chemengsoftware.com

What It Is

ChemEngSoftware provides Excel spreadsheet templates for designing chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities. It is not a modern SaaS developer platform, but rather a collection of engineering calculation tools aimed at specific design tasks such as piping, tanks, jacket heat transfer, vent manifolds, and pump datasheets. The site suggests a long history: it previously offered Lotus and Excel templates, while its current focus still appears to be Excel 97.

Core Features and Technical Format

Its core products include PipeSize, used for pipe sizing calculations, with built-in physical properties and pipe dimensions as well as the option to add custom data; TankJkt, used to predict heat transfer for jacketed vessels and tanks, supporting half-pipe, conventional, dimple jackets, internal coils, and various agitators, with physical property data for more than 100 jacket fluids; TankVolume, which calculates filled volume at any liquid level for vertical and horizontal vessels and automatically generates data tables with level-volume charts; and VentManifold, which calculates pressure distribution in vent or flare manifolds, useful for checking scenarios where multiple tanks vent simultaneously. There is also a free Pump Datasheet template for simple centrifugal pump datasheet calculations.

Pricing and Openness

The site does not provide a complete price list. PipeSize is described as “very low cost,” Pump Datasheet is free, and other templates or engineering problem-solving services require email inquiry, with services available on a per-problem fee basis. The open-source status is not stated; it appears more like a set of commercial spreadsheet templates. Its strengths are local Excel usage and modifiability, while its limitations include the lack of APIs, SDKs, cloud collaboration, automation integrations, and modern licensing information.

Pros, Cons, and Suitable Users

Its strengths lie in targeting real chemical engineering design scenarios, covering very specific problems, and using an Excel format that is familiar to traditional engineers with a low learning curve. The limitations are also clear: the requirement for Excel 97/2000 indicates an outdated technology stack; Pump Datasheet only supports U.S. customary units; and documentation, validation cases, after-sales support, and purchase/payment methods are not sufficiently disclosed on the site. It is better suited to chemical, pharmaceutical process, or equipment engineers who need low-cost standalone calculation templates. It is not suitable for teams that require enterprise-grade process simulation, collaborative review, API integration, or a compliance documentation framework.

Access from China and Alternatives

The site does not provide information about access from China, payment methods, or mirrors, so its accessibility status is unknown. If purchase or access is not possible, alternatives include Aspen HYSYS, Aspen Plus, ChemCAD, AVEVA Process Simulation, DWSIM, or in-house Excel templates.