Who makes Frictionless Calc?
I'm Luke Barney, a process engineer. I built Frictionless Calc because I wanted practical engineering calculations that were easy to set up and easy to check. An answer isn't very useful if you can't tell where it came from.
The site provides free, browser-based calculators, reference tables, and worked examples for common process and mechanical engineering questions. It's meant for students and working engineers who want the inputs, equations, assumptions, and intermediate values in one place.
I focus on tools that answer a real design or troubleshooting question rather than trying to build one enormous model for everything.
What you can calculate
| Engineering topic | Examples on this site |
|---|---|
| Fluid flow and piping | Pipe friction loss, pipe sizing, multi-section pipe systems, and branched pipe networks. |
| Pumps and valves | Pump power, NPSH available, and valve sizing. |
| Heat transfer | Heating and cooling duty, heat exchanger calculations, and insulation. |
| Process engineering | Material balances, tank volumes, and preliminary equipment cost scaling. |
| Engineering reference data | Pipe IDs and schedules, water properties, K-factor guidance, and other reference tables. |
Not sure which pipe tool you need? Use the pipe calculator selection guide. For step-by-step calculations, see the material balance worked examples and pump head worked example.
How the calculations are documented
Each calculator is intended to state what it calculates, the equations or methods behind it, the assumptions you have to accept, and the cases where the result may no longer be reliable. Whenever useful, it also shows intermediate values so you can check the answer instead of simply trusting a number on a screen.
Supporting references identify sources for equations, material properties, and typical engineering coefficients. For example, the pipe friction calculator uses Darcy–Weisbach with documented friction factor methods. The pipe network solver uses EPANET. Other calculators have different assumptions and should be checked individually.
You can read the calculation methodology or open a calculator to see its limitations. Worked examples provide reproducible input values and calculated results.
Corrections and feedback
If you find a calculation that looks wrong, send me the inputs, the result you got, and what you expected. Reproducible examples are the fastest way to fix a problem.
Questions, corrections, and suggestions for new tools: contact@frictionlesscalc.com.
Browse the calculators →