Should a dryer be installed before or after the air receiver?

So what are the advantages of installing a dryer downstream of (after) the air receiver?

• 70% of the condensate is separated in the air receiver or centrifugal separator. This means less load on the compressed air treatment and dryer equipment which will ultimately lead to a longer service life.
• There will be a lower compressed air inlet temperature in the dryer than in the case of installation upstream of the compressed air receiver. As a result it may not be necessary to oversize the compressed air treatment components as much. This would reduce the initial investment and ongoing running costs of a larger dryer.
• The dryer can be set up for partial flow if appropriate. This opens up the possibility to reduce the required dryer size if wet air is used on site directly from a wet air receiver. Being able to opt for a smaller dryer would not only reduce the initial investment required, but also the subsequent energy costs.

• Condensate will form in the air receiver. This could lead to internal corrosion over time which would shorten the useful life of the air receiver.
• The dryer can be overloaded when large volumes of air are suddenly drawn from the compressed air reservoir which could compromise air quality. 
• Dryer selection can be difficult because of potentially large fluctuations in flow rate. And, if the dryer selection is not based on known site air demands, the air quality could therefore vary as a result. 
• Potentially higher costs could be incurred due to the need for a larger dryer. The larger the dryer - the higher the associated investment and running costs will be. 

And, what are the advantages of installing a dryer upstream of (before) the air receiver?

• Treated air is stored in the air receiver and therefore ready for instant / fluctuating air demands. 
• As dryer air is stored in the air receiver there will be no condensate precipitation. This eliminates the chance of corrosion forming inside the air receiver thereby extending its service- and useful- life. 
• The compressor flow rate is the maximum air volume for the refrigeration dryer, which means there is no overload. Dryer sizing is much easier to determine when the air demand is known and oversizing is not necessarily required. This creates many benefits; it reduces capital- and running- costs and it ensures constant and predictable air quality. 
• Better buffering of consumption peaks is possible as the treated air is stored in the air receiver and is therefore ready for instant varying/fluctuating air demands. 

• The dryer air inlet temperature is somewhat higher than it would be downstream of the receiver. This means that the dryers performance may drop on hotter days. As a result the dryer may need to be oversized. And, the larger the dryer - the higher the investment- and running- costs will be. 
• Furthermore, condensate must be precipitated upstream of the dryer. This means that a centrifugal separator will be needed before the dryer (in other words creating additional capital outlay -> operating costs and maintenance costs).