Our proprietary design for the unique mixer/reactor - known as the STRATCO  Contactor™ reactor - revolutionized production of lubricating greases. The unique features of the Contactor reactor are its highly turbulent circulation in a closed cycle path and its relatively large heat transfer surface, which contributes to the vessel's enhanced performance as compared with a typical kettle process.

The STRATCO Contactor reactor consists of a pressure vessel, a circulation tube and a hydraulic head assembly complete with the mixing impeller and driver. The Contactor reactor by design has a highly turbulent circulation path.  All energy input through the mixing impeller is expended within the materials being mixed.  The high dispersion mixing in the Contactor reactor is achieved by the proprietary hydraulic head assembly. Frequent and forced changes in velocity and direction of flow occur around the impeller area. This results in a zone of high shear and intense mixing, which reduces the time required to complete the saponification reaction.
Material is pulled down through the center of the circulation tube by the impeller, reversed and then forced up through the annular space. Because the impeller is located on the bottom, dry materials are kept in suspension until they dissolve or are reacted.

The heating medium is circulated through the double-walled circulation tube inside the Contactor. The outside of the Contactor reactor is also jacketed.  An alternate design can be furnished to use high pressure steam.

Because of the double-walled circulation tube and the outside jacket, the Contactor reactor has approximately three times the heat transfer area of an open kettle or other pressure (autoclave) type reactors of the same volume. The flow path, forces the circulating material to remain in contact with the total heating surface area at all times. Also, the heat transfer in the Contactor reactor is enhanced by the high velocity of material flowing past the heat transfer surfaces.

The Contactor reactor’s impeller is connected to a two-speed motor normally turning at 1,200 RPM. The motor is mounted below the vessel and out of the operating area. The shaft is sealed from the process fluid by a mechanical seal which can be replaced from outside the Contactor reactor without removing the head. 
 

Standard Specifications 
The STRATCO Contactor™ reactor is typically sized between 2 and 2.5 times (from 50 to 1,840 US gallon) of the working volume of the finishing kettle, and it can be supplied in various commercial and pilot plant sizes (12.5 gallon). .  Many grease manufacturers have a grease pilot plant to test formulations, because the correlation between a pilot plant Contactor reactor and a commercial size plant Contactor reactor is around 95%.

The standard sizes of our Contactor reactor are:

MODULAR EQUIPMENT
STRATCO designs modular process units for many different applications in the petrochemical industry. The advantage of the modular unit is it is small, yet highly efficient. It is completely built and tested before being shipped to the actual operating site, keeping installation requirements at the site are minimal.

The typical modular unit includes the proprietary STRATCO Contactor™ reactor as the key piece of processing equipment.Examples of auxiliary equipment that could be included are heating and cooling units, compressed gas systems, vacuum systems, pumps, filters, and mills. Control and monitoring systems can be provided for manual, semiautomatic or fully automated programmable operation, as required. Utilities required by the modular units will vary with each design. Electrical power is always required and can be supplied from an AC electrical distribution system or a portable generator. A water source is necessary for units that require a cooling system.

The modular unit is custom designed to meet the processing requirements of the product being manufactured. The STRATCO Process has been successfully applied to the manufacture of greases, gasoline, alkylate, specialty modified asphalts, cosmetics, food products, soaps and adhesives.

Additionally, provisions must be made at the manufacturing site for the storage and delivery systems for the raw materials, including water, as well as the filling and packaging systems for the finished product. STRATCO provides training for both operation and maintenance of the modular unit, including detailed instruction manuals, which also vary with each design.
 
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