Definition(s)
Centrifuge
Device, rotated by an external force, for the purpose of separating materials of various masses (depending upon specific gravity and particle sizes) from a slurry to which the rotation is imparted primarily by the rotating containing walls. NOTE In a weighted drilling fluid, a centrifuge is usually used to eliminate colloidal solids.
Source: API RP 13C, Recommended Practice on Drilling Fluids Processing Systems Evaluation, Upstream Segment, Fourth Edition, December 2010. Global Standards