ENHANCED CENTRIFICATION DEVICES

IT IS PROPOSED TO APPLY NOVEL ULTRASOUND TECHNOLOGY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMPROVED CENTRIFUGATION EQUIPMENT. THIS NEW DEVICE WILL USE INCLINED SURFACES IN CONJUNCTION WITH ULTRA-SOUND FORCE FIELDS TO SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE SEDIMENTATION. BECAUSE THIS EQUIPMENT CAN PRODUCE EQUIVALENT SEPARATION WITH LOWER ACCELERATIONS (LOWER CENTRIFUGE ROTATIONAL VELOC-ITY), DESIGN OF A PRACTICAL CONTINUOUS-FLOW CENTRIFUGE WITH-OUT A ROTATING SEAL BECOMES PRACTICABLE. THIS PHASE II PROJECT WILL RESULT IN A LOW-COST, DISPOSA- BLE, STERILE, CONTINUOUS-FLOW CENTRIFUGE HEAD THAT CAN BE USED FOR BLOOD CELL HARVESTING, PLASMAPHERESIS, AND CELL WASHING, AN ULTRASOUND-ENHANCED, SWINGING-BUCKET CENTRIFUGEHEAD THAT CAN BE RETROFITTED TO EXISTING CENTRIFUGE EQUIP- MENT WILL ALSO BE DEVELOPED. OTHER APPLICATIONS OF THIS TECHNOLOGY INCLUDE CELL HARVESTING FOR THE BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY AND MORE EFFICIENT SEPARATIONS OF EMULSIONS.