Development of Multipurpose Centrifuge. Phase 1.
Abstract
This Phase I project was to design and fabricate a prototype lightweight, multipurpose medical centrifuge that combat casualty care units. Other commercially available centrifuges are heavy, bulky and equipped with an assortment of loose rotors and buckets of various sizes which must be inventoried and swapped in and out of the base unit. The centrifuge developed in this project is equipped to perform, using a single rotor system and standard tubes, microhematocrit, urine sediment, fecal concentration, plasma preparation, quantitative buffy coat analysis (QBC) tube centrifugation and manual settings. The rotor design decouples the high speed portion of the rotor for hematocrit and QBC separations to conserve battery power and reduce weight and strength required for the larger buckets which are only driven when filled. The prototype integrates a digital automated hematocrit measuring scale. An operator's manual and precise experimental protocols for various centrifugation tests of interest are stored in digital memory and displayed on an LCD screen. The prototype demonstrates feasibility of a multipurpose centrifuge meeting all the requirements set forth by the original objectives.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 12, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADB160942
Entities
People
- Owen D. Brimhall