Continuous process for the manufacture of grease

A continuous process for preparing a grease reaction product, said process comprising:

• (a) passing one or more base oils through a heat exchanger operated at a temperature between about 100° C. and 240° C.;
• (b) introducing the one or more base oils of step (a), a C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or a C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester, and a metal base into a reaction zone;
• (c) operating the reaction zone at a temperature between about 100° C. and about 240° C. to react the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester, and the metal base, in the presence of the one or more base oils, to produce a grease reaction product;
• (d) introducing the grease reaction product of step (c) into a flash chamber zone;
• and
• (e) operating the flash chamber zone at a temperature sufficient to remove volatiles from the grease reaction product of step (c);
• wherein continuous process conditions afford a production throughput of grease reaction product of greater than about 8,000 pounds per hour.

A continuous process for preparing a grease thickener product, said process comprising:

• conducting a neutralization reaction comprising reacting a C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or a C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester, and a metal base, under neutralization reaction conditions sufficient to produce a grease thickener product comprising a metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester;
• conducting a nucleation reaction under nucleation reaction conditions sufficient for the metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester to self-assemble forming a fibrillary network;
• and
• conducting a phase separation under phase separation conditions sufficient to remove byproducts from the grease thickener product, said byproducts comprising methanol and water;
• wherein the neutralization reaction is conducted at a temperature above the melting temperature of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester and below the melting temperature of the metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester;
• and
• wherein, as the metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester is produced in the neutralization reaction, the difference between the melting temperature of the metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester and the melting temperature of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester creates a chemical driving force that initiates the nucleation reaction forming the fibrillary network.

A continuous process for preparing a grease reaction product, said process comprising:

• conducting a neutralization reaction comprising reacting a C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or a C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester, and a metal base, in the presence of one or more base oils, under neutralization reaction conditions sufficient to produce a grease reaction product comprising a metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester;
• conducting a nucleation reaction under nucleation reaction conditions sufficient for the metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester to self-assemble forming a fibrillary network;
• and
• conducting a phase separation under phase separation conditions sufficient to remove byproducts from the grease reaction product, said byproducts comprising methanol and water;
• wherein the neutralization reaction is conducted at a temperature above the melting temperature of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester and below the melting temperature of the metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester;
• and
• wherein, as the metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester is produced in the neutralization reaction, the difference between the melting temperature of the metal salt of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester and the melting temperature of the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid or the C3 to C30 hydroxy fatty acid ester creates a chemical driving force that initiates the nucleation reaction forming the fibrillary network.