How Does a Centrifuge Work
A centrifuge is one of the most useful tools incorporated in various devices. Household washing machines use centrifuges to remove dirt from clothes. Doctors use devices containing centrifuges to determine the results of a blood test. Rides in amusement parks also use centrifuges in bringing excitement and fun to their passengers.
Hence, you may wonder how this useful structure works. To understand how a centrifuge works, you need to understand its components. A centrifuge consists of compartment, an axis, and a motor. Other components are included in more complex centrifuges, but the three parts mentioned are the fundamental ones which all centrifuges have.
The motor causes the compartment to spin around the axis. The axis secures the compartment to ensure that it spins at the correct position. The compartment of a centrifuge can revolve very quickly, sometimes hundreds or even thousands of times per minute, in its axis.
The speed in which the centrifuge spins is measured by Revolutions Per Minute, or RPMs. Larger centrifuges have lower RPMs while smaller centrifuges have higher RPMs. This is because smaller centrifuges have only a short distance to cover to create a full revolution. Apart from the centrifuge’s size, the power provided by the motor also affects the RPM of a centrifuge.
While the centrifuge is working, it produces centrifugal force. Centrifugal force makes a specific body or object move away from the center of the rotation. This is the force needed by devices to perform their tasks. In the case of centrifuges used in blood testing, they separate different substances found in blood for the said substances to be properly evaluated.
