petroleum facilites of germany 1945 108

8/14/2019 Petroleum Facilites of Germany 1945 108

1/29

REFINING - 135Ostermoor

3.12 OSTERMOOR

Refinery: Mineralfll und Asphaltwerke A.G.JIEFINERY OFMINERALOL-u.

ASPHALTWERKELocation: On southeast bank of the Kaiser OSTERMOORWilhelm (Kiel) Canal near the junotureof the canal with the Elbe River,Some 40 miles downstream from Hamburg,1-3/4 miles from Brunsbuttelkoog.Latitude 53 55 N , longitude 9 11 f E .

Maps and Plans: -Layout sketch on this pag e.Location shown on map on page 260

Description: Annual capacity: 150,000 metrictons. This plant is primarily anasphalt refinery and formerly operatedon heavy Venezuelan crude. It hasbeen heavily bombed and has been inactive during most of the war .

The plant contained pipe stills and shell stills but no cracking nor luboil equipment.

Tankage capacities are reported to be as follows:

No.of Diameter Capacity Each Total CapacityTanks in Feet Metric Tons Metric Tons Barrels

4 120 11,000 44,000 277,20085 5,000 5,000 31,500

13 80 4,000 52,000 327,600

4 35 8003,200

20,16022 T o t a 104,200 656,460

3.13 FEINE

Refinery: MineralOlwerke Peine (Julius Schindler)

Loca tion : On north side of the railway in eastern outskirts of Peine. Latitude5 2 U 19 f N, longitude 10 15* E . Approximately 20 miles ESS of Hannover.

Maps and P lans: Layout sketoh and location map, page 124.

Description: Annual capacity: 20,000 metric tons. This is a small refinery operating on German crude from the fields in the Hannover area. It is equipped

with shell stills and produces gasoline, tractor fuel and low grade lubricantssuch as axle oil.

Tankage is limited and estimated at a total of 5,000 metric tons (31,500barrels).

3.14 REGENSBPRG

Refinery ; Rhenania-Ossag Mineral&lwerke A.G.

Location- On the north side of the Oelhafen, south of the Danube River in the east-l ^ outskirts of Regensburg. Latitude 49 l f N, longitude 12 8 E-.


2/29

136 - REFININGD . P. A . G . , R o s i t z

c oo U Jro

CO pk_0)

ta

U Jo pX

T 3ns

nQ "c is CDCD CO COc " CD Q_

OUS

D

X

1 1JJ

OUS

adCOo CD

QOQOLJ C

1 J

lao

CD CO:oa

stoX c

co (30CO

oO cB CD?>

oCD 8o a3O1 CO Q_ UJ 00b COo o

1

4 IT )

6

8 i- H CD i n

WIN

JM A.G.

8 o tS ]

8

HPL,

W

I - HGOOPS

p 1 w d H

WQ


3/29

REFINING - 137Salzbergen

and Pla ns: Locat ion sketch on page 345 .

Descr ipt io n: Annual capacity: Est imated at 30,000 metr ic tons. This is reported tobe a small rerunning plant for the treating of gasoline and hardly classifiesas a ref inery. No detai ls are available ( a ) #

A prewa r tankage list is given below:

Details of Tankage

No.of Capacity _Total Capaci tyTanks Each M 3 M3 ["Bar re 1 s

1111135

2,5532 ,5302,5301,8771,841

460264

2,5532,5302,5301,8771,8411,3801,320

16,08415,93915,93911,82511,598

8,6948,316

46 le s s than 200 M3 2,401 15,126T o t a 16,432 103,521

3.15 ROSITZ

Refinery: Deutsche Petroleum A. G.

Looa tion : 1/2 mile e ast-southeast of the village of Rositz about 21 miles south ofLei pzi g. The plant l ies on main road from Rositz to Altenburg and south ofthe Altenbu rg-Zeitz railwa y line. Numerous lignite mining pits in thevicini ty.

Ma ps and Plan s: Layout p lan and looation sketch on pa^e 136 .

Descr iptio n: Annual capacity: Estimated at 120,000 metric tons. This refinery isreported to contain a low temperature carbonization plant and a solvent extraction plant using tine Edeleanu proce ss. The principal feed stock appearsto be ta r, obtained by the low temperature carbonization of trown coal(lignite) at the refinery and at other L.T.C. plants in the vicinity. However, it is als o suggested the refinery sometimes processes natural crudeoi ls .

Diesel oil is reported to be the principal product produced.

No information on tank capacities is available.

3 # 16 SALZBERGEN

Refinery: ErdOl-R aff inerle Salzbergen G.m.b.H. (Ersag).

Looa t ion : 1/2 mil e south of the village of Salzbe rgen. Latitude 52 19 N , longitude 7 21 E . 4 mile s NW of Rheine on the Ems River, near the Netherlandsborder.

(a) Ano the r pl ant described as a small refinery belonging to Danubia A.G. fflrMiner alOlw erke is reported at tk im looation , but confirmation is lacking.


4/29

138 REFININGErd51 Ra ffin erle , Salzbergen

PLAN OF

ERDOL RAFFINERIESALZBERGEN (ERSAG)

SALZBERGEN

H O O OCRACKING COLUMN

OIL STORAGE

R-54


5/29

REFINING - 139Voltol Plant

5Ja2 and Pla ns : Layout pla n, and location sketch, page 138.

Description: Annual capacity: 50 t 000 metrio tons. This small but complete refinerye n v e r y a o t i v e a n d i t s??u capaoity may have been inoreased. It is equipped

wit h shell still s, pipe stills and a small cracking un it . Lub . oil facilitiesinclude high vaouum distillation and dewaxing for the production of high gradelubricants. Exact details are not available.

Tankage is estimated at 36,000 metrio tons, (226,800 barrels) but it isreported that additional underground tankage has been installed.

3.17 YOLTOL UJBRICATING OIL PLANT. DRESDEN

Plant : Rhenania-Ossag MineralOlwerke A.G.

Locat ion: On northeast outskirts of Freitalfour mile s southwest of Dresden. Theplant lies in a loop of a branch railwayline 1/2 aile east of the main railwayfrom Chemnitz to Dresden. Latitude51 O'N, longitude 13 40 E .

Ma p8 and Pla ns: Layout plan,unavailable. Location sketoh on this pag e.

Description: Annual capacity: 6,000 metriotons. This small specialty plant manufaotures special oils by the Voltolprocess and its products are used asblending agents in the manufacture ofhigh grade aviation lubrioants. Therefore, this plan t, while not a true refinery, is of considerable importance*

L O C AT I O N M A PTankage is limited and prior to the warRHENANIA - OSSAGconsisted of two tanks of 200 M 5 and 22 MINERALOLWERKE A.G.

tanks o f less than 200 M*, tjie arand FREITALtot al amounting to on ly 756 If* (4,762barrels).

The process , which is also employed in the Elektrion plant at Gent, Belgium treats fatty or vegetable oils by means of electrical discharge* A briefdescription of the process is as follows:

Principal reactions.- It is believed that most of the reactions which occurduring voltolizing are the result of electron bombardment. The principal reactions are: (1) Polymerization; (2) Dehydrogenation; (3) Rupture of oarbonoarbon bonds, especially those in long-chain hydrooarbons*

All vegetable oils with a high iodine number can be voltolized. In thisprooess hydrogen is intermediately produced and then is added to the unsaturatd bonds* During voltolizing of the vegetable oil the iodine number is reduced* Voltol lzatlon of rape seed oi l increases the viscosity from 59 to about300 seconds Saybolt Universal at 210F*

If Tegetable oil alone is voltolized and no mineral oil is added during theprooess , then, after a certain time, over-voltolizing is observed, which results In sedimentation of fatty aoids in the oil* A fatty oil not dilutedwit h the mineral oil reaches, during voltollzatlon, a viscosity limit whichdoes not inorease substantially during continued operation* Tests indicatedthat voltollzation proceeds more quickly If Edeleanlsed mineral oil (SOraffi nate) is added than is the case when only aoid-treated mineral oils areused* Straight mineral oils, whioh voltolize badly, have been found to voltolize rapidly when combined with fatty oils*


6/29

140 - REFININGTetra-ethyl plants

The yield in the Voltol prooess is 100 per cent because, through the influence of the glow discharge 9 only a re-arrangement of molecules and polymerization takes place.

