InletSoft© is an inlet analysis program developed to evaluate the performance of inlets including curb, slot, grate, and combination inlets in both sump and continuous grade conditions. Grate inlets in trapezoidal ditches are also included. The program uses the methodology found in FHWA's HEC-22 - Urban Drainage Design Manual and VDOT’s Drainage Manual. A simple and easy to follow interface allows the user to quickly and efficiently input any inlet configuration and solve for a host of result parameters.
While InletSoft© has been developed for application in all situations, special features have been added in InletSoftVA© to facilitate inlet design in the Commonwealth of Virginia and by the Virginia Department of Transportation [VDOT]. These include drainage design using VDOT’s Drainage Manual, Design Standards, current Virginia IDF curves based on the latest NOAA "Atlas 14" Rainfall Data and LD-204 print formats
InletSoft© permits setting project databases in either English or Metric units. The user can invoke IDF curves for any VA county to compute design discharge. When an inlet type is selected, a drop-down menu helps in identifying VDOT Standard inlet types.
C ranges are given to help in the selection of Runoff Coefficients when computing drainage areas for different land uses. For sags, discharges from the right and left of the inlet can be separately computed.
Time of Concentration can be either directly input or computed using E.E. Seelye, Kirpich, Kinematic Wave Formulation and Gutter Flow methods.
Data entry for Inlet Characteristics is easy and user friendly. Once data is entered, the SOLVE button calculates the results of analysis.
Some of the other features of InletSoft©are given below:
• Saves all inlet data, flow data, inlet characteristics and results of analysis in a Project Database file;
• Prints both individual inlet report and VDOT Std. LD-204 forms. The LD 204 form is developed using MS Excel.
These features make InletSoft© superior to the following software widely used by engineers: HEC-12, HEC-22 and Visual Urban.
A comparison showing the benefits of InletSoft© is given below:
