1. Why We Built This
Bioprocess engineers spend a disproportionate amount of time on calculations that should be instant. Scale-up estimates, feeding profiles, column sizing, heat transfer checks—these are routine calculations that get repeated dozens of times during process development, yet most engineers still rely on personal Excel spreadsheets or vendor-specific tools that require logins and licenses.
We built BioProcess Tools to solve this. Every calculator is free, open in your browser, and requires no login. They run entirely client-side (your data never leaves your machine), work on mobile devices, and give you results in seconds. Whether you are a student working through a textbook problem, a process development scientist designing a fed-batch run, or a manufacturing engineer troubleshooting a scale-up issue, these tools are designed to save you time.
This page is your directory to all 26 tools, organized by workflow. Bookmark it and share it with your team.
2. Upstream Process Design Tools
These six tools cover the core calculations for fermentation and cell culture process design: feeding, aeration, agitation, and thermal management.
Fed-Batch Calculator
Design exponential and linear feeding profiles. Enter biomass, yield coefficients, and feed concentration to generate time-resolved feed schedules with volume tracking.
Scale-Up Calculator
Compare all five scale-up criteria (constant P/V, tip speed, kLa, Re, mixing time) side by side. Enter source and target vessel dimensions to see predicted operating conditions.
OTR & kLa Estimator
Estimate kLa using Van't Riet or Buchs correlations for STRs and shake flasks. Compare OTR against your culture's oxygen demand.
Gas Mixing Calculator
Calculate gas blend compositions for oxygen enrichment, CO2 overlay, and nitrogen blanketing. Convert between flow rates and partial pressures.
Heat Transfer Calculator
Estimate metabolic heat generation from OUR, calculate required cooling capacity, and size jacket or coil heat exchangers.
Perfusion Calculator
Design continuous perfusion processes: cell bleed rate, perfusion rate, cell-specific perfusion rate (CSPR), and steady-state predictions.
For the theory behind these calculations, see our Bioprocess Formulas Cheat Sheet and How to Calculate kLa guide.
3. Downstream Processing Tools
Seven tools for purification, viral clearance, and buffer preparation—covering the full DSP train from harvest to formulated bulk.
Chromatography Calculator
Column sizing from binding capacity and load mass. Calculate buffer volumes for equilibration, wash, elution, and CIP. Linear velocity and residence time checks.
Buffer Calculator
Generate buffer recipes for common biological buffers. Calculate component masses for target pH, concentration, and volume.
Filtration / TFF Calculator
Size TFF and normal flow filtration systems. Calculate membrane area from flux and volume, diafiltration volumes, and concentration factors.
Viral Clearance Calculator
Calculate LRV for each clearance step. Sum total LRV across the purification train. Verify regulatory clearance targets are met.
Centrifugation Scale-Up
Calculate sigma factors for different centrifuge types. Scale between lab and production centrifuges using Q/sigma equivalence.
Protein A Resin Lifetime
Track resin cycle count, calculate remaining lifetime, and model resin replacement costs based on DBC decay curves.
Refolding Protocol Generator
Generate customized IB solubilization and refolding protocols. Input protein properties and get buffer recipes, redox conditions, and additive recommendations.
For inclusion body processing protocols, see our Inclusion Bodies: Complete Guide.
4. Cell Culture & Manufacturing
Six tools for day-to-day cell culture work, from tracking growth data to troubleshooting manufacturing issues.
CellTrack
Progressive web app for logging cell counts, viability, metabolites, and titer. Automatic growth rate, doubling time, and IVC calculations with interactive charts.
CHO Troubleshooter
Diagnose common CHO cell culture problems. Input symptoms (low viability, poor growth, low titer) and get ranked root causes with corrective actions.
Seed Train Planner
Design seed train expansions from vial thaw to production bioreactor. Calculate split ratios, volumes, and timelines for each passage.
Media Estimator
Estimate media and supplement volumes for your production campaign. Calculate costs based on vendor pricing and batch schedule.
Cell Therapy Planner
Plan autologous and allogeneic cell therapy manufacturing runs. Track cell expansion, dose requirements, and manufacturing timelines.
Osmolality Calculator
Estimate solution osmolality from component concentrations. Check media and buffer osmolality against target ranges for cell culture.
5. Cell Line Development
Four tools for cell line development, clone selection, and expression system optimization.
Cell Bank Calculator
Plan master and working cell bank creation. Calculate vial numbers, cell requirements, and freezing media volumes from your expansion data.
Clone Scorecard
Multi-attribute scoring for clone selection. Weight and rank clones by titer, growth rate, viability, product quality, and stability data.
E. coli Expression Optimizer
Optimize recombinant protein expression in E. coli. Get recommendations for strain, promoter, temperature, inducer concentration, and media.
Degradation Assessor
Predict protein degradation pathways and hotspots. Assess deamidation, oxidation, and fragmentation risks from sequence and process conditions.
For E. coli expression troubleshooting, see our Inclusion Bodies Guide.
6. Emerging Modalities
As bioprocessing expands into new therapeutic modalities, we are building tools for the unique challenges of mRNA, gene therapy, and next-generation biologics manufacturing.
7. Process Economics
Two tools to connect process parameters to business outcomes.
Fermentation Economics
Build a full COGS model for your upstream and downstream process. Sensitivity analysis on titer, yield, and batch frequency. Compare facility configurations.
Endotoxin Calculator
Calculate endotoxin limits per dose from product specifications. Convert between EU/mL, EU/mg, and EU/dose. Check against FDA and EMA limits.
For the formulas behind these calculations, see our Bioprocess Formulas Cheat Sheet.
8. What's Coming Next
We are continuously adding new tools based on community feedback. Here is what is currently in development:
- DOE Planner — Design of experiments for process optimization. Full factorial, fractional factorial, and response surface designs with automatic analysis and visualization.
- Process Data Dashboard — Upload bioreactor and analytics data (CSV/Excel) for automated trend analysis, batch comparison, and statistical process control charting.
- Glycosylation Predictor — Predict N-linked glycosylation site occupancy and glycan profiles from process conditions (pH, DO, temperature, media components).
- Sterile Filtration Sizing — Size 0.2 µm filters for bioburden reduction and sterile filtration using Vmax testing data.
Have a calculation you do regularly that should be automated? We want to hear about it. Email us at hello@bioprocesstools.com with your idea, and we will prioritize the most-requested tools.
For a deeper dive into bioprocess engineering as a career and discipline, read our guide: What Is Bioprocess Engineering?