The patented Advanced Annular Couette Centrifuge (AACC) technology enhances the separation efficiency of liquid centrifuges by 10x by incorporating a differentially rotating inner cylinder coaxial within the main cylindrical housing of a traditional centrifugal separator. The effective gravity is enhanced when the inner cylinder rotates more rapidly than the outer cylinder, while the flow remains non-turbulent. Using the variable-speed axial boundaries, secondary flows can be controlled. The resulting suppression of turbulence is a critical component of the AACC method and allows AACC to separate sub-micron-sized particles, unlike other modern centrifuges. Recent experimental results confirm that enhanced separation still occurs when the system is part of a cascade of centrifuges with inlets and effluent ports.
Current Members
Principal Research Physicist, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory