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Construction Class Advisor

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About This MicroSim

The advisor presents six illustrative inquiries, in a fixed order, of the kind that reach an application engineer. Each inquiry gives a short description of the fan and the job, and tags for the airstream conditions present: hot, wet, corrosive, explosive, personnel exposure or recirculated gas. Four construction recommendations follow, labeled A to D. One of them is consistent with the FanPedia rules in Chapter 20; the other three each break a specific rule.

The six inquiries cover the decisions a construction line most often gets wrong:

  • high moisture construction for steam in an Arrangement 9 axial fan, with a drain;
  • the rule that high moisture construction cannot be combined with high temperature construction (at 220°F the axial fan needs a high temperature package, so the job goes to engineering review);
  • Type B, not Type C, when a radial bladed fan already has a non-ferrous impeller as standard;
  • the 601°F-800°F centrifugal package plus insulation when workers can touch a 700°F housing;
  • an FGR connection and an insulated inlet box when hot flue gas is returned to the fan inlet;
  • buffer strips or a bolt-on pedestal when stainless steel must not be welded to mild steel.

You commit a recommendation before the reason is shown. The first answer to each inquiry is the one scored; one extra practice attempt is allowed. The summary lists every first answer, the correct answer and the reason, and builds the construction line for inquiry 4 as an example. The score line at the top reads "Inquiries correct: n of 6" and counts first answers only. Mastery is 5 of 6 on the first attempt.

The inquiries are illustrative, not customer orders; the rules come from FanPedia.

How to Use

  1. Read the inquiry and its airstream tags. The prompt asks: "What should the construction line say?"
  2. Press A, B, C or D (or the A to D keys) to select a recommendation, then press Recommend (or Enter) to commit it.
  3. Read the feedback. A sound choice reads "Recommended construction is sound." and a wrong one reads "That breaks a rule." followed by a hint that names the rule the choice breaks. After a correct first answer the reason follows and the correct option is marked at once.
  4. After a wrong first answer you may choose again once for practice. The practice attempt is not scored; afterwards the reason is shown and the correct option is marked.
  5. Press Next inquiry to continue. After inquiry 6, press See summary for the first-attempt score "First-attempt score: n of 6" and the review list. A score of 5 or more reads "Mastery reached (5 of 6 needed). You can turn an airstream into a construction line." On narrow screens the review list has two pages; press Inquiries 4-6 and Inquiries 1-3 to switch.
  6. Press Start over to reset all six inquiries and the score.

Keyboard: keys A to D select an option; Enter recommends the selected option, or moves to the next inquiry once the first answer is committed. Tab reaches every button.

Data label: "Illustrative inquiries · Rules: FanPedia pp. 85-145", shown at the bottom left of the drawing. The inquiries are illustrative; every rule and reason comes from FanPedia.

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/ch20-construction-class-advisor/main.html"
        height="662px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Learning Objective

The learner will recommend the construction choice for six stated airstream inquiries, consistent with the FanPedia rules in Chapter 20, with at least 5 of 6 correct on the first attempt (Bloom: Evaluate, verb: recommend).

Audience

New application engineers, inside and outside sales staff, manufacturer's representatives, distributors and plant staff who write or check the construction line on a fan order. This is an adult professional-development activity.

Duration

10 to 15 minutes for one pass, plus 5 to 10 minutes of discussion.

Prerequisites

From Chapter 20 and Chapter 18: construction class, construction material, stainless steel construction, buffer strips, spark resistant Types A, B and C, non-ferrous material, high temperature construction and packages, high moisture construction, housing drain, insulated fan, insulated jacket, double wall construction, flue gas recirculation and inlet box.

Activities

  1. First pass (8 to 10 min): Each learner works all six inquiries alone, without notes, committing each recommendation before reading the reason. Mastery is 5 of 6 on the first attempt.
  2. Name the broken rule (3 to 5 min): For every wrong first answer in the summary, the learner states which chapter rule that option breaks (for example, "high moisture and high temperature construction cannot be stacked").
  3. Discussion (5 to 10 min): Why does a specification that says Type C end with a Type B recommendation in inquiry 3? Why is insulation the deciding item in inquiry 4 when the temperature band is the same in options B and C? What makes an FGR job more than a normal inlet box?
  4. Write a line (optional): Learners write the full construction line for inquiry 5 in the same form as the summary's example for inquiry 4, then compare.

Common Misconceptions Addressed

  • High moisture and high temperature construction can be stacked (they cannot).
  • Type C is always the lowest-cost answer, even when the impeller is already non-ferrous (use Type B).
  • Insulation is only for heat (it also addresses condensation, sound and personnel protection).
  • A stainless housing can always be welded to a mild steel pedestal (use buffer strips or a bolt-on pedestal when the specification forbids it).
  • An FGR job is just a normal inlet box (it needs an FGR connection on the front of the inlet box, and the hot gas makes an insulated inlet box appropriate).

Assessment

  • First-attempt score shown as "Inquiries correct: n of 6"; mastery is 5 of 6 on the first attempt, and the summary then reads "Mastery reached (5 of 6 needed). You can turn an airstream into a construction line."
  • For each wrong first answer, the learner can name the FanPedia rule the chosen option breaks.
  • Follow-up question: an Arrangement 9 axial fan handles condensing exhaust at 150°F. Which construction applies, and what would change if the temperature rose to 240°F?

References

  1. FanPedia: The Fan & Blower Encyclopedia - Twin City Fan. Source of every rule and reason in the sim: buffer strips and bolt-on pedestals p. 85; spark resistant radial bladed fans p. 107 (note 2); centrifugal high temperature packages p. 110; axial high temperature packages p. 116; insulated jackets p. 119; high moisture construction p. 122; inlet box FGR connection and insulated inlet box p. 145.
  2. Chapter 20: Construction Classes, Materials and Spark Resistance - the chapter this sim closes, in this book.
  3. FanPedia (PDF edition) - Twin City Fan, the printable edition with the same page numbers.