Receiver Tanks: Why They Matter and How to Size Them for Compressed Air Systems

Published on May 4, 2026May 4, 2026 by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

In many compressed air systems, receiver tanks are an overlooked component. While compressors and end-use devices often get the most attention, a properly sized receiver tank can dramatically improve system performance, efficiency, and reliability—especially when operating compressed air devices such as those from EXAIR.

Understanding why receiver tanks are important and how to size them can help prevent pressure fluctuations, reduce compressor cycling, and ensure that air-powered devices like vortex tubes, air amplifiers, and air knives operate at their optimal performance.

What Is a Receiver Tank?

A receiver tank (also called an air receiver) is a storage vessel that holds compressed air before it is delivered to the system. It acts as a buffer between the compressor and the demand side of the system.

Think of it as a shock absorber for compressed air demand. When demand spikes suddenly, the receiver tank supplies stored air, so the compressor does not need to instantly ramp up.

Why Receiver Tanks Are Important

1. Stabilizing System Pressure

Many compressed air applications—especially precision devices like those from EXAIR—perform best when the supply pressure remains stable. Without a receiver tank, short bursts of demand can cause pressure drops that reduce device effectiveness.

2. Reducing Compressor Cycling

Frequent compressor starts and stops can:

Increase energy consumption
Increase wear on compressor components
Reduce system reliability

Receiver tanks provide stored compressed air, allowing the compressor to run fewer but longer cycles, which improves efficiency.

Basic Receiver Tank Sizing

Receiver tanks are typically sized based on:

Compressor output (CFM)
System pressure range
Allowable pressure drop
Duration of air demand spikes

A commonly used rule of thumb:

3–5 gallons of receiver capacity per CFM of compressor output

Example:

Compressor output: 100 CFM

Recommended receiver tank:

300–500 gallons

However, for systems with intermittent high-flow devices like air knives or amplifiers, additional storage may be beneficial.

Receiver Tank Calculation Example

A more precise calculation can be used when determining storage needed for peak demand.

Formula: $V = \frac{T \times C \times P_a}{P_1 – P_2}$ V=P1−P2T×C×Pa

Where:

V = receiver volume (cubic feet)
T = time (minutes) air is needed
C = air demand (SCFM)
P₁ = maximum system pressure (psia)
P₂ = minimum system pressure (psia)
Pₐ = atmospheric pressure (14.7 psia)

Example Scenario

An application uses:

EXAIR Super Air Knife
Air demand: 60 SCFM
Peak usage duration: 30 seconds (0.5 minutes)
System pressure drop allowed: 100 PSI → 90 PSI

Converted pressures:

P₁ = 114.7 psia
P₂ = 104.7 psia

Calculation: $V = \frac{0.5 \times 60 \times 14.7}{114.7 – 104.7}$ V=114.7−104.70.5×60×14.7 $V = 44.1 \text{ cubic feet}$ V=44.1 cubic feet

Convert to gallons: $44.1 \times 7.48 = 329 \text{ gallons}$ 44.1×7.48=329 gallons

Recommended receiver tank: ~330 gallons

This ensures the air knife can run for 30 seconds without causing system pressure to drop below the acceptable range.

Where to Install Receiver Tanks

Most systems benefit from two receiver tanks:

Primary Receiver

Located near the compressor.

Purpose:

Reduce compressor cycling
Provide bulk storage

Secondary Receiver

Located near high-demand equipment like:

Air knife stations
Blow off systems
Cooling devices

This provides localized air storage for equipment like EXAIR compressed air products, preventing pressure drops across long piping runs.

Receiver tanks are one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to improve compressed air system performance. For facilities using high-performance compressed air products from EXAIR, a properly sized receiver tank ensures these devices operate at their maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer / Sales Operations Engineer

Send me an email

How to Handle High-Demand Events with Compressed Air Systems

Published on December 4, 2025December 16, 2025 by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

When production ramps up, deadlines tighten, or seasonal demand spikes, your compressed air system becomes one of the most heavily relied-on utilities in your facility. High-demand events, whether planned or unexpected, can create inefficiencies, consume excessive energy, and create bottlenecks across your entire operation.

The good news? With the right forethought and the right equipment, you can maintain performance, protect uptime, and even reduce operating costs during these peak loads. EXAIR’s engineered compressed air products are specifically designed to help manufacturers meet high-demand challenges without compromising efficiency or output.

