Free Tools

Process engineering references

Lookup tables we use on our own projects, published in full so the numbers are readable without a download or a login.

• Pipe schedule chart — outside diameter, wall and bore for NPS Schedule 10, 40 and 80, alongside the sanitary tube dimensions that use a completely different sizing system.
• Saturated steam table — saturation temperature by gauge pressure, computed from IAPWS-IF97, with the 121°C SIP condition located at 15.1 psig.
• Pipe weight calculator — weight per foot by schedule in carbon steel and stainless, plus sanitary tube, with the mean-diameter formula the numbers come from.
• Valve Cv calculator — required Cv by flow and pressure drop, the Kv conversion, and why an oversized control valve destabilises a loop.
• NPSH calculator — vapour pressure and available suction head by temperature, and why a hot WFI loop cavitates when a cold flush does not.
• SCFM to ACFM calculator — conversion factors by line pressure, and the rotameter error that under-purges an orbital weld.
• Bolt torque calculator — torque by bolt size and nut factor, showing the 40 percent spread between dry and lubricated threads.
• LMTD calculator — log mean temperature difference for real duties, typical overall coefficients, and why fouling sets the margin.
• Orifice plate sizing — beta ratio against permanent pressure loss, and why a plate has no place on a product line.

The calculators are in the same family: dead-leg L/D, CIP flow and velocity, cleanroom air changes, tank volume, pipe and tube volume and the USP water specification lookup.

Process engineering calculators

• Dead-leg L/D calculator — ASME BPE limit of 2, and the legacy six-diameter figure still widely quoted.
• CIP flow and velocity calculator — diameter, velocity and flow, and why the largest line governs the pump.
• USP 645 conductivity lookup — the temperature-dependent Stage 1 limit plus the full WFI and Purified Water spec set.

Building or remediating a process system?

These tools are free and self-serve. If you have an actual project — a water system, a cleanroom, sanitary piping, a skid — tell us the scope and constraints and we will come back with a real answer.

Frequently asked questions

Which tools are open and which need registration?

The reference tables, including the pipe schedule chart and the saturated steam table, are open to everyone. The calculators are available after a short free registration, with no charge and no obligation.

Why register for the calculators at all?

Registration keeps the tools free while letting us know who finds them useful, which is what justifies continuing to build them. There is no payment step and no requirement to discuss a project.

What reference tables are available?

A pipe schedule chart giving dimensions and wall thicknesses, and a saturated steam table giving the pressure and temperature relationship with the associated properties, both in the form engineers actually need them.

What does the valve Cv calculator do?

It relates flow, pressure drop and the valve flow coefficient, which is what sizing a control valve for a given duty comes down to. Oversized control valves operating near their seat are a common and avoidable control problem.

What is NPSH and why is there a calculator for it?

Net positive suction head available describes how much margin a pump has above the point where the liquid would flash and cavitate. It depends on atmospheric pressure, static head, temperature and losses, which is why it is easy to get wrong at altitude or on hot liquids.

What does the LMTD calculator give me?

The log mean temperature difference for a heat exchanger duty, which is the driving force the heat transfer area is sized against. It is the first number needed before any exchanger selection is meaningful.

What is the SCFM to ACFM conversion for?

Compressed air and gas flows quoted at standard conditions behave differently at actual conditions of pressure, temperature and altitude. Sizing equipment on standard flow at a site where actual conditions differ is a recurring cause of undersized systems.

Why is there a bolt torque calculator?

Because flange joint integrity depends on achieving the right bolt load, and on gasketed sanitary and industrial joints an under- or over-tightened bolt pattern is a leak or a crushed gasket. The calculator relates torque to the load actually wanted.

What does the orifice plate sizing calculator do?

It sizes a restriction for a target flow measurement or pressure drop from the line conditions. Orifice plates remain common because they are simple, and they are sensitive to installation, so the sizing is only half the job.

Are these tools a substitute for engineering?

No. They do the arithmetic quickly and correctly, and they cannot see the constraints that usually decide a design. For a real system the useful step is a conversation about what the process actually has to do.