Calculate required working and total vessel volume from production goals. Export results and compare cases. Review inoculum, headspace, and loss impacts before scale-up decisions.
| Item | Example Value |
|---|---|
| Target product per batch | 25 kg |
| Product titer | 12 g/L |
| Overall recovery | 88% |
| Working volume fraction | 75% |
| Process loss | 4% |
| Safety factor | 10% |
| Inoculum fraction | 12% |
| Fermentation time | 120 hr |
| Turnaround time | 18 hr |
| Operating days | 330 days/year |
| Facility availability | 90% |
| Effective titer | 10.56 g/L |
| Design working volume | 2,712.67 L |
| Total vessel volume | 3,616.90 L |
| Headspace volume | 904.23 L |
| Estimated inoculum charge | 325.52 L |
The calculator starts with the desired recovered product mass for one batch. It then converts that target into the working broth volume required inside the bioreactor. All major process assumptions are included so the result is usable for early design, pilot planning, and scale-up screening.
1. Effective titer
Effective Titer = Product Titer × Overall Recovery
2. Theoretical minimum working volume
Theoretical Working Volume = Target Batch Product ÷ Effective Titer
3. Loss-adjusted working volume
Loss-Adjusted Working Volume = Theoretical Working Volume ÷ (1 − Process Loss)
4. Design working volume
Design Working Volume = Loss-Adjusted Working Volume × (1 + Safety Factor)
5. Total vessel volume
Total Vessel Volume = Design Working Volume ÷ Working Volume Fraction
6. Headspace volume
Headspace Volume = Total Vessel Volume − Design Working Volume
7. Inoculum charge
Inoculum Volume = Design Working Volume × Inoculum Fraction
8. Capacity planning
Batches Per Year = (Operating Days × 24 × Availability) ÷ Cycle Time
This approach gives a realistic design estimate, not just a theoretical minimum. It is especially useful when comparing different titers, recoveries, fill fractions, and operating strategies.
Enter the amount of product you want to recover from one batch. Choose grams or kilograms to match your planning basis.
Enter the expected product titer in grams per liter. This should reflect your fermentation performance at the scale you are evaluating.
Add the overall recovery percentage. Use a realistic combined value that reflects recovery from broth through product collection.
Set the working volume fraction. This determines how much of the total vessel can be safely filled during operation.
Include process loss and a safety factor. These fields help account for evaporation, transfers, sampling, hold-up, and scale-up uncertainty.
Enter inoculum fraction, fermentation time, turnaround time, annual target, operating days, and facility availability to extend the estimate into yearly capacity planning.
Press Calculate Volume. The page will show the results directly below the header and above the form, followed by a Plotly graph for quick comparison.
Use the CSV and PDF buttons to export the current result set for design review, quoting, or internal documentation.
It estimates design working volume and total vessel volume needed to meet a batch target after accounting for titer, recovery, losses, safety allowance, and usable fill fraction.
Enter the batch product target you want recovered at the end of the process. The calculator back-calculates the broth volume needed using recovery and loss assumptions.
Bioreactors need headspace for gas transfer, foam control, agitation, and process safety. Total vessel volume equals design working volume divided by the allowable working fraction.
Recovery percentage represents overall yield from bioreactor broth to recovered product, including culture performance and downstream capture efficiency. Lower recovery increases required working volume.
Process loss captures evaporation, hold-up, sampling, transfers, and other volume losses that reduce harvestable broth. Higher loss increases adjusted working volume.
Use a modest safety factor when scale-up uncertainty is significant. Many teams start with 5% to 15%, then refine after pilot data improves confidence.
It can support early seed planning through the inoculum fraction output, but detailed seed train design still needs growth kinetics, transfer timing, and stage-specific constraints.
Annual output depends on batch target, cycle time, facility availability, and operating days. Estimating reactors needed helps connect vessel size decisions to commercial production plans.
Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.