The process of removing isotopes to concentrate specific isotopes, used in a variety of functions including nuclear weapon construction, is often done by centrifugal force. The small-scale plants make them economically attractive; however, isotope separation can also be achieved through gas or liquid diffusion in a state of thermal equilibrium. Electromagnetic mass spectrometry can be used on a very small scale. It separates isotopes by charging and deflecting particles, but it is expensive and impractical for industrial use. Lasers tuned to certain wavelengths will excite a specific isotope and preferentially ionize its atoms for removal.
Patients who are diagnosed with coronary conditions that could lead to a heart attack should be carefully monitored by their physician through regular analysis of blood samples. Centrifuges are traditionally used to separate blood and plasma components, and are also effective for blood pumping, but two additional methods are equally effective for monitoring high-risk cardiac patients. Air-bursting detonators contain pressurized air in a microreservoir until a thermoplastic membrane is detonated to unleash stored energy. Blood can be separated into plasma and cell channels through microchannels bends if the blood is treated with heparin to prevent coagulation.
Centrifugal force is extremely effective in separating solid and liquid components in a mixture because gravity acts on the centrigue's rotation and causes the heavier, more dense particles to move in one direction, while the lighter liquid particles move in another direction. Filtration will also achieve this objective and provides a cost-effective alternative to students and teachers who cannot afford to pay several thousand dollars to acquire a centrifuge machine. Placing a mixture into a container with two chambers separated by a porous filter is the simplest form of solid-liquid separation, though it is slower and less effective than cetrifugal force.
The petroleum industry recently applied centrifugal force to separate water from gasoline using steam pressure, which provided a cost-effective alternative to traditional methods and could be conducted in a smaller area, saving resources and land costs. Oil-water separation can still be conducted using the conventional process of gravity separation, where the oil is pushed to the bottom of a separation vessel due to the fact it is more dense than water. The water can then be skimmed off the top of the container. Another new separation method employs a high-voltage DC electro-pulsed field that causes the coalescence of larger water droplets, which are easier to collect and remove.