3113.     ---------------.  [SCHROEDER, W. C.]  Technical Oil Mission Studies German Petroleum-Research Activities.  Oil Gas Jour., vol. 44, No. 29, 1945, pp. 112, 115, 116; Chem. and Met. Eng., vol. 53, No. 1, 1945, pp. 220, 222, 224.

        Paper presented at the November meeting of the American Petroleum Institute.  No special progress is reported in Fischer-Tropsch technology; no plant has been built since 1938.  Synthesis gas was made almost universally by the water-gas reaction, using coke; brown coal was just being tested.  Both atmospheric and medium pressure (10 atm.) were being applied, the latter being preferred.  All commercial operations were carried out with the Co-Th-Mg-kieselguhr catalyst; only pilot plants were using the Fe catalyst.  In general, 2-stage conversion was practiced; 1 plant used a 3-stage process.  Gas was not recycled except in pilot plants; this and the Fe catalyst increased the olefin content and, thus, the octane rating of the product.  Synthesis of alcohols was a live problem; the Oxo process was particularly interesting (abs. 2531).  At a pressure up to 200 atm. and temperatures below 300°, it was reported that C₂H₄ and C₃H₆ and probably other unsaturates could be converted to alcohols by reaction with H₂O in the presence of W oxide on silica gel.  The synthesis of isoparaffins is an important laboratory development.  By using catalysts of Al₂O₃, ThO₂, ZnO, or mixtures of these at pressures of 300 atm. and 400° with a synthesis gas containing 20% more CO than H₂, a product can be obtained whose C₄ and C₅ fractions contain over 90% of isocompounds.  The yield is about 100 gm./per m.³ of synthesis gas.  Research, not considered promising in Germany, has been carried out on the synthesis of aromatics in the range 475°-500° at elevated pressures using catalysts of Cr, Mo, and Th oxides.  The yield of product was low but did contain about 50% aromatics and the same amount of naphthenes.  Research on lubricating oil was very successful:  4 methods were in commercial use:  Cracking of Fischer-Tropsch wax or oil and subsequent polymerization; chlorination of Fischer-Tropsch middle oil and subsequent reaction with naphthalene in the presence of AlCl₃ catalyst; synthesis from C₂H₄ in the presence of a specially prepared AlCl₃ catalyst; and a modification of the first-named process (no details).