Description of the process .- In the commercial voltolization of rapeseedoil, at least as praotioed in Freital, Germany, in 1936, pure rapeseed oilwas voltolized until the visoosity reached 275 S.U. seoonds at 210F. Twoparts of mineral oil were then added and voltolization continued until thefinal product had a visoosity of about 800 S.U. seconds at 210F. Furthervoltolization would yield a produot that could not be successfully blendedwith mineral oil to give a final blend that would not separate on standing.It is believed that dilution during the voltolization process is practicedsimply to reduce the viscosity of the oil during the final stages of theprocess, although it may also aid in promoting solubility of the Voltol inthe final blend by inter-polymerization of mineral oil and rapeseed oilmolecules.

The partly voltolized rapeseed oil before dilution is usually called "Rapeseed Mild Volto l" whereas the voltolized blend of two parts of mineral oiland rapeseed mild Voltol is oalled "Voltol". The final lube oil which consists of about 5 per cent of Voltol and 95 per cent of a suitable mineral oilis oalled "Voltolized oil".

Operating conditions.- The voltolization operation is carried out at a temperature or about 1 4 0 ^ , using a glow discharge produced by a high frequencyourrent of 2,000 to 5,000 volts, 2 amperes, and 6 kilocycles. The power consumption is roughly 0.5 KWH per kilogram of oil (70 KWH per barrel). It isdesirable to apply the lowest possible temperature and working pressures inorder to avoid the formation of higher polymers on the electrodes. Owing tothe rather great consumption of current and elaborate equipment, this pro*oedure is rather expensive*

Properties of Voltolized oils.- The addition of about ten per cent of Voltoloil to mine raTP'lubricat ing oils results in the following improvements of lubricating oil: (1) Increase of viscosity and visoosity index of the oi l: Theviscosity of the mixture is increased so that, if necessary, bright stook canbe saved. The viscosity index of the final blend is a maximum of some 20points higher than the viscosity index of the mineral oil . (2) Pour reduction: The addition of Voltol to mineral lubricating oils decreases the pourpoint of the oil . (3) Improvement of oiliness: It has been found that theaddition of Voltol oil improves the oiliness. Moreover, voltolized oils leadto oleaner engines due to the sludge-dispersing properties of the Voltol oi l.

Available data indicate that for luboils used for aircraft engines, theamount of Voltol oil which can be added is limited to about 5 per cent, as,due to the thermal instability of the vegetable oil content, it is believedthat a larger percentage of Voltolized vegetable oils in the final blend would,owing to the high temperature, cause some decomposition in airoraft engines.

3.18 TETRA-ETHYL LEAD PLANTS

Prior to the war Germany had onljr one tetra-ethyl lead plant, that of theI.G. Farbenindustrie at Gaspel near Ddberitz . Since the war a new and larger planthas been built at Nachterstedt in the Harz Mountains. Available information oneach one of these plants is given below.

3.18.1 DSberitz

Plant: I. G. Farbenindustrie A.G.

Location: Near the village of Gaspel about two miles east of Doberitz, lying on themain road and railway about halfway between Brandenburg and Rathenow. Lat itude 52 32' N, longitude 12 24 1 E.


7/29

REFINING - 141Naohterstedt

3 and Pl ans : Layout plan and location sketch on this page.

Descr iption; Estimated output 1,400 metrio tons per year . This T.E.L. plant wasouiit some years prior to the war alongside an existing I.G. Farbenindustriecnemical works , which produced ammonia, nitric acid, and explosives.

TETRA-ETHYL LEAD PLANT

I. G. FARBENINDUSTR IE A. G.

DOBERITZ

LEGENDEthyl Chloride Plant?Storage TanksStorage CylindersGasholderWorkshopsOfficesMixing PlantEthyl Fluid ManufactureSludge Recovery PlantEthyl Fluid Storage?Effluent Water PipelineOil Storage CylindersLead Sodium Alloy PlantBuildings of Chemical WorksCooling TowerPower Station Generator HallBoiler HousePipelinesPondsFences

3.18.2 Nachterstedt

Pla nt: I G. Farbenindustrie A.G.

Lo cat ion : At N ao hte rs ted t, la ti tu d e 51 50 N, long itud e 11 22* E, in the HarzMou ntains. Between Aschersleben and H alb ersta dt.

Maps and p la n s: No layo ut plan or lo ca ti o n map a v a il a b le . See general map on page 84*

D es cr ip tio n: Reports th at s inc e 1939 I.G . Farb enindu strie had b ui lt a new T.B.L.pla nt in the lo c a l i t y have been confirmed by ae ri al recon nais san ce. The aircover di sc lo se s a large plant covering an area of 800 f t . x 2,900 f t . andserved by a branch from the Aschersleben-Halberstadt railway line.

There appear to be two ethyl-fluid units within the plant and annual capaci t y i s estimated to equal 3,500 metric tons.

Power and steam are supplied from a large power station at Grube oonoordiaabout 2 /3 o f a m ile to th e northw est*


8/29


9/29

GENERAL - 1 4 3S y n t h e t i c o i l

4 . 0 S Y N T H E T I C O I L P R O D U C T I O N

4 , 1 G EN ER AL

The outstanding feature of German oil economy during the past ten years hasbeen the spectacular development of her synthetic oil plants for the production ofoi l f rom coal . This attempt at complete oi l autarchy, made without regard to costor orthodox financial considerations, has no parallel elsewhere and is a strikingexample of the character of the German master plan for world domination which callfidfor the pro ductio n, within her own bound aries, of all the resources essential tomod ern war fa re . It is evident that one of the essentials in such a plan is thesecuring of adequate oil supplies and since the attempts to find natural petroleumdeposits within her own borders met with a very limited success Germany naturallyturned to other expedi ents . The complicated structure of the enormous syntheticoil industry has been built up, therefore, on the basis of politioal and strategicexpediency, and on the foundation of Germany's wealth of coal deposits, especiallyof lignite or brown coal , as compared with her poverty in natural oil resource s.

The extent to which the programme of synthetic production has been carriedforward may be illustrated by the fact that approximately five out of every six

gallons of gasoline and gas oil produced in Germany are derived not from oil wel ls,but fro m synthetic oil plan ts, and that the German synthetic production amounts tosomethi ng like 60 per cent of total Europ ean (a) natural crude oil production.

A det ailed hi story and an accurate economic appraisal of the synthetic oil indistry is rendered difficult by the fact that, almost from its inception, the Germans realized the potential strategic importance of this industry, with the re-sultthat all b ut its broad o utline s were closely shrouded in a cloak of secrecy, as weremany features of their armament industries and other important elements of theirnat iona l p lanning . Als o, despite the rapid basic progress made in the prewar years,the greatest expans ion in the synthetic industry actually has taken place since1938 . However, as a result of certain early commercial contracts a considerableamount of technical data were acquired from the Germans prior to the war which,suppleme nted by Allied aeria l reconnaissance over the German synthetic plants themse lves , has made possible fairly accurate appraisals of their processing methodsand capacities.

What the synthetic program has cost the German nation, either in terms of monetary investment or of materials and manpower required for the construction andoperation of the plants and the production of the required coal, has never been reveale d. The structure of the industry is sc complicated by government participation that it is difficult to estimate with any accuracy the capital investment inthe synthetic oil industry or the cost of the synthetic oil produced. Both, howeve r, are known to be enormous as compared to the cost of plant and production inthe nat ura l petroleum products industry. It has been estimated that the presentGerma n synthetic plants ( b ) , having a total capacity of close to 5,000,000 metrictons of product per yea r, cost something like 4 or 5 billion Reichsmark or 1.6 to2 bi llion s of do lla rs . Thi s is said to be from ten to thirty times the plant costto produce similar quantities of liquid fuels from petroleum, depending upon theprocesses used.

By way of further comparison, prior to the wa r, the cost of a gallon of gasoline ex American refineries, excluding profits and taxes, was generally consideredto be a ppr oxim atel y 4 U. S. cents per gallon (adding some 2 cents fo.r profits andshipp ing cost this gasoline could be layed down in Germany for about 6 cents pergallon) , while the cost to manuf actu re a gallon of gasoline from coal by either ofthe major synthetic processes is at least 20 cents ( c) , or five times as great.

(a) Excluding Russia . . .(b) The bare plant cost exclusive of mines, coke ovens, coal carbonization plants,

or other ancillary or auxiliary processes.(c) Approximately 200 Reichsmarks per ton.


