DISTRIBUTOR-FIRST SUPPLY PARTNER · SINCE 1999 RESOURCES · RECEIVER SIZING
Size the tank two ways: for everyday storage, and for the one machine that gulps air all at once. Use the larger answer.
Source: US DOE / ORNL Better Plants compressed air training, Session 7, "System Volume vs Storage": rule of thumb 3 to 5 gallons per CFM, and the old 1 to 3 gallons per CFM rule "is no longer regarded as good practice". For a lubricated load/unload trim compressor, 5 to 10 gallons per CFM: Robert C. Neely, "Best practices for compressor storage", Plant Engineering, June 2018.
A baghouse pulse, a filter backwash, a test stand, a big cylinder: anything that needs more air than the compressor can make, for a known time.
Source: V = T x (C - S) x Pa / (P1 - P2), from the US DOE / Compressed Air Challenge Sourcebook, "Improving Compressed Air System Performance". V is cubic feet, T minutes, C and S CFM, Pa 14.7 psia, P1 and P2 psig; gallons = cubic feet x 7.48. The defaults are the backwash filter example in ORNL Better Plants Session 7: 100 CFM for 3 minutes, 95 down to 70 psig, 1,319.5 gallons.
Enough tank lets the compressor run in long steady cycles instead of loading and unloading every few seconds. That saves power and wear.
If one machine pulls more air than the compressor makes, the tank has to carry it. The formula says how much air you need between the start pressure and the lowest pressure that still works.
One gallon per CFM came from piston compressors. Screw compressors need 3 to 5, and more on load/unload.
Send us the size. We'll quote the receiver, the drain, the relief valve, and the check valve, and tell you if two smaller tanks fit your floor better.
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