Start with System Efficiency: Reduce Air Consumption at the Point of Use

During a high-demand event, every SCFM counts. One of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to free up capacity is to replace outdated, inefficient blowoff methods. Open pipes, drilled holes, and homemade nozzles waste tremendous amounts of compressed air and can violate OSHA safety standards. EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles, Safety Air Guns, and Super Air Knives are engineered to:

Reduce air consumption
Maintain or increase blowoff force
Operate safely under OSHA dead-end pressure limits
Lower overall system load, freeing capacity for critical processes

By upgrading just a few high-usage blowoff points, facilities often recover enough compressed air to handle peak demand without purchasing additional equipment.

Engineered solutions (like EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products) are the efficient, quiet, and safe choice.

Stabilize System Pressure During Peak Use

Pressure drops become more common when demand spikes. That decline leads to reduced quality, slower cycle times, and even unplanned downtime. EXAIR products are engineered to deliver more output force with less compressed air. For example:

Super Air Amplifiers entrain up to 25 parts room air for every 1 part of compressed air, multiplying output while drastically reducing consumption.
Super Air Knives produce a laminar, high-velocity sheet of air—even at lower pressures—helping extend system stability during peak loads.

These technologies lighten the load on your compressor while maintaining performance at the point of use.

Add Extra Compressed Air Storage to Handle Peak Demand

One of the most overlooked strategies in high-demand planning is preloading your system with stored compressed air. Storage acts as a buffer, preventing pressure drops and reducing the load on your compressor during short, intense spikes.

Provides supplemental airflow during short bursts of high demand
Reduces compressor cycling, improving efficiency and equipment life
Helps maintain system pressure and air quality
Offers a cost-effective alternative to purchasing an additional compressor

How to Integrate Storage Into Your Strategy

Add receiver tanks downstream near high-consumption equipment
Use strategic storage at point-of-use
Pair storage with efficient EXAIR blowoff, cooling, or conveying products to reduce total system demand.

Pro tip: If your system is already stretched thin, combining extra storage with EXAIR air-saving solutions often eliminates the need for new compressors entirely.

High Demand Doesn’t Have to Mean High Stress

High-demand events are inevitable in manufacturing—but system strain, energy waste, and reduced performance don’t have to be. By optimizing efficiency, stabilizing pressure, preparing with modular tools, and using engineered products, your facility can handle peak demand confidently and cost-effectively.

EXAIR products are purpose-built for these challenges, offering efficient, OSHA-compliant, high-performance solutions that help your compressed air system keep up with whatever you throw at it.

If you’d like to help identify opportunities in your facility, explore EXAIR’s full line of compressed air-saving products. Or reach out to a Application engineer at techelp@exair.com.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

Send me an email
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Secondary Receiver Tanks: Preparing for High-Demand Events.

Published on May 6, 2025 by John BallLeave a comment

Secondary receiver tanks can be strategically placed throughout the plant to improve the “ebbs and flows” of pneumatic demands. The primary receiver tanks help to protect the supply side when demands are high, and the secondary receiver tanks help pneumatic systems on the demand side. The purpose of secondary air storage is for dedicated end-use systems or for additional capacity at the end of distribution lines. Essentially, it is easier and more efficient for compressed air to travel from a nearby source rather than traveling through long lengths of pipe. With any high-demand use equipment, it is beneficial to have additional storage installed nearby within the compressed air system.

For comparison, I would like to relate a pneumatic system to an electrical system. The receiver tanks would be like capacitors. They store pressurized air like a capacitor stores energy from an electrical source. If you have ever seen an electrical circuit board, you will notice many capacitors of different sizes throughout the circuit board. The reason for this is to have a ready source of energy to increase efficiency and speeds with the ebbs and flows of electrical signals. The same can be said for a pneumatic system with secondary receiver tanks.

To cover a current application, I had a customer that was looking at a model 1122108; 108” (2,743mm) Gen4 Super Ion Air Knife Kit. The application was to remove static and debris from insulated panels for large refrigerated trailers. They were worried about how much compressed air it would use, and they were considering a blower-type system. I went through the negative aspects of blower-type systems, like loud noise levels, capital expense, high maintenance cost, large footprint, and ineffectiveness with turbulent air flows. But, when you are limited to the amount of compressed air, it may seem difficult to get the best product for your application. Looking at it another way, I asked him if the process was intermittent; and it was. The cycle rate was 2 minutes on and 10 minutes off. I was able to recommend a secondary tank to help ease the high demand for their compressed air system.

