Glossary
Gas Compressor Operator Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential gas compressor operator terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key gas compressor operator vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in gas compressor operator training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Blowdown
- Venting gas.
- Compressor station
- Boosts pipeline pressure.
- DCS
- Distributed control system.
- Discharge pressure
- Outgoing pressure.
- ESD
- Emergency shutdown.
- Lockout/tagout
- Energy isolation.
- Odorant
- Smell added to gas.
- Operator qualification
- Federal training rule.
- P&ID
- Piping and instrumentation diagram.
- Reciprocating compressor
- Piston compressor.
- Rounds
- Scheduled equipment checks.
- SCADA
- Remote monitoring system.
- Scrubber
- Removes liquids.
- SOP
- Standard operating procedure.
- Suction pressure
- Incoming pressure.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Gas Compressor Operator practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Gas Compressor Operator training.
Browse terms from every career in our career glossary.