China launches world's largest centrifuge by capacity

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Monday launched the world's largest centrifuge by capacity that is able to generate 300 times Earth's gravity and accommodate loads of up to 20 tons (40,000 pounds), state news agency Xinhua reported.

The machine, coded CHIEF1300, is a key component of the Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility (CHIEF) currently under construction in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province.

It can be utilized for the research of deep-ocean and deep-Earth for resources extraction, disaster mitigation and prevention, underground waste disposal, and the synthesis of new materials.

Developed by Zhejiang University, CHIEF possesses three centrifuges and 18 in-flight devices supporting six experimental cabins, and two more centrifuges with even greater capacity are under construction.

In the CHIEF1300 machine hall, a giant arm with a 6.4-meter (nearly 21 foot) radius spins at high speeds to create extreme gravity through centrifugal force. The faster it spins, the greater the acceleration,

The device is engineered to sustain accelerations of up to 1,500G.

Pilot tests have already produced significant results. Researchers simulated strong earthquakes to assess the seismic performance of a hydropower dam foundation and studied the impact of a 4-meter (nearly 13.1 foot) wave and a 20-meter (nearly 65.6 foot) tsunami on the seabed to guide offshore wind farm site selection.

They also recreated 2,000-meter (nearly 1.2 miles) deep sea pressure to evaluate methane hydrate extraction and safety, and developed metal alloys with fewer defects and improved strength and ductility.