Compressor
Compressor turns up in 2 fields: HVAC, electronics. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Compressor in HVAC
The pump that raises refrigerant vapor from evaporator pressure to condenser pressure and keeps it circulating.
Residential systems use scroll, rotary or reciprocating compressors, mostly hermetically sealed with the motor cooled by suction gas. Larger systems use semi-hermetic reciprocating, screw and centrifugal machines. Compressors are built to pump vapor only: liquid returning to them washes out oil and can break valves or scrolls. Low suction pressure, high discharge pressure and poor oil return shorten their life.
"Compressor's drawing 28 amps on a 22 RLA nameplate, it's working way too hard, check head pressure."
Compressor in electronics
An audio signal processing circuit that reduces the dynamic range of a waveform.
A compressor is an electronic device or algorithm that attenuates the amplitude of an audio signal when it exceeds a defined threshold. By lowering the volume of loud peaks and allowing the overall gain to be raised, it narrows the difference between the quietest and loudest parts of the signal. It is heavily used in broadcasting, recording, and public address systems to prevent clipping and keep vocals intelligible.
"Put a compressor on the microphone input so the announcer doesn't blow out the speakers when he shouts."