Scroll compressor
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A scroll compressor, also known as scroll pump and scroll vacuum pump, uses two interleaved archimedean spiral-shaped scrolls to pump or compress fluids such as liquids and gases. One of the scrolls is fixed, while the other orbits eccentrically without rotating, thereby trapping and compressing pockets of fluid between the scrolls.
The device was first patented in 1905 but did not become efficient for fifty years. These devices are known for operating more smoothly, quietly, and reliably than conventional compressors. Almost every automotive air conditioning system employs a scroll compressor. Scroll compressors are also widely used in other consumer goods that use refrigeration cycles.
A scroll compressor operating in reverse is known as a scroll expander, and can be used to generate mechanical work from the expansion of a fluid.
See also
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