Few Reasons Why You Should Invest in Compressed Air Tanks
Compressed air tanks, also referred to as air receivers, are a very commonly used and beneficial pieces of equipment. Some of the benefits include the smoothing out of pulsations and vibration from the compressor. Compressed air tanks also provide a greater amount of storage capacity to match your operations which in turn prevents the compressor from running excessively. The capacity provided by the compressed air tank gives the controls enough time to react and meet the demands of the air system. The compressed air tank will also serve the purpose of acting as a collecting point for condensed moisture that comes from the air line although it still needs to be drained.
The size you choose for a compressed air tank is not very specific, but there are a few guidelines you can follow. Your choice of size is usually based off the control type and the size of the compressor itself. One general guideline you can use is for every 3.7 litres of receiver capacity for every CFM of compressor capacity. There are a few different guidelines you can use to see which would fit your needs more. Like previously stated above, it is not an exact science, so you will need to base your decision on other factors, such as compressor size, control type, and the applications you apply this to.
There are two main types of compression air tanks and they are mainly known as wet receivers or dry receivers, this will usually depend on whether it comes before or after the air dryer. If it happens to be placed before the air dryer then it is known as a wet receiver, if it is placed after the air dryer then it will be known as a dry receiver. A wet receiver will need to be drained quite regularly to stop any passages of water that may form. Even if it is a dry receiver, if it placed in an environment that builds moisture it will probably still need to be drained, if not then it will not need any draining.
A compressed air tank is pressure rated and will need a properly fitted pressure relief valve. This will stop it from over pressurizing which offers you some protection. It also protects the air compressor, downstream pipes, and other equipment. As well as a pressure relief valve you will also need a pressure gauge which is usually already supplied with the compressed air tank. You will also need a drain valve which comes in all sorts of forms. You can find a manual ball valve which needs to be opened by hand so it can drain any fluid, electric drain valves are also available which are timed to open, you can also find float drain valves and air loss drain valves. The last two are energy saving and keep you from wasting compressed air.
We have only touched the basics on compressed air tanks. If you are one of the many people that work with compressed air then you should consider investing in compressed air tanks. They are resourceful, efficient, and will save you stress, time, and money. You can easily find them online with a quick search where you can browse, compare prices and models all from the comfort of your home.