To calculate the volume size of your secondary receiver tank, we can use Equation 1 below. It is the same for sizing a primary receiver tank, but the scalars are slightly different. The supply line to this tank will typically come from a header pipe that supplies the entire facility. Generally, it is smaller in diameter, so we have to look at the air supply that it can feed into the tank. For example, a 1” NPT Schedule 40 pipe at 100 PSIG (7 bar) can supply a maximum of 150 SCFM (255 M³/hr) of air flow. This value is used for Cap below. The C value is the largest air demand for the machine or equipment that will be using the tank. If the C value is less than the Cap value, then a secondary tank is not needed. If the Cap is below the C value, then we can calculate the smallest tank volume that would be needed. The other value in the equation is the minimum tank pressure. In most cases, a regulator is used to set the air pressure for the machine or area. If the specification is 80 PSIG (5.5 bar), then you would use this value as P2. P1 is the header pressure that will be coming into the secondary tank. With this collection of information, you can use Equation 1 to calculate the minimum tank volume.

Equation 1:

V = T * (C – Cap) * (Pa) / (P1-P2)

Where:

V – Volume of receiver tank – Imperial (ft³) or SI (M³)

T – Time interval (minutes)

C – Air demand for system – Imperial (SCFM) or SI (M³/min)

Cap – Supply value of inlet pipe – Imperial (SCFM) or SI (M³/min)

Pa – Absolute atmospheric pressure – Imperial (PSIA) or SI (Bar)

P1 – Header Pressure – Imperial (PSIG) or SI (Bar)

P2 – Regulated Pressure – Imperial (PSIG) or SI (Bar)

In many cases, you can also lengthen the time to refill the secondary receiver by restricting the refill rate with a valve, so that it is more of a constant, but much lower draw on the compressor system. This technique also helps to diminish the impact of the large-use items attached to a customer’s system.

For the customer above, I am still getting more details about their system before we finalize on a solution. But the important point in utilizing this concept is that we went from a “we don’t have enough compressed air” to a “we can use a better solution with the Super Ion Air Knife” and here’s how.

If you find that your compressed air system needs a boost for your pneumatic process, we may be able to recommend a secondary receiver tank for your system. EXAIR does offer 60-gallon tanks, model 9500-60, to add to those specific areas. If you have any questions about using a receiver tank in your application, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR. We will be happy to help.

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Compressed Air System Optimization – Where Do Receiver Tanks Fit?

Published on October 16, 2023October 31, 2023 by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

The 5^th step in the 6 steps to optimizing your compressed air system highlights the use of intermediate storage of compressed air near the point of use. Secondary, or intermediate Receiver tanks are installed in the distribution system to provide a source of compressed air close to the point of use, rather than relying on the output of the compressor.

Compressed air receiver tanks are an integral part to many compressed air distribution systems. Compressed air is stored at a high pressure after drying and filtration, but just upstream of point of use devices. The receiver tank is charged to a pressure higher than what is needed by the system, creating a favorable pressure differential to release compressed air when needed.

Think of a compressed air receiver tank as a “battery”. It stores the compressed air energy within a system to be used in periods of peak demand, helping to maintain a stable compressed air pressure. This improves the overall performance of the compressed air system and helps to prevent pressure drop.

They can be strategically placed to provide a source of compressed air to intermittent high volume compressed air applications. Rather than having to pull from the compressor, a receiver tank can be sized to provide the short-term volume of air for a particular application. In a previous post, we’ve highlighted how to calculate the necessary receiver tank based on the air consumption and duration of the application.

EXAIR offers from stock a 60-gallon receiver tank designed specifically for these higher-usage intermittent types of applications. Model 9500-60 can be installed near the point of high demand so that you have an additional supply of compressed air available for a short duration. The tank comes with mounting feet and is designed to stand up vertically, saving floor space. The tank meets American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) pressure vessel code.

Just this past Spring, EXAIR hosted a live webinar where we discuss how to size, install, and implement secondary storage in your plant’s distribution system. If you missed it, check it out here on our website hosted by my colleague, Russ Bowman.

If you have an application in your facility that’s draining your compressed air system, a receiver tank could be the ideal solution. Give us a call and one of our Application Engineers will be happy to help evaluate your process and determine the most suitably sized receiver tank.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

Tag: receiver tanks

Receiver Tanks: Why They Matter and How to Size Them for Compressed Air Systems

What Is a Receiver Tank?

1. Stabilizing System Pressure

Basic Receiver Tank Sizing