10/29

144 - SYNTHETIC OILPrincipal companies

In consideration of the foregoing, as well as for other reason s, the parti cipation of the German petroleum co mpanies, and particularly those with internatio nal affil iations, in the synthetic oil industry has been sma ll. Rathe r, i t is theGerman coal, ohemical, and heavy industries, under government dire ction and subsidy, whi ch have been responsible for the development of synthetic plants and pr oduct ion.

From its earliest days the synthetic oil industry has been the subject of gov

ernment encouragement and subsidies, and eventually and inevitably due to the magnitude of the program and the nature of the German state, to government directionand contr ol. All the experimental work with the process discovered by ProfessorBergiu s was carried on under the sponsorship of I.G. HarbenIn dustrie, and the second ofthe two main synthetic processes was worked out by Professor F ischer and Dr . Tropschunder the auspices of the Ruhr Coal Owners Association, but because of the heavyinvestments required, industry was slow to embark on large scale commercial production. Howe ver, the leaders of the German coal, chemical, and heavy industries nodoubt realized the vital role these processes might play in any future war and proceeded with their development fully confident that any German government would,sooner or later, foster their growth.

The advent of the Nazi government merely accelerated the development of thisand other German key industries by greatly increasing the already existing govern

ment al subsidies and direc tion. This trend came into full matur ity with the inauguration of the Four Year Plan under which all resources and industries were incorporated in a gigantic and strictly controlled pro duction program subordi nated tonational strategy, regardless of the usual commercial and economic considerations.To carry out the ambitious and vital synthetic program, com panie s, in whic h thecoal, chemical, and heavy industries participated, were formed under State direction,The State assisted by granting extensive and generous credits and subsid ies, which ,in many ca ses, covered half the cost of new plant construction whic h from then onwas pushed with intensity. As pointed out under "Government Corporations " on page13, all the companies in the industry must belong to the "trade associatio n",Wirtschaftsgruppe KraftstoffIndustrie, through which channel government instructionsto the industry are passed.

4.2 PRINCIPAL COMPANIES

Altho ugh German corporate structures are complex, the more importan t companiesthat have been identified as engaged in the production of synthetic oil in Germanyare listed below . Furth er details on these and other companies may be found in theGerman year book "Handbuch der Internationalen Petroleum-Industrie".

Braunkohle-Benzin A.G. (Brabag).- This company wit h head office at Berlin W 8 ,Schinkelplats l /2, was formed in 1935, under State direction which required jointparticipation by the various German brown coal (l ignite) intere sts. The capitalstock is subscribed jointly by:

A.G. Sachsische Werke, Dresden

Anhaltische Kohlenwerke, HalleBraunkohlen- und BrikettIndustrie A.G. t BerlinDeutsche Erdol A.G., BerlinElektrowerke A.G., BerlinI. G. Farbonlndustrie A.G.U s e Bergbau A.G. , Grube U s eMitteldeutsche Stahlwerke, RiesaRheinische A .G. fur Braunkohlen Bergbau und B rikettfabrikation, Cologne (KOln)Werschen-Weissenfelser Braunkohlen A. G., Halle

In June 1939, the capital of the company was RM. 100 milli on, and provision wa smade for increasing this by RM. 25 million over the next five yea rs. The value ofthe plants already erected or under construction in 1938 was , according to the balance sheet , RM. 295 mil l ion.


11/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 145Principal companies

It operates three large hydrogenation plants (Magdeburg, Bflhlen and Zeitz)and one large Fischer-T ropsch plant (Schwarz heide).

Chemise he Werke Essener Stelnkohle A.G.- This company, with head office atEssen , Huyssen allee 92 , operates the Fischer-Tropsch plant at Kamen-Dortmund. Itwas organized in January 1937, wit h a capital of RM. 12 million, and is a jointsubsidiary of :

Essener Steinkohlenbergwerke A. G., EssenHarpener Bergau A. G., DortmundDortmunder Grundstucks A. G., EssenGewerkschaft Stolberg, EssenFritz Korzel G.m.b.H., Dortmund

Gelsenberg Benzin A.G.- Gelsenberg Benzin A.G. of Gelsenkirchen was formed inDecember 1936, as a joint subsidiary of:

Vereinigte Stahlwerke A. G., DusseldorfGelsenkirchener Bergwerks A. G., EssenAugust Thyssen Hiitte A. G., DuisburgBochumer Verein fur Gusstahlfabrikation A. G.Dortmun d Horde r Hiittenverein A. G., Dortm und.

The original capital of RM. one million was increased to RM. 50 million in1937 and to RM . 100 million in 193 0.

Gewerkschaft Viktor- This concern operates the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis plantat C astrop-Raux el and is owned jointly by Wintershall A. G. and Klocknerwerke A.G .

Hoesch Benzin G.m.b.H-.- This company, with head office at Dortmund, was formedin 1936 as a subsidiary of the Hoesch A.G. of Dortmund. It was capitalized forRM. 3 mil l ion.

Hydrierw erke Poli tz A .G.- Hydrierwerke P olitz A.G., with office and plant atPoli tz, was founded in 1937 by I. G. Farbenindustrie with a capital of RM. 20,000,under the name Hydro G.m.b.H , Later the capital was raised to RM. 4 millio n, and

the name changed to Korddeutsche Kydrierwerke G.m.b.H. Stil l later capital was increased to RJ.1, 80 mil lion and the name changed to Hydrierwerke Poli tz A.G . Thecapital was later reported increased to RM. 110 milli on. The capital stock is heldas fol lows:

I.G. Farbenindustrie A.G . 25 Per centAminoniakwerke Merseburg (a)Deutsche Gasolin A.G. (a)

346

"M

""

Delbrttck Schickler & Co. (Banking firm) 35 " "

I, G . Farbenindustrie has assumed a 25 per cent guarantee, and the Industriebank B erlin a 75 per cent guarantee covering a bond issue of RM . 80 mil lio n.

Hydrierw erke 3cholven A.G .- Hydrierwerke Scholven A.G., at Scholven-Buer, was

organized by the Hibernia A .G., which in turn is controlled by the Prussian Sta te.In July 193 9, the share capit al of the Hiber nia company was increased from R M . 100mil lio n to RM. 250 million and the company received permission to issue a publicloan of RM. 120 mill ion.

I G Farbeni ndustr ie A. G.- I. G. Farbenindustri e A. G., head office Frankfurt,occuDleT the leading position in the German chemical and synthetic oil industries.Thi s company holds the Bergius hydrogenati on process patents and wa s the pioneer ofexperime ntal and commercial production at i ts Leuna plant operated by a subsidiarycom pan y! Ammoniakwerke Llerseburg G.m.b.H. Together with Ammoniakwerke Merseburgnd Deutsche Gasolin A.O. (also a partial subsidiary of I .G.) , I.G. has a controll i L inter est in the Po'litz synthetic oil plant, and, though details are lacking,is known to have a large interest in the two plants at Blechhammer and in a plant

at Oswiecim in Poland.

(a) This company is a subsidiary of the I. G. Farbenindustrie A.G.


12/29

146 - SYNTHETIC OILProcesses

Krupp Trie bs toff e rice G.m.b.H.- Head office address, Essen, Thomaestrasse 100.Formed in 1937 with a capital of RM. 20 million as a joint subsidiary of FriedrichKrupp A.G., and the A.G. fur Unternehmungen der Eisen- und Stahlindustrie.

Oberschlesische Hydrierwerke A.G,- This company, operating the large new hydrogenation plant at Blechhammer, North and South, was organized by I. G. Farbenindustrie A.G. in early 1940. The original capital of RM. 50 million was subsequently raised to RM. 100 million and again, in January 1941, to a total of RM.

150 million.Rhelnpreussen, G.m.b.H.- This company, with head office at Hamburg, is con

trolled by Gutehoffnungshutte who also controls Miilheimer Bergwerks Verein. CapitalHM. 500,000.

Ruhrbenzin A.G.- This company, with head office at Oberhausen-Holten, wasformed in 1935 through participation of twenty-two Rhenish-Westphalian mining companies and Ruhrchemie A.G.; there is an agreement for the pooling of profits orlosses on a 50-50 basis between Ruhrbenzin A.G. and Ruhrchemie A.G. Capital isRM. 9 million.

RuhrSl G.m.b.H.- Head office Miilheim, Ruhr. Controlled by Matthias StinnesG.m.b.H. and capitalized for RM. 1 million.

Schaffftottsch* sche Benzin G.m.b.H.- A subsidiary of Grafliche Schaffgottschf sche Werke G.m.b.H. of Gleiwitz . Capitalized for RM. 10 million.

