METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUS REMOVAL OF SUB-MICRON SIZED PARTICLES IN A CLOSED LOOP LIQUID FLOW SYSTEM

摘要

A centrifuge rotor having a curved shape is offset on a spinning rotor base and creates contiguous areas of low to high centrifugal force depending on the distances from the axis of the rotor base and a method of separating components in a fluid based upon a difference in density of the components, the method comprising the steps of providing to a rotor as described herein the fluid containing the mixed together components to be separated based upon the difference in density of the mixed together components; continuously flowing the components in the fluid to the rotor through an input tube connected to the input port while the rotor is spinning about a centrifugal axis of rotation; separating the components in the fluid into fractions based upon the difference in density of the mixed together components with the use of centrifugal force when the rotor is spinning; collecting components having i) a first density via a first tube connected to the output port at the first end on the rotor, ii) a second density via a second tube connected to the output port at the second end on the rotor, iii) a third density via a third tube connected to the output port at the junction on the rotor and iv) a fourth density via a fourth tube connected to the output port between the input port and the output port at the first end.

主权项

1. A rotor for a centrifuge used to separate a mixture of components in a fluid having different densities, the rotor comprising:
a hollow curved housing that has an inner wall and an outer wall, a top, a bottom and a first end and a second end wherein the inner wall is radially closer to an axis of rotation as compared to the outer wall; the hollow curved housing being formed of a curved first rotor element that terminates at the first end of the curved housing and a curved second rotor element that terminates at the second end of the curved housing wherein the curved housing between the curved first rotor element and the curved second rotor element includes a step down junction that steps down from the first rotor element to the second rotor element and makes the first rotor element continuous with the second rotor element; an input port positioned on the inner wall of the first rotor element between an output port of the first end and an output port positioned on the inner wall of the junction; an output port positioned on the inner wall of the first rotor element between the output port at the first end and the input port; an output port in the second end; and the hollow curved housing from the first end to the second end forming an about 150-360 degree curve about the axis of rotation. wherein the first end is a distance d4 from the axis of rotation, the second end is a distance d3 from the axis of rotation and the junction is a distance dr from the axis of rotation with d4>dr>d3.