Editing Scroll compressor (section)

{{Short description|Air compressor}}
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{{More citations needed|date=December 2016}}
[[File:Two moving spirals scroll pump.gif|thumb|Mechanism of a scroll pump; here two [[archimedean spiral]]s]]
[[File:Scroll compressor.png|thumb|Operation of a scroll compressor]]

A '''scroll compressor''' (also called ''spiral compressor'', '''scroll pump''' and '''scroll vacuum pump''') is a device for [[Compressor|compressing]] air or refrigerant.<ref name="OSTI">{{cite journal |last=McCullough |first=John E. |title=Japanese and American Competition in the Development of Scroll Compressors and its impact on the American Air Conditioning Industry |url=https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6952508 |website=U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) |date=1990 |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |doi=10.2172/6952508 |s2cid=107387933 |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209214109/https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6952508 |url-status=live |access-date=April 26, 2019 }}</ref> It is used in [[air conditioning]] equipment, as an automobile [[supercharger]] (where it is known as a [[scroll-type supercharger]]) and as a [[vacuum pump]]. Many residential central [[heat pump]] and air conditioning systems and a few automotive air conditioning systems employ a scroll compressor instead of the more traditional [[Rotary compression pump|rotary]], [[Reciprocating compressor|reciprocating]], and [[Swashplate|wobble-plate]] compressors.

A scroll compressor operating in reverse is a '''scroll expander''', and can generate [[mechanical work]].