Everyone is familiar with the sound of banging water pipes. Laymen call it "water hammer," scientists call it "cavitation," and Hydro Dynamics call its "ShockWave Power™." Shockwave Power was developed by Hydro Dynamics, Inc; it harnesses this "destructive force" of hydrodynamic cavitation and applies it for useful purposes. The technology is embodied in a patented device called a "ShockWave Power™ Reactor" (SPR). As a liquid passes through the SPR it is subjected to "controlled cavitation." Microscopic hydrodynamics cavitation bubbles are produced, and as they collapse, shockwaves are given off into the liquid. The cavitation is produced in a controlled manner so that it does not damage the equipment.

The SPR technology harnesses cavitation to transesterify vegetable or animal fats in seconds. When the cavitation bubbles collapse and produce shockwaves, powerful forces are generated that cut up the process material into microscopic sizes. This increases the surface contact area between the reactants. The process intensity drives the reaction further to completion than with conventional reactors in a fraction of the time. The breakthrough results are obtained by using the forces of cavitation in a controlled manner rather than typical impellers or blades to process materials. With "Controlled Cavitation" technology the mass transfer rate can be increased and results obtained that far exceed those of any technology in the market today.

The SPR has an elegantly simple and robust design proven through years of commercial operation in the chemical, petroleum, and food industries. The robust stainless steel construction, easy to use control system, small footprint, and quiet operation make the SPR an unparalleled biodiesel reactor.