Automated centrifuge

Solid-Bottom Basket Centrifuges SmaUer-scale, solid-bottom batch basket centrifuges are available for small test samples, when the sample cannot tolerate mechanical handling or when the traces of solids remaining in a more automated centrifuge would be subject to decomposition or spoilage. 

Since the submission of this article, a more fully automated centrifuge has become available. 

Another automated approach to kinetic analyses is the centrifugal analyzer, a partial cross section of which is shown in Figure 13.9. In this technique the sample and reagents are placed in separate wells oriented radially around a circular transfer disk attached to the rotor of a centrifuge. As the centrifuge spins, the... 

Flow injection analysis (FIA) was developed in the mid-1970s as a highly efficient technique for the automated analyses of samples. °> Unlike the centrifugal analyzer described earlier in this chapter, in which samples are simultaneously analyzed in batches of limited size, FIA allows for the rapid, sequential analysis of an unlimited number of samples. FIA is one member of a class of techniques called continuous-flow analyzers, in which samples are introduced sequentially at regular intervals into a liquid carrier stream that transports the samples to the detector. ... 

The plough cannot be allowed to reach too close to the cloth and some residual cake remains. Where this is not acceptable, the cake may be removed by a pneumatic system, by vacuum, or by reslurrying. The cycle can be automated and controlled by timers. The maximum speeds of basket centrifuges vary from 800 to 1500 rpm, and basket diameters are in the range from 10 to 1400 mm. A 1200-mm diameter, 750-mm long basket may handle as much as 200 kg of cake in one charge. 

Unhke the control valve, the centrifugal pump has poor or nonexistent shutoff capabihty. A flow check valve or an automated on/off valve may be reqiiired to achieve shutoff reqiiirements. This requirement may be met by automating an existing isolation valve in retrofit apphcations. 

The average prices of the batch centrifuge are shown in Fig. 18-154. All the models include the drive motor and control. In Fig. 18-154, the inverting filter, horizontal peeler, and the advanced vertical peeler are the premium baskets especially used for specialty chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Control versatility with the use of programmable logic control (PLC), automation, and cake-heel removal are the key features which are responsible for the higher price. The underdriven, top-driven, and pendulum baskets are less expensive with fewer features. 

Operating Labor Centrifuges run the gamut from completely manual control to fully automated operation. For the former, one operator can run sever centrifuges, depending on their type and the apphcation. Fully automatic centrifuges usually require little dirert operation attention. 

Tumbling and centrifuging are batch processes, but all the others can be included in a continuous line process and, for suitable articles, the process can be fully automated. If the shape of the articles is unsuitable, some kind of hand spraying is usually selected. 

An area worthy of study is the development of systems of increasing sample throughput beyond the single column operation. Scott has introduced a prototype multicolumn system based on the centrifugal analyzer principle (53). In this set-up a series of LC colimns is rotated on a disc, with sample delivery at the center of the disc and elution and spectrophotometric analysis on the outside. He has suggested using affinity columns for rapid serum protein analysis by this approach. Of course, other principles, such as segmented flow, could be envisioned in an automated LC system as well. Undoubtedly, we can expect to see the availability of such systems in the next few years. 

ChSS was fractionated on a column (550 x 15 mm) of DEAE Sepharo e Fast Flow using a Hiload System (Pharmacia), which was initially equilibrated in 0.005 M NaAc-bufFer pH 5.0. The sample was dissolved in water, the insoluble residue was removed by centrifugation and the supernatant was applied onto the column. After applying the gradient shown in Figure 1, the residual polysaccharides were washed from the column using 0.5 M NaOH. Fractions (23 ml) were collected and assayed by automated methods [2,3] for total neutral sugars and uronic acids. 

Protein precipitation by filtration in a 96-well format has been used as a high-throughput, easy-to-automate alternative to the traditional centrifugation-based protocol. However, most filter plates... 

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