Centrifuge mechanical hazards

A machine should not be purchased or installed without careful consideration of these factors. All personnel must recognize the mechanical hazards of a centrifuge and realize that inertia will keep the rotating element in motion for some time after the "Stop" button is pushed. 

Centrifuges require particular attention to their mechanical hazards. Certain types will develop forces several thousand times as great as normal gravity. An imbalance in loading can quickly create a dangerous situation. If such is the case, the machine should have an automatic stop device. 

The ammoxidation reaction can, on the other hand, be performed continuously in fixed-bed and fluid-bed reactors, and by-products (particularly CO2) can be easily removed. The fluidized bed has some advantages in terms of heat transfer but demands are made on the mechanical durability of the catalyst and so catalyst choice is limited. The long-term stability of the catalysts is also important and so multicomponent systems are recommended [e.g. 1,12]. The separation of the nitrile formed can be achieved by condensation, centrifugation, filtration, or rectification. Sometimes the formation of hazardous by-products (HCN, CO) must be considered. 

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