

General Changes

  1. New Name, Same Great Application: In an effort to more strongly brand the desktop application and the upcoming web application, the name has been changed to “Pavement LCA” from the “Impact Estimator for Highways”.
  2. New Online Tutorials: Created a new Pavement LCA Webinars & Tutorials web page.
  3. PVI Effects Disaggregation: In previous versions, the Use Phase Excess Fuel Consumption due to PVI was all lumped into a single bucket. The effects due to Roughness (IRI) and Deflection are now reported separately under the “Use Phase: Excess Fuel Consumption due to PVI” banner.
  4. Project File Size Reduction: the average project file size has been reduced from around 3 MB to 700 kB.
  5. User Defined Slab Length: Users can now set the rigid pavement slab length with values between 0.91m (3 feet) and 30.48m (100 feet). The old value of 4.5m (14.76 feet) is now the default value.
  6. Rigid Pavement Steel Calculator: An Excel file for calculating the Mass of Steel Reinforcement has been included with the application to simplify the calculation of the steel reinforcement mass that is an optional input on the Roadway Assembly form.
  7. Resource Use Report: Updated the "Resource Use" report sort order to be alphabetical
  8. Primer Coat: A material quantity calculation error was corrected for the Primer Coat material.
  9. Tack Coat: A material quantity calculation error was corrected for the Tack Coat material.
  10. Rehability Schedule Activity Record: Corrected some display and calculation errors for the "Quantity" and "Width" calculated fields. Added "Skip All" and "Skip None" buttons to make it easier to enter the M&R information.
  11. Product Library - Update Synchronization: Improved the effectiveness of inheriting Product Libraery changes into active projects, their assemblies and any open reports.

US Regions

  1. Added new US regions for US Average, California and Illinois.
  2. Added 2 new sample projects and corresponding Roadway Assembly Library records for California Roadway Designs.
  3. Added 2 new sample projects and corresponding Roadway Assembly Library records for Illinois Roadway Designs.
  4. Added 4 new sample projects and corresponding Roadway Assembly Library records for US Average Roadway Designs.
  5. Added NRMCA 3000 psi and 4000 psi benchmark Concrete Mix Designs were added to the database Product Library.

Database Updates

  1. Portland Cement : Updated the US data for Portland Cement
  2. Slag Cement : Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag was been renamed as Slag Cement, the US data was updated. Slag Cement replaces all other Slag SCMs in User Defined Composite Product Library records (when the application launches) and in legacy projects (when loaded into the application). The list of retired Slag SCMs include the following:
    • Air-Cooled Blast-Furnace Slag - Crushed
    • Air-Cooled Blast-Furnace Slag - Not Crushed
    • Granulated Blast-Furnace Slag
    • Granulated Nickel Slag
    • Granulated Steel Slag
  3. Asphalt Patching : Added Asphalt Patching as a new Activity Type. Previously, in order to model Asphalt Patching, HMA Full or Partial Depth Reclamation had to be used with most Activities skipped
  4. New Plant Process : Ready Mix Concrete Plant Process : A new Ready Mix Concrete Plant Process record was added. Users now have the option of adding this record to their user defined concrete mix designs in their user defined Product Library. By default, if no process record is added to user defined Product, surrogate values that approximate manufacturing energy are used for HMA, WMA and Concrete Pavement material types.
  5. New Material: NRMCA 3000 psi benchmark Concrete Mix Design: Added the "Concrete Benchmark 4000 psi" Concrete Mix Design to the database Product Library.
  6. New Material: NRMCA 4000 psi benchmark Concrete Mix Design: Added the "Concrete Benchmark 4000 psi" Concrete Mix Design to the database Product Library.
  7. New Material: Concrete Optimized for US Flyash : Added the "Concrete Optimized for US Flyash" Concrete Mix Design to the database Product Library.
  8. New Material: HMA PG-64-22 : Added the "HMA PG-64-22" HMA Mix Design to the database Product Library.
  9. New Material: HMA PG-70-62 : Added the "HMA PG-70-62" HMA Mix Design to the database Product Library.