Klocknerwerke A.G., Gewerkschaft “Victor”, Castrop-Rouxel.
Location.
The plant is 1¼ miles North East of Rauxel railway station and adjoins the Gewerkschaft “Victor” Colliery. this plant is under the control of the Military Government office at Castrop-Rauxel. Authorization to inspect the plant was issued by No. 3 Ruhr Coal District at Recklinghausen.
Description
On the same site as the Fischer-Tropsch plant the colliery, a coke-oven installation with by-product recovery, and a synthetic ammonia plant, including equipment for liquefaction of air and coke-oven gas.
The Fischer-Tropsch plant operates at atmospheric pressure with 63 tube-and plate ovens arranged in two stages. The raw materials are coke and coke oven gas and the total product amounts to about 40,000 tons per year.
The construction and operation of the plant been reported by C.C.Hall and A.R.Powell, CIOS Target No 30/5.03. This report is on file at the office of the Ministry of Fuel and Power and at the CIOS Library, File No. XXV-7.
Status
On September 18th the writer visited this plant and interrogated:
Dr. Braune, Works Manager of the Synthetic Oil Plant.
This plant has not been damaged as badly as many of the others. The catalyst-oven installation especially is very little damaged. It was stated that the plant in general had only been damaged 10 per cent. Regarding a repair schedule it was stated that in 3 months it could produce 50 per cent of normal capacity and in 4 to 5 months 80 per cent. There is a sufficient staff of workmen for normal operation but for reconstruction 110 skilled workmen and 150 others would be needed.
One obstacle to renewed operation is the fact that the plant operates at atmospheric pressure which produces high yields of petrol with the cobalt catalyst and requires a special from catalyst for production of the desired high-molecular-weight-products. Dr. Braune stated that a suitable iron catalyst was being developed at Moers. Resumption of any type of operation depends on a supply of catalyst from Holten or elsewhere.