A centrifugal extractor—also known as a centrifugal contactor or annular centrifugal contactor—uses the rotation of the rotor inside a centrifuge to mix two immiscible liquids outside the rotor and to separate the liquids in the field of gravity inside the rotor.

In the past years the centrifuge design has been further improved and scaled up to flow rates of several hundred liters per minute (Meikrantz "et al.", 1997).

The centrifugal contactors thus acts as a mixer, centrifuge and pump.

Achieving a particular "g"-seconds value in a liquid–liquid centrifuge can be obtained in two ways: increasing the multiples of gravity or increasing the residence time.

The IAM obtained a decompression chamber (moved from the Physiological Laboratory) in 1945, and this was supplemented by a climatic chamber in 1952, and human centrifuge in 1955 (the latter facility is still in operation and was designated a Grade 2 Listed Building in August 2007).

The net effect of "spinning" the sample in a centrifuge is that massive, small, and dense particles move outward faster than less massive particles or particles with more "drag" in the liquid.

When suspensions of particles are "spun" in a centrifuge, a "pellet" may form at the bottom of the vessel that is enriched for the most massive particles with low drag in the liquid.

The crystalline creatine is then purified by centrifuge and vacuum dried.

Blood plasma is prepared by spinning a tube of fresh blood containing an anticoagulant in a centrifuge until the blood cells fall to the bottom of the tube.

In Avalonia, Avalon Centrifuge (Colin McFarlane) takes Sackboy on a training course to learn combat using his machines.