Large diameter air driven centrifuge rotor

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The air driven centrifuge rotor of the present invention is designed to be compatible with existing air driven centrifuges having a specified rotor seat size.
This air driven centrifuge rotor has a base portion which is large enough to accommodate a plurality of centrifuge tubes in a fixed horizontal orientation.
Although the main portion of the rotor which is designed to hold the tubes in the horizontal orientation is larger than the rotor seat of the centrifuge and covers the rotor seat as well as the stator pad, the air flow exiting from between the rotor and the rotor seat is accommodated in such a manner that the operation of the rotor will be stable during centrifugation.
In order to properly accommodate for the volume of exiting driving air from between the rotor and the rotor seat, the rotor has a large air relief path between the rotor and the seat even though the rotor base or bottom protrudes over or covers the rotor seat area.
Although the rotor is somewhat larger than presently used rotors orienting the tubes at an acute angle to the spin axis of the rotor, the present rotor is designed to utilize the same size 4.
8 by 19.
9 millimeter tubes positioned in a horizontal orientation without the use of separate capping means for each individual tube.
Surface tension surprisingly retains the fluid sample within the tube even when the tube is nearly filled with the fluid sample.
When the rotor top or cover is placed over the tubes and on the rotor, the exterior of the tubes in their horizontal position are completely supported by the recesses within the rotor base in conjunction with the top which is securely fastened to the rotor base.
Consequently, by the use of the rotor of the present invention an operator can place a plurality of centrifuge tubes in a horizontal orientation in an air driven centrifuge rotor and obtain much more desirable centrifuge results utilizing the same air driven centrifuge that is used to drive the presently existing rotors having the tubes oriented at an acute angle to the spin axis of the rotor