Inlet Box Styles¶

Run the Inlet Box Styles MicroSim Fullscreen

About This MicroSim¶

This MicroSim marks four numbered zones on FanPedia's inlet box drawings (pages 141 and 142), with the inlet box drawn in green on each fan. The top row shows the two integral (attached) styles from page 141: an integral inlet box without a horn, and one with a horn that carries the inlet connection out over the fan. The bottom row shows the two detached styles from page 142: a bolt-on box fastened to the fan's inlet flange, and a free-standing box supported at the floor and joined to the fan by a slip connection. The names sit in a numbered list under the drawing.

The quiz describes one style at a time ("Which drawing shows a detached box fully supported at the floor?") in a shuffled order, and you select the matching zone. You get two attempts per prompt. The first wrong answer shows a hint about where to look; the second reveals the drawing and counts as missed. Mastery is 4 of 4 correct on the first attempt. Explore mode is never scored.

How to Use¶

Explore mode (the starting mode). Point at a numbered zone, or Tab to it, to see its name, a one-line summary and the key facts in the panel below. Click it (or press Enter) to open it; opened drawings get a ✓ in the name list and the counter shows how many of the 4 you have visited.
Quiz mode. Press Quiz. The names disappear and a prompt describes one drawing:
- Correct: "✓ Correct:" with the name and summary; the zone gets a green solid border and a ✓ badge.
- Wrong on the first attempt: "✗ Not quite.", the name of the drawing you picked, and a hint that never names the answer.
- Wrong on the second attempt: the answer is marked "Answer" and named, and the prompt counts as missed.
Press Next prompt after each answer. The toolbar shows "Drawings correct: n of 4".
After the fourth prompt, the summary shows your first-attempt score, whether you reached mastery (4 of 4), and each missed prompt with its answer. Retry missed practises the misses (not scored), Start over reshuffles and resets the score, and Back to explore returns to the names.

Keyboard: Tab moves through the zones in number order and then the buttons; Enter or Space selects a zone. After an answer, focus moves to Next prompt, so Enter goes on.

Data label: "Drawing: FanPedia, Twin City Fan, pp. 141-142", shown under the drawing.

Iframe Embed Code¶

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

<iframe src="https://moroshek.github.io/FanTASTIC-textbook/sims/ch19-inlet-box-styles-overlay/main.html"
        height="991px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan¶

Learning Objective¶

The learner will identify the integral inlet box without horn, the integral inlet box with horn, the bolt-on inlet box and the free-standing inlet box on FanPedia's drawings, given a description of each (Bloom: Remember, verb: identify).

Audience¶

Adult professional development: new application engineers, sales staff, representatives and facilities staff.

Duration¶

10 minutes

Prerequisites¶

Chapter 18, sections "Inlet Box", "Integral Inlet Box" and "Detached Inlet Box".
Chapter 19, section "Inlet Box Styles and the Horn".

Activities¶

Explore (3 min): Open all four drawings. For each one, say what carries the box: the fan, a base angle, or a base plate at the floor.
Quiz (4 min): Switch to quiz mode and match all four descriptions without going back to explore mode.
Review (3 min): Read the missed list, open those drawings in explore mode, then press Start over for a new order.

Common Misconceptions Addressed¶

Every inlet box bolts to the fan's inlet flange: an integral box shares a common plate with the fan inlet housing sideplate; only the detached styles connect at the inlet flange or collar.
A horn is a separate detached box: it is an extension on an integral box, used when the inlet and discharge airflows would intersect.
A free-standing box is just a bolt-on box with a longer leg: it is mounted separately from the fan and fully supported at the floor, and it connects either by a bolted round outlet flange or by a slip collar with a rubber sleeve and clamps.

Assessment¶

First-attempt score shown in the summary as "First-attempt score: n of 4"; mastery is 4 of 4 on the first attempt.
Pointing at zones and opening infoboxes in explore mode is exploration, not evidence.
Follow-up question: the inlet duct of an integral box would run into the discharge duct. Which drawing shows the fix, and what does the added part do?

References¶

FanPedia: The Fan & Blower Encyclopedia (PDF) - Twin City Fan; pp. 141-142 hold the inlet box style drawings used here, and p. 187 describes the inlet box styles.
FanPedia online - Twin City Fan's online version of the encyclopedia.
Chapter 19: Damper Details and Duct Connections - the section "Inlet Box Styles and the Horn", where this MicroSim is embedded.
Chapter 18: Inlets, Outlets and Flow Control - the sections "Integral Inlet Box" and "Detached Inlet Box".
Inlet Box Features - names the features of one inlet box on FanPedia's drawing (p. 145).