INSPECTION OF HYDROGENATION
AND FISCHER-TROPSCH PLANTS IN
WESTERN GERMANY DURING
SEPTEMBER, 1945
Introduction
During September 1945 visits were made to the four hydrogenation plants and the six Fischer Tropsch plants in the British zone of occupation. Two research organizations specializing in the field of synthetic liquid fuels and two secondary plants utilizing Fischer Tropsch products as raw materials were also visited.
The purpose of the visits was to obtain general information for Canadian Government agencies on the German synthetic liquid fuel industry. The targets however, had been investigated in the period March-May 1945 by CIOS teams and detailed reports on them have been submitted or are in preparation. For this reason the present report deals chiefly with developments in the interval May-September 1945 and with plans for reconstruction and future operations.
All but one of the plants are situated in the Ruhr district and are dependant for raw materials on bituminous coal. Beginning with the most easterly at Kamen they extend along the Ruhr valley, with a zone of concentration near Gelsenkirchen, to the most westerly which is across the Rhine, at Moers. The only plant not in the Ruhr district is at Wesseling, South of Cologne in the Rhine brown coal area.
Most of the plants are situated at the mine from which the coal is produced and in most cases the synthetic oil plant is connected with a power station and a coke oven plant at the mine head. The Ruhr synthetic oil plants are all in a relatively small area together with other industries such as synthetic ammonia and rubber and there is complicated exchange of material and power among them.
The Military Government Detachment in the area of each plant directs its management and authorizes release of materials and labour for reconstruction. The North German Coal Control has jurisdiction over the supply of coal and, where the plant is located on mine property, issues the permit to inspect it. Headquarters of the North German Coal Control are at Villa Hugel, near Essen and there are local offices in the Ruhr Coal Districts.
In the descriptions of the individual plants note has been made of the agency issuing the permit for the visit. In some instances the Military Government or Coal Control Offices have files of information concerning the plants and , in future, investigators may find it advisable to consult these before making inspections. It may also be possible for Officers of the Military Government or the Coal Control to deal with specific questions by correspondence.