Air Receiver Size Calculator
The receiver volume needed to cover a given air demand for a given time within an allowed pressure drop.
Results
What this tool does
A compressed air receiver is a battery: it stores the difference between the pressure the compressor cuts out at and the lowest pressure the tools will tolerate. Size it from the burst of demand you have to ride through and from how far the pressure may fall while you do. The atmospheric pressure in the formula is there because stored air is measured as free air, the way compressor capacity is quoted.
Formula
V = Q t Patm / (Pmax - Pmin)
Variables
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
qq | Free air demand | m³/min |
tm | Time to cover | min |
px | Cut-out pressure | bar |
pn | Minimum working pressure | bar |
VR | Receiver volume | L |
VM | Volume | m³ |
DP | Differential pressure | bar |
Worked example
- Free air demand2 m³/min
- Time to cover2 min
- Cut-out pressure8 bar
- Minimum working pressure6 bar
- Receiver volume2026 L
- Volume2.026 m³
- Differential pressure2.00 bar
Limitations
- For work that must comply with a standard or be signed off, check the result against the applicable code and have it reviewed by a qualified engineer.
- The result is an estimate based only on the values you type. Real situations often include factors this calculator does not know about.
Frequently asked questions
Does a bigger receiver save energy?
Indirectly, yes. It does not change how much air the tools use, but it lets a load/unload compressor run in longer, less frequent cycles instead of hammering on and off, which cuts both wear and the energy wasted in each unloaded period. It also absorbs short bursts of demand so the whole system does not have to be sized for the peak.