Union Rheinische Braunkohlen Kraftstoff A.G. - This company, with head office"at Koln, Kaiser Freidrich-Ufer 47 and whose plant is at Wesseling, was formed inJanuary 1937 as a joint subsidiary:

Rheinische A.G. fur Braunkohlenbergbau k Brikettfabrikation, Cologne (Kflln)Braunkohlen Industrie A.G., Weisweiler bei AachenHorremer Brikettfabrik G.m.b.H., CologneBraunkohlenbergwerk & Brikettfabrik Leblar G.m.b.H., LeblarHubertus Braunkohlen A.G., BriiggenVereinigungsgesselschaft Rheinische Braunkohlenbergwerke G.m.b.H., Cologne

This company was formed with a capital of RM. 45 million and a State loan ofRM. 45 million.

Wintershall A.G.- Head office, Kassel , Hohenzollernstrasse 139. Originally apotash concern, this large German firm has many interests in the petroleum and thesynthetic oil industries. It is capitalized for RM. 125 mill ion. Wintershal l A. G.owns the synthetic plant at Lutzkendorf and interests in Gewerkschaft Viktor andMitteldeutscher-Treibstoff und Oelwerke A.G.

The important hydrogenation plant at Brux, in Sudetenland (Czechoslovakia),while not located in the area covered by this report, is operated by Sudetenlandische Treibstoff A.G., which is probably controlled by Brabag, though all suchplants are, no doubt, State enterprises directly under Goring 1 s Four-Year Plan organization.

No attempt is made to list the numerous coal mining companies, and companiesoperating coke ovens and low temperature carbonization plants which are, in varyingdegrees, associated with the synthetic oil industry.

4.3 PROCESSES

4.3.1 General

The four important processes in use for the synthetic production of oil are:


13/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 147High temperature carbonization

1. High Temperature Carbonization of coal (coke ovens and gas plants). (H.T.Cj2 . Low Temperature Carbonization of coal, l ignite, shale, etc. (L.T.C.)3. Hydrogenat ion (3ergius-I,G.).4 . Hydrocarbon Synthesis (Fischer-Tropsch) .

It is the last two of these processes that are commonly thought of when synthetic oil is mentioned and whic h are , by far, the most important means of product ion.

All these processes are more or less closely interrelated. Ordinari ly, thelow temperature carbonization (L.T.C.) plants are operated as ancillaries to hydrogenation plants, the tar produced by the L.T.C. plants providing the feed stock forthe hydroge nati on pl an ts. The low temperature coke produced as a by-product inthese plants is mos tly utilized as fuel for big power plants, whereas a smallerpart is used for the manufacture of hydrogen for hydrogenation plants or other chemica l ent erpr ises . High temperature carbonization plants are usually run primarilyfor the production of metallur gical coke or for the production of industrial ortown gas and the tars produced are mere ly by-pr oducts . Consequently , there is ordinarily no such close tie-up between these plants and the hydrogenation plants asexi sts in the case of the L.T.C . pla nts . In common practice the liquid productsfrom al l these proc esses are referred to as synthetic oi l, though technically onlythe Fischer-Tropsch is truly a process of synthesis.

The fundamental fact upon which the manufacture of synthetic oil is based, isthat coal cont ains the same basic elements as petroleum, but in different proport ions , and the conversion of coal into oil, stating the problem in its simplestterms, require s the additio n of more hydrogen to the coal molecu les; the result isoi l . The two major synthetic process es, however , differ fundamentally in theirmean s of obtaining this end . The hydrogenation, or Bergius proce ss, proceeds toliquefy coal by forcibly combining the coal with hydrogen under great pressur e.The Fische r-Tropsc h process is one of synth esi st hat is, i t f irst reduces the coalto a simp ler form, similar to water g as , and then builds up this gas to l iquid oil .

Considerable work has been done on the development of the Pott-Broche processwhere coal is de-ashed by solvent-extraction and the resultant pitch hydrogenated,but this is a variation in detail rather than in principle and has not reached

great importance industrially.4.3.2 High Temperature Carbonization of Coal

Thi s p rocess is over 100 years .old, and is widel y used throughout the ind ustria l world prima rily for the production of metall urgical coke and gas. Coke ovensand gas plants distill coal at high temperatures (above 600C) . In the processabout three per cent tar and one per cent crude benzol is produced, depending onthe type of coal used. These by -products are essential in the manufacture ofchemicals , dyes, dr ug s, expl osiv es, s olv ent s, pla sti cs and a vari ety of other products,

Much of the H.T.C O tar is a heavy pitch which is not readily convertible toliquid f ue ls . How eve r, the lighter fractions of the tar, the so-called tar oils,

are more readily usable as feed stock for hydrogenation (Bergius) plants. Also, arelatively small portion of the tar oils is distilled and blended by conventionalrefining methods to produce gas oils and fuel oils,, and in some instances, lowgrade l ubric ants. Some synthetic oil is made from reacting benzol or naphthalenefrom HTC tar with paraffin oils or wax from the Fischer-Tropsch pr ocess. However ,the maj or produ ction of H. T.C . products is based on the demand for poke by the steelindustry and the liquid fuels production, though important, is merely a by-product .

4.3.3 Low Tempera ture Carbonization

The low temperature carbonization of coal, l ignite, shale, et c. also has beenkno wn for many y ears . However , i t is primarily a German process and is very li tt leused in other count ries . During the ten years preceding the present war this pro

cess was greatly improved and expanded as a means for util izing Germany1

s extensivedeposits of low grade lignites as feed stocks for the hydrogenation (Bergius) process synthet ic oi l p lants .


14/29

148 - SYNTHETIC OILHydrogenation

The principal L.T.C. process is that developed by the Lurgi Gesellschaft farWarmet echni k. Lign ite, after air drying to about 15 per cent moisture content( a ) , is briquetted and fed through a shaft divided into two compartments where hotgases pass horizontally across the briquets. In the first section the remainingmoistur e is driven off and the lignite pre-heated to reaction temperature. In thesecond section the volatile hydrocarbons which form the L.T.C. tar are driven offby hot gases passing horizontally through the second section. Each shaft or ovenhas a capaoity of between 250 and 300 tons of briquets per day and a plant willhave batteries of these ovens providing individual total plant capacities rangingfrom 500,000 to 5,000,000 tons of lignite per yea r. A rotating grate at thebottom removes the coke . This process is of high thermal efficiency, some 80 percent of the fuel value of a low grade lignite being converted to tar and coke.Three or more tons of coke, depending on the quality of the lignit e, are producedfor each ton of liquid tar. Most of the tar is used as feed stock for the pr oduction of gasoline, and other liquid fuels by the hydrogenation proc ess . The cokeis mostly utilized as fuel for the generation of pow er, and some of it for themanufacture of hydrogen (H;j) for the hydrogenation and other proce sses .

4.3.4 Hydrogenat ion (Bergius - I.G,)

During World Wa r I considerable amount of wor k was done in the German laboratories toward the manufacture of oil from coal and it was Profes sor Bergius ofthe Heidelberg Universit y who succeeded in adding hydrogen to coal under a pressureof 200 atmospheres and a temperature between 400 and 500 C. In 1916 a small scaleexperimental plant to further develop the work of Bergius was built at Mannheimand in the years following World War I,considerable amounts were spent on researchby the Bergius group. However, it was not until the I.G. Farbenindustrie withtheir much greater resources and background of experience with catalysis (I.G.developed the high-pressure synthesis of ammonia) took an active interest in thematter, that substantial progress was made with this proces s. Dr. Pie r developedcatalyst s which made it possible to convert brown coal tar into gasoline withsubstantially higher yields than had previously been possible and in 1927 I.G.constructed in their hydrogenation plant at Leuna, the first industrial plant toproduce gasoline from lignite and tar on a commercial scale. I.G. has continued tocarry on intensive research for the perfecting of the process and eventually plantswere constructed in Germany to manufacture gasoline and other fuels and lubricants,not only from brown coal tar but^from brown coal, bituminous coal, bituminous coalpitch, etc . The center of I.G.'s hydrogenation research is located at their extensive chemical works and research laboratories at Ludwigshafen (Oppau). A location plan of this plant appears on page 21 4, I.G. Farbenindustrie holds the basichydrogenation process patents in Germany , but the patent rights outside Germanywere acquired by some of the American and British/Dutch Oil compan ies. The hyd rogenation process is often referred t e a s the Bergius process and also sometimes asthe I. G. proce ss.

