Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: mmn1998 on 04/07/2021 23:10:29
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Hi people,
Recently I have heard more and more about centrifugation technology and find it quite facinating.
Have you seen it used anywhere else or do you have an idea of where the technology can be used in the future? I've seen that the technology is used for wound healing, but have not been able to find many companies that make use of the technology
Wikipedia also writes about centrifugation as a general topic, but I would like to know specifically who is using it and what it can be used for
Best regards
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Centrifugal force is used in many different ways:
- My vacuum cleaner uses centrifugal force to separate out dust from air. Larger versions are used in industry to separate dust from the air.
- Large centrifuges are used to train astronauts and military pilots to withstand high-G conditions. Smaller versions provide thrills in theme parks.
- Small centrifuges are used to separate different components of a blood sample (or other mixtures with different density)
- James Watt used centrifugal force to control the speed of his early steam engine, which reduced the number of them that exploded...
- Centrifugal force helps the ISS stay in a circular, zero-g orbit, despite the fact that it is tugged on by the Earth's gravity. (You could say the same for the Earth orbiting the Sun.)
Some people argue whether centrifugal force is a real force,
- or maybe that centriptetal force is a better definition of it
- or just a result of Newton's law that says "objects tend to carry on in a straight line unless acted upon by a force". Forcing something into a circle diverts it from it's "natural" straight line.
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Hi Evan,
Thanks for your awesome reply
I understood all the examples besides one, but also had to research the last part about whether centrifugal force is a real force.
"- Small centrifuges are used to separate different components of a blood sample (or other mixtures with different density)
[/i] "
Can you explain to me how centrifugation is used using the example of this product [product reference removed] I was not able to link). On the website it mentions centrifugations, but my scientific vocabulary is not as strong meaning i have a hard time researching myself.
If I understand it correctly it is because not all of the components in the blood as needed.
Thanks again Evan :-)
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but also had to research the last part about whether centrifugal force is a real force.
It is a real force in a rotating frame of reference, but a pseudo-force in something like an inertial frame of reference.
- Small centrifuges are used to separate different components of a blood sample (or other mixtures with different density)
Can you explain to me how centrifugation is used using the example of this product.
If I understand it correctly it is because not all of the components in the blood as needed.
Centrifugation puts the sample under high G forces which separates the blood into component layers. Maybe the lab is interested in only some of the layers, or maybe all of them. They're usually at least interested in the proportion of each. So for example, the white blood cell count can be determined by the relative thickness of that layer, which could not be determined if the other layers were not there.
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To add to what @Halc is saying, another example is the distribution of pollen in honey. If you want to analyse the pollen it is very widely spread within the honey, diluting the honey and centrifuging it will concentrate the pollen at the bottom of the tube so you can extract it and view it under the microscope.
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One more modern use for the centrifuge: The separation of isotopes. Used as a method to enrich Uranium for use as nuclear fuel.
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I wonder if this may be one of the biggest tonnage uses of centrifuges.
https://milkyday.com/blog/2018/09/27/milk-separator-how-it-works/
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Hi,
There are reports and documented examples how hand-powered centrifuge helps Sars-CoV-2 identification.