What Are the Benefits of a Centrifuge?
Most plants oversee several centrifuges, each requiring regular maintenance. Choosing to skip bowl-balancing services or ignoring other essential service needs can significantly reduce the lifespan of the equipment and ultimately result in a significant loss of revenue.
Hydraulic oil can become contaminated with dirt and debris with time, negatively impacting machinery lubrication. An oil centrifuge effectively cleans the oil, extending its life and ensuring the smooth operation of machinery.
Health Benefits
Decanter Centrifuges separate fluids, gases, or liquids based on density. It does this by spinning a container at high speeds, which creates forces that push more dense materials to the center of the centrifuge.
A centrifuge separates blood components, such as the clot and serum, in clinical laboratories. It can create a relative centrifugal force up to 1,000 that of gravity, known as g-force, quickly and easily separating the samples’ materials.
Centrifugation is used in manufacturing and waste processing to separate suspended solids or immiscible liquids. For instance, cream separators in dairies use centrifugation. For example, large centrifuges can simulate high-g or acceleration environments in training test pilots.
In addition, centrifuges can clean industrial oils, such as turbine oil, gear oil, and compressor oil, extending their life and saving money on costly replacements. In addition, using a centrifuge to clean cutting fluid extends its lifetime and increases accuracy.
Chemical Separation
Using a centrifuge to separate chemicals can save time and money. Centrifuges work by taking advantage of a phenomenon called sedimentation. Materials with higher densities will sink (sediment) and move away from the axis of rotation, while those with lower densities will rise to the top of the container. This technique has many practical applications, including separating milk to create skimmed milk, extracting fat from salads and washing machines, and separating DNA samples in forensic and testing laboratories.
Oil centrifuges can clean oil faster than other methods, such as gravity filtration or settling tanks. It can reduce the cost of creating new cutting fluid and disposing of old oil. It can also extend the life of your oil, reducing costs for replacements and repairs.
Training your team on using and maintaining a centrifuge can help you spot problems early on and prevent costly mistakes or downtime.
Oil Cleanup
Centrifuges can remove solids from oil that a filter can’t remove can’t. They work by applying g-force to the oil. It forces the denser solids and water to settle. The clean oil then flows out the bottom.
Lubricating oil, hydraulic fluid power applications, metal working cooling liquids, and washing liquids are commonly used for cleaning with a centrifuge. By removing impurities and debris from the oil, you can extend the life of your equipment, saving money on costly replacement and repair.
Centrifuges can also reduce the waste from machining and cutting operations for glass, ceramics, natural stones, and concrete. By separating the coolants and lubricants, you can recycle them and save money on disposal costs. It also helps to ensure the quality of your products and minimizes your environmental footprint. Regular maintenance is essential for a centrifuge to function correctly. The rotor, drive chamber, and other parts should be cleaned daily using a neutral cleaning solution.
Safety
A centrifuge is an indispensable tool for the laboratory and a safety hazard if misused. As such, a lab should ensure that all staff follows established manufacturer procedures for centrifuge use. It includes following instructions for run logging, using proper PPE when removing sealed buckets, and maintaining a regular schedule to clean the rotors.
In addition to following daily operating and maintenance procedures, labs should consider a newer centrifuge model with advanced safety features. These include lightweight carbon fiber rotors with a higher strength-to-weight ratio than alloy metals, allowing easier installation and removal while reducing the risk of back injury.
A centrifuge should have various rotor options to accommodate different sample volume requirements, with a wide range of speeds and g-force capabilities. Moreover, it’s essential to choose a centrifuge with a small footprint to minimize workspace disruptions and a capacity that can accommodate a variety of tubes, including microcentrifuge tubes.