The hydrogenation process operates at high pressure (3,000 to 10,000 poundsper square inch) and at temperatures of 350 to 550 C. The feed stock may beeither coal or a liquid hydrocarbon such as tar or petroleum. About half of thehydrogenation p lants in Germany operate on tar produced for that purpose from lig

nite by the L.T.C. plan ts.

When coal is the feed stock the process is as follows. The coal is finelyground, a catalyst added, and mixed into a paste with heavy recycle oil from theprocess. This paste is pumped through a heating coil where it is heated to about420-450C, mixed with hydrogen and passed at a pressure of 300-700 atmospheresthrough a series of reactors (the paste contains 40 per cent pure coal (b) and 5 to10 per cent a sh) , where some 90 to 93 per cent of the a.m.f. coal is converted intogaseous and liquid hydrocarbons (including wax) with a consumption of hydrogen of 7to 10 per cent based on the a.m.f. coal. The ash, unconverted coal and catalyst

(a) German lignite has about a 53 per cent ash and moisture content.(b) Pure coal is defined as ash and moisture free, often abbreviated to a.in.f. coal.


15/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 149Hydrogenation

L P STALL

COMPRESSOR HOUSEH O FROM 5J.UOGE RECOVERT

H 2 C O M P R E S S I O N

V P STALL

PRtHtATCB

SIMPLIFIED FLOW DIAGRAM OF TYPICAL 2 STAGE! HYDROGENATION PLAN T

are drawn off as an oil sludge, from which part of the oil can be recovered and recycled to the proces s. The liquid product is fractionated, the heavy fractionboiling above 325 C being recycled to paste the coal, the middle oil or 185-325 Cboiling point fractions being further hydrogenated in a second stage to gasoline.The sump or liquid phase product also contains some gasoline which is recovered.None of the products from this first stage of hydrogenation are finished products;they contain oxygen (phenols and cresols) and other impurities requiring furthertre atment . The gasoline may be hydrofined by vapor phase treatment with hydrogenover a catalyst . This hydrofining process operates to dehydrogenate naphthenes toaromatics while reducing the unsaturated oxygen compounds and removing sulphur almost completely.

The middle oil is hydrogenated in a second stage in the vapor phase over fixedbed catalysts at conversions to gasoline of from 10 to 60 per cent per pass depending on the products desired. This may be done in one or two stages. If a delicatecatalyst is to be used there is a preliminary refining step with low conversion togasoline but directed to remove oxygen and nitrogen impurities from the oil beforecarry ing out the main reaction over a sensitive catalyst. The type of gasolineproduced depends upon operating conditions. With a sensitive catalyst and lowtemperatures the gasoline is primarily naphthenic with an octane number of 70 to 74(motor method), but if the conversion is carried out at high temperatures a gasoline is produced wi th 40 to 50 per cent aromatics. The yields are lower in thelatter operation and the gases contain a substantially lower percentage of butanethan in the low temperature conversion.


16/29

150 - SYNTHETIC OILHydrogenation

A large excess of hydrogen is circulated through the reactors (about 10 timesconsumption) and an important part of the process is the purification of the hydrogen and recycling it to the process. The hydrogen is purified to 70 to 80 per centby either of two method s: (1) by scrubbing with oil to remove gaseous h ydrocarbonsor (2) by fractional distillation of part of the gas at low temperatures to removethe gaseous hydrocarbons.

When tar or oil is hydrogenated the process is much simpler and the plant in

vestment considerably less. The heavy fractions of tar (boiling above 325C) arehydrogenated in the liquid phase at temperatures where the tar is largely liquid.The catalyst is suspended in the oil and hydrogen blown through it . Tar (or o i l) ,catalyst and hydrogen are pumped through heat exchangers and a heating coil underpressures of about 300 atmospheres into a series of reactors as in the coal liquification st ep. The oil is fractionally distilled and the heavy fraction recycledto the process while the lighter fractions are treated by vapor phase hydrogenatiorover fixed bed catalysts in the same manner as the lighter fractions from coal.

The thermal efficiency of converting a good young bituminous coal to gasolineby this process is about 30 per cent. From the thermal efficiency point of viewit is somewhat more efficient to convert the coal first to tar by low temperaturecarbonization and hydrogenate the tar to gasoline.

The hydrogenation plants produce aviation and motor gasoline, diesel oil , lubricating oil and wa x. The base stock for German aviation gasoline is a highlyaromatic naphtha produced by hydrogenation.

B E R G I U S H Y D R O G E N A T I O NSimplified Flow Sheet for Plants Operating on Brown Coal and Bituminous Coal

BROWN COAL BITUMINO US COAL

DRYING PLANTlI COKE CLEANING

WINKLER GAS IBRIQUETTING PLANT WATER GAS PULVERIZINGGENERATORS

I IPASTE PREPARATION

GAS PURIFICATION ILOW TEMPERATUREin Hydrogen Sulphide and INCLUDING CATALYSTCARBONIZATION PLANT ADMIXTURErganic Sulphur Removal Plants

IGAS CONVERSIONI TAR I PASTE

in Hydrogen ContactOven House Converters

INJECTORS INJECTORSI IGAS WASHING

HYDROGEN COMPRESSION

HIGH PRESSURE WASHINGwith Cuprous Ammonium FormateK I I

I HYDROGEN ICIRCULATORSOil Scrubbing

HYDROGENATIONSTALLS

LETDOWN

IGAS OIL SLUDGE

II

Ii

DISTILLATIONI

SLUDGE RECOVERYHYDROGEN METHANE ETHANE PROPANE BUTANE

ICRACKED

IUSED AS FUEL I

BOTTLED OR RECYCLEDI

HEAVY OILI

COKEin Methane Steam Plant I

HYDROGENI

RETURNED TO CIRCULATORS

GASOLINEI

REFINED

IMIDDLE OIL

I

FURTHER

HEAVY OIL

IHYDROGENATED

RETURNEDTO PASTING


17/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 151Hydrocarbon synthesis

4.3.5 Hydrocarb on Synthesis (Fischer-Tropsch)

This process for the production of liquid fuels from gaseous mixtures of carbon and h ydrog en (which can be readily produced from coal o r other solid carbonaceo us ma teri als ) was evolved in 1926 by Professor Trans Fischer and Dr. HansTrops ch at the Coal Research Institute at Mulheim/Ruhr under the auspices of theRuhr Coal Owner's As sociation. During the 1930s the process was further developedunder government stimulation and industrial scale production began in 1936.

In this process the solid fuel, usually coal or coke, though any combustibleform of carbon may be used ( a ) , is gasified to produce a synthesis ga s, which iswat er gas (CO 4 H2) enriched with H2 to get the desired proportion between Ho an*CO. This synthesis g as , after exhaustive purification, is passed over a catalystat rigi dly controlled temperatures (about 200C) and at either atmospheric or lowpressure s (5 to 20 ats. ) with the result that a series of hydrocarbons are formed.

F I S C H E R - T R O P S C H P R O C E S SSimplified Flow Sheet for a Plant Operating on Hard Coal

COAL

COKE OVENSCOKE GAS

1 IWATER GAS SPLITTING OF GAS

I ISULPHUR REMOVAL

CARBON MONOXIDE CONVERSION

ORGANIC SULPHU R REMOVAL

SYNTHESIS GASHydrogen and Carbon Monox ide

CONTACT OVENSwith Cobalt or Iron Catalyst

CONDENSATION

GAS STRIPPING FRACTIONATION OF LIQUID PRODUCTS W A X R E M 0 V A L-

rI

I 1I

' I'1

SYNTHETIC1

SYNTHETICPROPANE BUTANE " GASOLINE DIESEL OIL LUBRICANTS FATTY ACIDS

A typical arrangeme nt for a plant using hard coal would be as follows: afterbeing raised , the coal is washed and graded, and passed to a battery of coke oven s.The coke from the ovens is fed to a water-gas generator, which produces a hydrogen/carbon monoxid e mixtur e. The coke oven gas is cracked in a decomposer or split bya deep cooling process to provide more synthesis gas. This gas , together with thatfrom the water-gas gener ators , is purified from hydrogen sulphide by passage throughiron ox ide o r by other me ans , and the excess of carbon monoxide in the mixture iscorrected by passage through converters in which the gas is brought into contactwith a catalyst in the presence of steam, with the result that further hydrogen isproduced, together with carbon dioxide, which is removed by washing with waterunder pressure.

