surge tank

American  

noun

1. a large surge chamber.

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surge tank British  

noun

1. engineering a tank used to absorb surges in flow

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Example Sentences

Last month, a pressure relief valve on a surge tank stuck open, causing hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater to spill onto the street.

From Los Angeles Times

When that tank filled up, it overflowed into a surge tank and came out through a vent.

From New York Times

Due to the open valve, fuel flowed from the center tank to the left main tank, and when that tank filled up, it overflowed into a surge tank and out through a vent, the spokesman said.

From Reuters

“So we do have oil and gas coming to the ship now, we do have a flare burning off the gas, and we have the oil that’s coming to the ship going to our surge tank,” Mr. Well said.

From New York Times

Washington has long infuriated Canadians by treating their country as a "surge tank": drawing on it for supplies when shortages threaten, cutting back again when the pinch eases.

From Time Magazine Archive