1 / 33

Centrifuge Safety

Centrifuge Safety. Warning. Basically very simple Potentially very dangerous. An example of an accident. Large aluminium rotor in Beckman L2-65B Rotor failed one hour into the run. The safety shielding of the unit did not contain all the metal fragments.

medge-farrell
Download Presentation

Centrifuge Safety

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Centrifuge Safety

  2. Warning • Basically very simple • Potentially very dangerous

  3. An example of an accident

  4. Large aluminium rotor in Beckman L2-65B Rotor failed one hour into the run. The safety shielding of the unit did not contain all the metal fragments. The 14 mm thick sliding steel door on top of the unit buckled, allowing the steel rotor top to escape plus other metal fragments.

  5. The unit itself was propelled sideways and damaged cabinets and shelving that contained over a hundred chemicals. Fragments from the accident made holes in the wall & ceiling & ruined a nearby fridge and ultra-low temperature freezer A shock wave from the accident shattered all four windows in the room and shook the wall causing shelving to collapse.

  6. Centrifuges Possess a Lot of Energy • Friction with air causes heating thus faster machines need to run with a vacuum. • High speed and ultra-centrifuges also need refrigeration to preserve the samples

  7. Rotor Life • Rotors are subjected to extreme forces. • Rotor life is dependent on the number of hours of spinning. • Rotor life is also dependent on the care used to preserve the integrity of the tube holders. • Therefore we must log all run parameters

  8. Run parameters • Date. • Operator • Rpm (speed) required. • Run time required • Rotor type to be used

  9. Speeds • Low to Medium - up to 10,000 rpm • High Speed – up to 21,000 rpm • Ultraspeed – up to 90,000 rpm or more Overspeed dial: prevents running rotor too fast

  10. Low to Medium Speed • No vacuum required • May be refrigerated • Tubes (and rotors) must be well balanced.

  11. High Speed • Must be refrigerated • Must be at least partially evacuated • Tubes must be very well balanced

  12. Ultraspeed • Must be refrigerated • Must be evacuated • Tubes must be extremely well balanced • better than 10 mg

  13. RotorTypes • Swinging Bucket • Low Speed • Ultraspeed • Need very special attention

  14. Rotor Types • Angled • Angled • Vertical

  15. Theory RCF = 1.12r (N)2 • RCF = relative centrifuge force (g) • r = radius in mm • (N = rpm in 1000’s) • Usually use a nomogram to calculate

  16. rpm Radius (mm) g

  17. Theory • Sedimentation Coefficient • A measure of the particle being sedimented. • Measured in Svedberg units S • Primarily density related but also related to size. • Clearing Factor K • A measure of the sedimenting ability of the rotor.

  18. General Safety • Maximum speed • Securing rotor • Balancing rotor • Selecting correct tubes • Correct filling of tubes • (do not overfill) • Flammables

  19. Bio Safety • Biocontainment • Decontamination

  20. Loading • Balancing of tubes • Symmetrical arrangement • Load about the centre • No overfilled tubes

  21. Load about the centre

  22. Load symmetrically

  23. Rotor Washing • Use mild detergent and soft brush. DO NOT SCRATCH SURFACE WITH WIRE BRUSH • Rinse with distilled water • Leave rotor inverted on towel to drain

  24. Poor Rotor Housekeeping Pitting, corrosion and salt deposits shown

  25. Centrifuge Maintenance • Wipe centrifuge bowl with damp cloth to remove salts and dirt • Clean & lightly grease centrifuge lid seal • Clean rotor lid and lightly grease o-ring • Check for scratches and pitting in the rotor tube holders

  26. Summary • There is the potential for serious accidents with the misuse of any centrifuge • Take care in all aspects of use with particular attention to balancing of tubes and proper cleaning of the rotors • Report any damage of a rotor.

More Related