The synthesis gas , now in correct proportion is passed through the organic-sulphur purification plant, and when purified, passes to the contact ove ns, in whichactual synthesis takes place over the catalyst at temperatures ranging from 185 to360C dependi ng upon the catalyst used, and at pressures ranging from atmosphericto 20'atmo sphere s. The earlier designs operated at atmospheric pressure but mostof the plants no w operate at 15 to 20 atmospheres pressure. One catalyst used isthe met al cobalt on magnesia and activated with thoria. This catalyst is operativeat about 200C and at pressures from atmospheric to about 15 atmospheres. Anothercatalys t is activated iron that operates at around 350c and at higher pressu res,preferably about 20 atmospheres.

(a) In the United States the process has received serious consideration, for con

verting natural gas to oil .


18/29

152 - SYNTHETIC OILProduct ion

The reaction is highly exothermic, with the result that large quantities o fheat must be dissipated by means of cooling towers usually situated near the contact oven hou se, and an abundant water 3upply is essenti al. The process usuallytakes place in two sta ges; in the second the gas, which has already passed throughthe fir st stage, is sent over the catal yst a second time to complete the syn the sis .By this two -stag e prce ss it is said that yields as high as 90 per cent of thetheoretical yield of the synthesis gas have been obtained.

The products of synthesi s, all in gaseous form, are taken from the contactovens to c ondens ers, where the liquid hydrocarbons are drawn off , fractionally di sti l led, and passed on to the refinery for appropriate treatment. Surplus gases arewashed with a l ight oil , the butane-propane fractions are drawn off, and the remainder is passed on to gas holders for ultimate use as fuel , either in the plantor in neighboring t owns . In addition to oil and gases , the Fischer-Tropsch processproduces paraffin wa x, which is of value as a starting point for the manufacture oflubricating oils and synthetic soap. The most recent develpments include successful researc h, on a laboratory scale , into the synthetic production of iso-compoundsas constitutents of high octane fuels.

The primary product from the Fischer-Tropsch prooess is a mixture of paraffinsand o lefins distributed over a wide boiling range that varies somewhat with operating conditions within the range.

Distribution of Products in Fischer-Tropsch ProcessSy nt Ee TT c CrucTe" oTT

Fer Cent of Weight

C3 and C4 (propane and butane) 5 to 10Gasoline 200C End Point 30 to 60Diesel Oil 200 - 325 20 to 30Wax and heavy oil 40 to 5

The gasoline quality varies between 50-70 octane num ber (motor met hod ) and.the diesel fuel between 7 0 and 100 eetane num ber . A substanti al fraction of the

wax has a high melting point ; over 90C. A high grade lubricating oil is madeeither from the highly olefinic 150-250C frac tion or from wax by cracking andpolymerizatio n. This process has an over-all energy efficiency of about 2 5% inconvertin g the heating value of low grade solid fuels to oi l. It can be generallystated that whereas the hydrogenation process produces better gasoline, includingaviation gasoline, the advantages of the Fischer-Tropsch process are in the betterquality diesel oils and the lubricating oils.

4.4 PRODUCTION

Statistics on the production of fuels and lubricants from the German syntheticoil industry are of necessity based on estimate s. How eve r, it is believed thatthese estimates'can be made with a fair degree of accuracy. Although rumors concerning new synthetic plants are both numerous and persistent, intensive aerial reconnaissance over Germany has failed to reveal the existence of any maj or plan tsother than those listed her ein. An industrial scale synthetic plant is , by itsnature , complex and extensive and not easily concealed. Rumors of other syntheticplants probably refer to unidentified L.T.C. plants and benzol units of which,without doubt, a goodly number exist throughout Germany's industrial districts.

Frequent and excellent aerial photographic reconnaissance of the German synthetic plant s has permitted Allied experts to closel y appraise the act ivi ty and productive capacities of each plant. A knowledge of the raw material a vailab le, theproduct possibili t ies of each proc ess, and the general consumption needs of Germany


19/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 153ftigh temperature carbonization

l e ^ , a r r i v e a t awhich m L P h ^ S i ^ breakdown,by products, of probable productionwnicn may be accepted as reasonably indicative of the production pattern and volume,

h e P J o d u c t i o nt h a t y ^ p t ^ o i n f figu res, normal plant capacity is considered to beoi ? *? l J ^r v 1, 194 4. This date is chosen as the base sin ce, due

the i n t e n d A ? I ? l a n t s > t h e increasing scarcity of mater ials and the beginning ofA U e ^ o o m b l nP o i U rl^l attack s, it more or less coincides with the turning

t a S k o J ^ ! ? ! c ^truction and plant expansion to the equally difficult and costlym a i n t e n a n c e a n ddamage reconstruction necessitated by the increasingly heavy bomb

u t o f t h e? ? U a l 0 U t Pr, A ? ? ? Plan ts, of course,varies with every flight of attpck^ S Allied bomber s over them. After the concentrated attacks in mid 1 944, damagei^ Tj Tf et at io n revealed th at, at least temporarily, the total German syntheticproduct ive capacity was reduced to amounts varying between 35 and 50 per cent ofestimated nor mal . The Germans have demonstrated a willingness and an ability, bornof nece ssity no do ubt , to rehabilitate these plants at a much faster rate than hadbeen ant icipated . Howe ver, it may be confidently stated that they now are, and willcontinue to be , forced to operate at much less than the normal production ratesbased on capacities as of Jan. 1, 1944 .

Estimates of normal total production for each process are given in the succeeding paragraphs.

4.4.1 High Temperature Carbonization

Coke ovens and gas plants disti ll coal at high temperatures (above 600c)primaril y for the production of metallurgical coke or gas. In the process there isalso pr oduced about 3 per cent tar and 1 per cent crude benzol based on the coaldistilled . Most of this production is from coke evens and is governed by the demand for metal lurgi cal coke. Germany has some 20 or 30 major coke oven plants, eachwith a capacity for coking over 1,000,000 tons of coa l per year. There are also alarge nu mber of smaller pla nts , all located near bituminous coal mines in the Ruhr,Siles ia, S aar, et c. (See last paragraph on page 15 9) .

As previously stated a large part of the tar produced in these plants is aheav y pitch that is not readily convertible to liquid fu els. Some of the lightertar is utilized as feed stock for hydrogenation plants and only a relatively smallquantity is directl y refined and blended for gasoline, fuel oi l, etc. The Production from H.T.C. tar and benzol that is refined directly to liquid fuel andlubricants without passing as feed stock to other processes is estimated, as ofDecember 1943, to be:

Liquid Fuels and Lubricants Refined From High Temperature Tars

Metric Tons per Year

Aviation Gasoline (Benzol) 100,000Motor Gasoline (Benzol) 530,000Diesel Oil Blenders (from light tar) 90,000Fuel oil (from tar oils ) 780,000

Total 1,500,000

4.4.2 Low Temperature Carbonization

The low temper ature carbonization (L.T.C.) plants are Germany's synthetic oilwells and prod uce most of the tar used as feed stock for the hydrogenati on (Bergius)plants. There is a large number of L.T.C. plants located at or near the lignite


20/29

154 - SYNTHETIC OILHydrogenat ion

deposits and having capacities ranging from 25,000 to 250,000 tons per year of taror syntheti c crude oil'. The normal tota l L.T.C . tar prod uctio n is estimated at2,500,000 tons per year. These plants convert low grade coal - especially lignite to tar (crude oi l ) , coke and gas . The yield of tar, on a weight ba sis , is generallynot more than 3 per cent on the raw lignite of middle Germany but other coals andlignites show higher yiel ds. There is at least three times as much coke produced astar, and because of its high ash content (when made f rom li gnite ) and its softcharac ter, it never received wide acceptance in commer ce. The Germans dispose of

considerable quantities of this by-product coke as fuel in large power houses builtnear the L.T.C. plants and may also have found other uses. Approximately twomilli on tons of L.T.C. tar is converted to gasoline in hydrogenation plants but SOITEof the L.T. C. plant s also contain refining equipment and it is estimated that some500,000 tons per year are refined by conventional refining processes (disti l lation,solvent extra ction and cracking) to gasoline, diesel oil , fuel oil and possiblysome lubricating oil and wax. The crude tar contains 40 to 50 per cent volatilefracti ons dis tilli ng over at less than 325C and around 1 per cent solids (ash anddus t) and 2 per cent wate r. The bottoms are not satisfactory fuel oil withoutfurther treatm ent. A much higher yield and better products are obtained when theL.T.C. tar is hydrogenated.

