Settling
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Settling is the process by which particulates move towards the bottom of a liquid and form a sediment. Particles that experience a force, either due to gravity or due to centrifugal motion will tend t
Settling pond for iron particles at water works
Centrifuge
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A centrifuge is a device that uses centrifugal force to subject a specimen to a specified constant force – for example, to separate various components of a fluid. This is achieved by spinning the flui
Settling
…process by which particulates move towards the bottom of a liquid and form a sediment. Particles that experience a force, either due to gravity or due to centrifugal motion will tend to move in a uniform manner in the direction exerted by that force. For gravity settling, this means that the particles will tend to fall to…
A laboratory tabletop centrifuge. The rotating unit, called the rotor, has fixed holes drilled at an angle (to the vertical), visible inside the smooth silver rim. Sample tubes are placed in these slots and the motor is spun. As the centrifugal force is in the horizontal plane and the tubes are fixed at an angle, the particles have to travel only a short distance before they hit the wall of the tube and then slide down to the bottom. These angle rotors are very popular in the lab for routine use.
A 19th-century hand-cranked laboratory centrifuge.
Samples placed in a small laboratory centrifuge
Whole blood is often separated, using a centrifuge, into components for storage and transport