Krupp Treibstoffe Werke G.m.b.H., Wanne-Eickel
Location
This plant is situated north of Bochum. Arrangements to visit it were made at the offices of Ruhr Coal Division No. 4 of the North German Coal Control near Werden.
Description
This is a Fischer-Tropsch plant with two unique features. The first is that it operates in two states 24 medium pressure ovens in the second. The other unique feature is the use of taschenrohren at catalyst tubes in 16 of the 24 medium pressure ovens. The raw materials are high temperature coke, and a relatively small amount of low temperature coke produced at Wanne-Eickel.
The production of total products amounts to 65,000 tons per year.
The construction and operation of the plant have been described by C.C.Hall and A.R.Powell, CIOS Target No.30/5.02. This report is on file at the office of the Ministry of Fuel and Power and at the CIOS Library, File No. XXV-25.
Status
On September 10th, the writer visited the Krupp offices in Essen and interrogated:
Dr. Fritz Müller, A director of Friedrich Krupp A.G.
Dr. Deman, Chemist, Friedrich Krupp A.G.
Later Dr. Deman and the writer went to Wanne-Eickel where the following personal were interrogated:
Dipl. Ing. Erich Combles, General Manager.
Dr. H. Fischer, Manager of the Fischer-Tropsch Plant.
Preparations are now under way at Wanne-Eickle to resume operation of the Fischer-Tropsch plant. Permission has been granted and operations are to begin in December 1945. Because the cobalt catalyst is now “frozen” into the chambers with wax the operations will start with it but it will be replaced as soon as possible with an iron catalyst. Beginning in December, 1 to 2 ovens per day will be changed to an iron catalyst. The purpose of the change is to produce a larger proportion of waxes at the expense of the petrol fraction. Iron catalysts were stated by Dr.Deman to be made by Lurgi at Frankfurt, Rheinpreussen at Moers and Ruhrchemie at Holten. (At a later date the writer visited the latter plants but did not observe any activity in the large scale catalyst factory at Holten and was not shown any large scale catalyst plant at Moers)..
There are at present 800 employees in the Wanne-Eickel plant of whom 120 are on the administrative staff. Normal operation requires a total of 900.