The breakdown of products obtained by the conventional refining of L.T.C. tarsthat are not consumed as feed stock for hydrogenatio n plants is estimated as follows:

Liquid Fuels and Lubricants Refined FromLow Temperature Carbonization Tars

m Me trio,.Tons T>er Year

Gasoline 50,000Diesel Oil 110,000Fuel Oil 220,000

Total 580,000

Gas and Losses 120,000

Crude tar before refining 500,000

4.4.3 Hydrog enation (Bergius)

There are twelve hydroge nation plants in Germany (a) wit h an estimated norm altotal production capacity of motor gasoline of 3,775,000 metric tons per year ( b) .As there is considerable flexibility with respect to products which may be producedin hydrogenation pl ants, i t is customary to establish their rated capacity on thebasis of motor gasoline. In general the capacity is less when producing aviationgasoline and greater when making heavier products.

The feed stock to hydro genat ion plants may be coal, tar or petroleum o i l , ofwhich in actual practice L.T.C. tar produced from lignite or brown coal constitutesthe largest single itenu As compared to the direct hydrogenation of coal the Qveavallinvestment per unit of gasoline production capacity is lower when the low gradecoals are first carbonized to produce L.T.C. tar and the tar hydrogenated, but thecoal consumption is higher and there is the problem of disposing of a large pr o

(a) Locati on maps and individual plant descriptions are given in section 4.6, pages159 to 2 13 .

(b) The Germans have also built a plant at Bruex in Czecho slovaki a that has anestimated capacity of 700,000 metric tons per year and a plant at Oswiecim inPoland having a capacity of about 200,000 tons per year.


21/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 155HydrogenatIon

duct ion of low grade coke , of the order of some four tons or more of coke per tonof gasol ine . This the Germans appear to have taken care of by the utilization ofmuch of this coke in large power plants located at or near the L.T.C. plant s. Aspre vio usl y explained low ash bituminous coal is hydrogenated- directly, the firststep liquif ying the coal to a synthetic crude oil with about 7 to 10 per cent gasoline, 3 5 to 45 per gas oil (200 to 325 C fraction) and around 50 per cent heavyfue l oil conten t. The latter is recycled, being used to paste the coal for convenient pumping, etc . The gasoline requires some further refining, usually hydro-finin g, whe re by it is converted directly to aviation gasoline base stock. The gasoil from the coal liquification step contains phenols and other impurities and maybe hydrofined either to a.mixture of diesel oil and gasoline or completely to gasoline . The hydrogenation of tars or oil follows similar processing without the stepof l iquif icat ion of coal .

The hydrog enatio n p lan ts and their rated capacities, in terms of moto r gasoline,are listed below:

Annual Capacities of Hydrogenation Plants

ProductionMotor Gasoline

Plants Operating on Feed Stocks Metric Tons/Year

Bituminous Coal and TarBlechhammer North H.T.C. Tar 200,000Blechhaznmer South Bituminous Coal 300,000Bottrop-Welheim H.T.C. Tar 100,000Gelsenkirchen Bituminous Coal 350,000P B l i t z Bituminous Coal & Tar 600,000Soholven Bituminous Coal 400,000

Lignite Coal and TarBflhlen-Rotha L.T.C. Tar 300,000

Leuna Lignite and Tar 600,000Ltttzkendorf L.T.C. Tar 125,000Magdeburg L.T.C. Tar 250,000Wesseling Lignite 200,000Zeitz-Tr5glitz L.T.C. Tar 350,000

3,775,000

Taking into consideration Germany's consumption requirement pattern and thefact that the hydrogenation plants are the chief source of supply for Germany'sa vi a t i o n ga so lin e req uirements the breakdown of hydrogenation pla nt produ ction, bypr od uct s , i s es timated to be as fo l lo w s:

Metric Tons Per YearP r o d u c t

Aviation Gasoline 1,050,000Motor Gasoline 1,725,000Diesel Oil (and kerosene) 700,000Lubricating Oils 100,000

T o t a l 3,575,000

Due to the emphasis on aviation gasoline the total production is estimated tobe somewhat below the rated oapacity of 3,775,000 tons on the basis of ordinarymot or gasoline produ ction . This also accounts, in part, for the Germa ns' shortage


22/29

15 6 - SYNTHETIC OILHydrocarEon Synthesis

of diesel fuel which has resulted in their resorting to the use of blends of approximately 2/3 gasoline (naphtha) and 1/3 diesel oil as diesel fuel,

4,4.4 Hydrocarbon Synthesis (Fischer-Tropsch)

There are nine Fischer plants in Germany (a) with normal tota l product ioncapacity of 720,000 metric tons pe r y e a r. As already described, in this processsynthesis gas (Co4-Hg) is converted to oil (liauid hydrocarbons) . Water gas orsynthesis gas can be made from any combustible form of carbon, but in Germany cokeor lignite are the raw materials commonly used.

The hydrocarbon synthesis plants in Germany and their estimated capacitiesin terms of primary product (synthetic crude oil) are as fol lows:

Hydrocarbon Synthesis (Fischer-Tropsch) Plan tsAnnual Capacity in Metric Tons of Primary Product

Pl an t Feed StocksAnnual Capacity

Metric Tons

Cas t rop-Rauxe lDeschowitz (Oderta l )DortmundH o l t e n - S t e r k r a d eHombergKamenLiitzkendorf (b)Ruhland-Schwarzheide7/anne Eickel

Hard coal orHard coal orCoke oven gasHard coal orHard coal orHard coal or

t L i g n i t eL i g n i t eCoke and gas

cokecoke

cokecokecoke

60,00060,00060,00080,00080,00060,00080,000

180,00060,000

T o t a 720,000

The primary product is essentially paraffinic and olefinic in varying proportions depending on the catalyst and operating conditions. It is believed thatthe plants will run to maximu m olefin content which is: l iquified gases (C3 and C4)75 pe r cent , gasoline 60 to 65 per cent and diesel oil 40 to 50 per cent olefincontents. Under these conditions the octane number of the gasoline will be between60 and 80 , depending on operating conditions. The C4 (butane) fraction of theliquified gases are assumed to be entirely converted to aviation gasoline by polymerization or alkylation and the C3 (propane) fraction entirely into motor gas oline,but in actual practice a portion of these gases may be sold directly as liquifiedgases or consumed as raw materials in chemical processes. The fraction distillingbetween 150 and S50C is polymerized to high grade lubricating oi l with yie lds upto 18 per cent of the total product . This is made at the expense of gasoline anddiesel oi l . The wax generally has a greater value than has fuels and some of theplants operate for maximum wa x production. Among the products made from wax are

synthetic lubricating o il , fatty acids, and various coating mate rial s. Typicalbreakdowns of products actually produced in the Fischer-Tropsch pr ocess are givenon the following page.

(a) Location maps and individual plant descriptions are given in section 4,6pages 159 to 21 3.

(b) Located wit hin same plant as the Ltftzkendorf Bergius process hydrogenation workslisted in preceding section.


23/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 157Total production

Hydrocarbon Synthesis Products

Weight % of Constituents

Example I Example IILiquified GasGasoline 200cDiesel Oi lWax

(C3End

and C4)Point

10602010

5302540

T o t a 1 100 100

Talcing into cons ider atio n the a uxiliary pro ces ses , the estimated a ctual finished product production from the German hydrocarbon synthesis plants in roundfigures is as follows:

MetricWt. % Tons/Year

Aviation Gasoline 7 50,000Motor Gasoline 30 216,000Diesel Oil 15 108,000Lubricating Oil 18 130,000Wax 22 158,000

92 662,000

Gas and Losses 8 58,000

Total 100 720,000

4.4.5 Total Production

Given below is the summary of the estimated normal production of finished products by each proce ss and the grand total of produ ction . In arriving at the est imate s con sidera tion is given to both the various product possibilities of eachpro cess and the relative importance of each product to Germany's consumption nee ds.

Estimat ed A nnual Production of Finished Products by German Synthetic Oil PlantsAs of January 1, 1944 and Witho ut Allo wances for War Damage to Plants

(Figures in metri c tons per year)

Gasolines Die sel andAviation Motor Kerosene Lubes Fuel Oil Wax

High Temperature 100,000 530,000 90,000 Nil 780,000 -Carbonizat ion(a)Low Temperature Nil 50,000 110,000 Nil 220,000 -Carbonization (b)Hydrogenat ionHydrocarbon Synthesis

1,050,00050,000

1,725,000216,000

700,000108,000

100,000130,000

NilNil 158,000

T o t a 1,200,000 2,521,000 1,008,000 230,000 1,000,000 158,000

(a) This inc ludes only tar and benzo l that goes to market able liquid fuel.hydrydro plants.(b) This does not include tons of L.T.C. tar used as feed stock in o j


24/29

158 - SYNTHETIC OILCoal consumption

4.5 Coal Consumption

Since for every ton of synthetic oil produced, there is required, includingboth the coal used for power and steam and as raw material for processing, five orsix tons of bituminous coal or ten to fifteen tons of brown coal, dependent uponquality and processes used, the quantitiesconsumed by the synthetic oil industry,directly or indirectly are very large.

