A centrifuge is a device that uses centrifugal force to subject a specimen to a specified constant force, for example, to separate various components of a fluid. It is a valuable piece of laboratory equipment that is used to separate particles suspended in a liquid according to particle size and density, viscosity of the medium, and rotor speed. Centrifuges are used in various laboratories to separate fluids, gases, or liquids based on density. The effectiveness of this separation process is contingent on the rotor speed. Centrifugation takes advantage of even minute differences in density to separate particles within a solution.

A centrifuge can be a very effective filter that separates contaminants from the main body of fluid. Industrial scale centrifuges are commonly used in manufacturing and waste processing to sediment suspended solids, or to separate immiscible liquids. Very high-speed centrifuges and ultracentrifuges able to provide very high accelerations can separate fine particles down to the nano-scale, and molecules of different masses. A wide variety of laboratory-scale centrifuges are used in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and clinical medicine for isolating and separating suspensions and immiscible liquids.

The centrifuge uses centrifugal acceleration to separate the particles out of the solution. If the solution has a higher density than the solvent, the particles will sink to the bottom of the tube. If the solution has a lower density than the solvent, the particles float to the top. Centrifugation can occur with either filtration or sedimentation methods. Filtration uses a mesh screen to hold back the solid components and allow the liquid components to flow through. Relative centrifugal force (RCF), or G-force, is the amount of acceleration that is applied to the sample. When RCF exceeds the buoyant and frictional forces in the sample, the particles will move away from the axis of rotation and result in sedimentation.

In summary, a centrifuge is a laboratory device that uses centrifugal force to separate particles suspended in a liquid according to particle size and density, viscosity of the medium, and rotor speed. It is used in various laboratories to separate fluids, gases, or liquids based on density. The effectiveness of this separation process is contingent on the rotor speed. Centrifugation takes advantage of even minute differences in density to separate particles within a solution.