PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out active sterilization of a face seal cooling water line, in a continuous centrifuge centrifuging particles in a fluid sample in a rotor by continuously flowing the sample.SOLUTION: In a centrifuge having a cylindrical rotor for separating a sample, two rotary shaft coupled vertically in an axis direction of the rotor and having through holes therein, a face seal having a through hole in communication with the through holes of the rotary shafts and biased by a spring so as to abut on the rotary shafts, a sample supplying means continuously supplying or discharging the sample to or from the rotor from the through holes of the face seal and the rotary shafts in communication with each other, and a cooling water line 170 circulating cooling water for cooling the face seal, a sterilization mode in which hot water flows through the cooling water line is arranged, the flowing rate of the cooling water during the sterilization mode in a cooling water circulation pump 173 is faster than the flowing rate of the cooling water in the time of usual centrifuging operation.COPYRIGHT: (C)2013,JPO&INPIT【課題】試料を連続的に流して流体試料中の粒子をロータ内で遠心分離する連続遠心分離機において、フェイスシール冷却水ラインの積極的な滅菌を行う。【解決手段】試料を分離するための円筒状のロータと、ロータの軸方向上下に連結され内部に貫通穴を有する2本の回転軸と、回転軸の貫通穴と連通する貫通穴を有し回転軸に当接するようにスプリングにより付勢されるフェイスシールと、フェイスシールおよび回転軸の連通した貫通穴からロータに試料を連続的に供給および排出する試料供給手段と、フェイスシールを冷却するための冷却水を循環させる冷却水ライン170を備えた連続遠心分離機において、冷却水ラインに温水を流す滅菌モードを設け、冷却水循環ポンプ173における滅菌モード時の冷却水の流量は、通常の遠心分離運転時の冷却水の流量よりも速くした。【選択図】図4