The German synthetic oil plants, with the exception of P6*litz, are located inclose proximity to lignite (brown) or bituminous coal deposits, and are in general,in three main areas of concentration, namely the Ruhr, the central German browncoal (lignite) area, and the silesian coal area, see map on page 142.

Of the hydrogenation (Bergius) plants operating on brown coal or brown coaltars, the majority are in central Germany at BBhlen-Rotha, Leuna, Ltltzkendorf,Zeitz-Trflglitz, and Magdeburg. The wesseling plant in the Rhine Valley also usesbrown coal. The two hydrogenation plants in the Ruhr, at Gelsenkirchen and atScholven, both operate principally on bituminous coal, while, of the two at Blechhammer, one operates on hard coal and the other on bituminous coal tars. ThePGlitz plant was designed to operate with great flexibility on almost any type offuel, bituminous or brown coal, pitch, tar or on a petroleum feed stock, including

crude oil from Estonian shale. This is the only plant not built close to sourcesof raw material, but it is conveniently situated for the transport of any one of theraw materials on which it can run. The Bottrop-7/elheim plant was specially designed to run on pitch.

Fischer-Tropsch synthesis plants can be designed to work on either hard orbrown coal or on coke. Those in the Ruhr at Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Holten-Sterkrade, Homberg, Kamen and wanne-Eickel, and the Silesian plant at Deschowitz,use hard coal or coke, while the central German plants at Lfltzkendorf and Ruhland-Schwarzheide use brown coal.

In the direct hydrogenation of coals approximately five tons of bituminous coalare required per ton of gasoline (of which slightly over two tons are processingcoal and slightly less than three tons are utility coal: steam, power and hydrogenmanufacture), or in the case of brown coal about ten to fifteen tons of raw lignite,depending on its quality, per ton of gasoline (equally about forty per cent of whichis processing lignite, the balance for utilities). On this basis, the German hydrogenation plants designed for the direct hydrogenation of coal and lignite have anannual requirement of about 6.25 million tons of bituminous coal per year and fivemillion tons of lignite. In addition to these plants, however, a larger capacity isoperating on the hydrogenation of L.T.C. and H.T.C. tar. The plants for the hydrogenation of L.T.C, tar require about 1.8 million tons of L.T.C. lignite tar per year.Assuming a tar yield based on raw lijgnite of five per cent, the requirements of theL.T.C. industry tc supply this much tar are 36 million tons of raw lignite per annum.Assuming that the utility requirements of these hydrogenation plants are met out ofthe L.T.C. coke produced, the total lignite production directly or indirectly isconnected with the hydrogenation industry would thus be about 40 million tons of rawlignite per annum.

The plants for the hydrogenation of H.T.C. tar have a capacity of about 600,000tons of gasoline per annum. Taking the coal requirements of these plants forutilities at 2.5 tons of coal per ton of gasoline, about 1.5 million tons of coalare required. If the coal required in the manufacture of the H.T.C.tar is disregarded(on the theory that this tar is produced as a by-product), the total bituminous coalrequirements of the German hydrogenation plants amount to about seven or eightmillion tons per year.

It is much more difficult to express the raw material requirements of theFischer-Tropsch plants in terms of coal, since these plants use a great variety ofraw materials some of which are actually by-products, such as coke-oven gas , that arerecouperated from other industries. However , if we rather arbitrarily disregard thisand take the required coal equivalent of six tons of bituminous coal or fifteen tons


25/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 159Individual plants

f raw lignite per ton of primary product, then the Fischer-Tropsch plants require,either directly or indirectly, nearly three million tons of bituminous coal andnearly four million tons of lignite per year.

On the basis of the above, then the total annual consumption of coal relatedto the manufac ture of synthetic oil would be somewhere in the neighborhood of10,000,000 metric tons of bituminous coal and 45,000,000 metric tons of lignite.Consumption of electric power by the synthetic oil plants is great and has beensaid to amount to no less than sixteen per cent of the total power used in Ger many .The power is derived partly from the grid and partly from power stations at theplants them selv es. These very rough calculations will serve to illustrate the magnitude of the synthetic program and the severe demands it makes upon the coal mining, electric power, and other elements of the German industrial economy.

4.6 INDIVIDUAL PLANT DESCRIPTIONS

4.6.1 General

Bergius hydrogenation and the Fischer-Tropsch synthetic plants in Germany arelisted in the table on page 160 and their locations are shown on the map on page142. Indivi dual plant descriptions , accompanied by layout plans and detailed location m a p s , and in some cases photographs, are given in alphabetical order in thefoll owing pag es. It should be born in mind that much of the data available is, ofnece ssit y, based on interpretation of aerial reconnaissance. Henc e, the capacityand production figur es, albeit painstakingly arrived at, are largely estimates . Theidenti ficati on, fro m aerial photograp hs, of individual units within the plants isoften rendered difficult by camoufla ge. All of the synthetic plants, and particularly the tankage t herei n, have been more or less camouf laged. Some have even beenprovided with decoys located in open country some distance away in the effort to divert bomb ing attacks from the actual pla nts. However , these plants have enjoyed ahigh prior ity in Allied air attacks and damage has been extens ive. No attempt hasbeen made in these plant descriptions to list or evaluate the constantly increasing

bomb damage.It has proved impossible to catalogue the innumerable L.T.C. plants in Germany

but many of them exist entirely for the purpose of serving the synthetic oi l plants.They are scattered throughout the coal mining regions and are usually convenientlylocated in reference to both the mines and the synthetic plants they serve .

While the coke oven plants contribute the production of synthetic oil, bothdirect ly and in the form of raw materials for the major synthetic plants, theirprim ary prod uction is coke for the steel and gas industry. There are at least 116important coking plants situated, mostly, in the bituminous coal minin g areas ofthe R uhr , Saar, and Silesia and, no doub t, many smaller plants also exist throughout the indust rial are as. As previously mentioned, however, benzol is a by-productof coke manufacture and is produced by the high temperature carbonization of coal.

A list of the plants known to figure most prominently in Germany1

s production ofbenzol are given in the table on page 21 5 ( a) , and many of these plants are,nodoubt, either identical or operated in conjunction with the principal H.T .C. cokeovens .

(a) Other concerns known to have important plants for the disti l lation of coaltars, and hence probably capable of producing liquid fuels are A. G,Sachischwerke, of Dresden, Rutgerswerke A.G., of Berlin, and Gesellschaftfur Teerverwertung m.b .H. of Duisburg-Meiderioh.


26/29

160 - SYNTHETIC OILsynthetic oil plants

a a) co3 o T)+> to a> + d o o

GO-P IDd *-*o d e .

o >,d u

o

O CO

in n m g*M 3o a

p -Pa - ^ d

Pl-J O4H ID So

.M o


27/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 161Western Ruhr are a

LOCATION MAP OFSYNTHETIC PLANTS

WESTERN RUHR AREASCALEMILES

1

KILOMETERS1 2

LEGEND1. Fischer-Trops ch Plant of RUHR-BENZIN A.G.

at HOLTEN-STERKRADE2. Fischer-Tropsch Plant of RHEIN-PREUSSEN

G.m.b.H. at HOMBERG3. Bulk Plant of DEUTSCH - AMERIKANISCHE

PETROLEUM-GESELLSCHAFT


28/29

162 - SYNTHETICOILLeipzig area

do

o

1

INA.G

Ba

Iro

o

F

INA

G.Ba

CO

ceO

0) "S>- LU 5 iSn J3 =- J3

g ^ od r

U

K

N

R

rMic

e

F

ro

Pa

o

(T

S

AL

E

Y1

RSEBU

H

o

la

o1.

G.FARI

INDUS

RIE

N MA

P

A

T

A

E

E S

o

Q.

HJ t-Ld1 XZ ^Z. LU LU


29/29

SYNTHETIC OIL - 163Central Ruhr area

petroleum facilites of germany 1945 108

Documents