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An air receiver tank is an essential component of a compressed air system, providing temporary storage for the compressed air. Without the tank, your compressor would be required to work at full capacity continuously, thus increasing energy costs and shortening the life of the unit. The tanks come in various sizes and configurations—vertical and horizontal—allowing for flexibility in their placement and installation.
The air receiver tank has three primary functions: It helps to remove small particulates from the air stream, stores enough volume of compressed air to meet process demands, and controls surges in pressure that can put a strain on the compressor motor.
Storing more compressed air allows more equipment to run on one compressor instead of multiple smaller compressors. This also helps improve energy efficiency. Lastly, larger volumes of stored compressed can provide a reserve supply when demand is higher than expected or during maintenance or replacement operations.
Efficiency Benefits of Air Receiver Tanks
The installation of an air receiver tank can yield tremendous efficiency benefits for a compressed air system. An air receiver tank acts as a buffer between the compressor and the rest of the system, allowing fluctuating demands to be met by simply draining from or adding pressure to the tank.
With this strategy, excessive sump blow downs can be drastically reduced, and in turn, take less overall energy for continuous system operation. Furthermore, an air receiver tank helps to reduce the overall pressure requirements for the entire network by storing reserve compressed air at a particular set point.
This decreases stress on individual components within the network and reduces their energy requirements as well. Finally, when additional moisture is generated by cycling air compressors during idle periods, adding an air receiver tank will increase the efficiency of associated dryers by providing them with more time to recycle pressurized air before producing it again into active service. In this way, not only are all of these energy savings realized over time but more reliable compressor output may be achieved as well.
Reduced Waste of Compressed Air
Compressed air is an important element in many industrial operations and certain processes are dependent on it for efficiency and productivity. However, unnecessarily wasting compressed air throughout the system can add up to significant financial losses over time.
One of the main sources of wasted compressed air is during the cycling on and off of an air compressor. When a rotary screw compressor unloads, it vents a sump tank (oil tank) which results in the loss of thousands of cubic feet worth of compressed air that could be used elsewhere.
The best way to reduce this waste of compressed air is to have a properly sized storage tank installed. The presence of a storage tank ensures that frequent cycling and venting won’t happen as regularly since there will already be a supply available. In turn, this will not only save tremendous amounts of money in terms of wasted resources but also increase overall productivity given that more operations can be carried out simultaneously due to reduced downtime caused by the recharging process.
Reduce Air Compressor Operating Pressure
The air compressor at your facility is a huge asset when it comes to meeting peak energy demands, but sometimes relying on it can be expensive and inefficient. Relying solely on the air compressor to meet all of your facility’s demands could mean operating the system at higher pressures, resulting in higher energy costs and premature wear-and-tear on the system. However, installing an air receiver tank helps to reduce overall operating pressures and yields several benefits.
For one, you can draw on the extra reservoir of compressed air that was stored up during periods of low demand. This eliminates the need to rely solely on the air compressor when there are high-demand events, allowing you to reduce operating pressures significantly. Lowering pressures will also save you money because you can purchase a smaller but more efficient air compressor with lower cubic feet per minute capacity (CFM) by relying on your air receiver tank for those occasions when peak demand is needed or depleting quickly. You’ll also benefit from longer equipment lifespans thanks to less wear and tear from running your system at maximum capacity all the time.
Pressure Stabilization
Pressure stabilization is a technology used to regulate pressure levels within various systems. This can be an important feature in many types of engineering and industrial applications, as it helps avoid extreme pressure surges that could lead to physical or mechanical damage. When pressure peaks occur, the stabilizers will kick in and provide a more stable airflow by redirecting or slowing down the flow of air before it reaches its destination.
Typically, pressure stabilizers are found within closed environments such as tanks or vessels. By controlling the rate at which the air flows into and out of these areas, it ensures that there are no drastic fluctuations in temperature or pressure which could cause harm to materials or equipment. Pressure stabilization not only has significant benefits for preventing potential destruction but also helps to maximize efficiency with exact regulation of how the material is processed or moved.
