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The Hydrogenation Plants

The raw materials directly hydrogenated are high volatile bituminous coal with small quantities of tar and tar oils (Gelsenberg and Scholven), a mixture of coal tar pitch and taroils (Ruhröl), and dried brown coal (Wesseling). Other materials, used for hydrogen production, are brown coal briquettes (Wessling), coke (Gelsenberg, Scholven and Ruhröl), coke-oven gas (Ruhröl and Scholven), by-product hydrogen from the synthetic rubber works at Hüls (Gelsenberg and Scholven) and various gases produced as by products in the hydrogenation process.

In the liquid phase stage two types of processes have been used. The original method employing a tin catalyst with acid at 300 atmospheres pressure is used at Scholven. The other plants have used the more recently developed method employing 700 atmospheres pressure with iron catalysts. There are also two types of vapour phase operation one using saturation and splitting stages at 300 atmospheres (Wesseling, Gelsenberg and Scholven) and the other, used only by Ruhröl, which operates at 700 atmospheres in one stage with a chromium-zinc-molybdenum-active earth catalyst. For production of aviation gasoline there were dehydrogenation and iso-octane plants at Scholven and Wesseling but at the latter they were only in the initial stages of operation.

The principal product of the hydrogenation plants is petrol of high octane number suitable for aviation base stock. The Ruhröl plant also produces fuel oil, and all produce propane and butane for motor fuel, iso-octane manufacture, synthetic rubber etc. The total quantity of petrol from all the plants when in full operation was approximately 825,000 ton/year.

None of the hydrogenation plants was in operation or had authorization to reconstruct for the production of petrol. At the time of the inspection Wesseling had permission to convert part of the vapour phase equipment to the synthesis of ammonia. At Ruhröl the Military Government Office had authorized the production of oxygen and the power plant had already been put into operation.

In all of the plants, in addition to the bomb damage, all of the control instruments were missing. These were stated to have been removed to Central Germany together with some of the other light equipment before the end of the war.

Although two of the plants had no definite authorization to reconstruct for any purpose there was a considerable amount of activity in all. The management and technical officers were regularly in their offices and all the hydrogenation plants combined at the time of the inspection, employed about 4,500 workmen on repair work. If the present labour staff could be doubled it was estimated that three of the plants (Wesseling, Gelsenberg, Ruhröl.) could be in full operation in 12 to 18 months and could begin with reduced operation in 3 months or less. Scholven could start almost immediately with one vapour phase stall and eventually work up to 50 per cent of former output, but to achieve full production would need much new equipment.

The Fischer-Tropsch Plants

The principal raw material employed in the Fischer-Tropsch plants in the Ruhr is high temperature coke. At some of the plants, (Moers, Castrop-Rauxel, Kamen) coke oven gas is also used and a t Wanne-Eickel a small amount of low temperature coke, produced in Krupp-Lurgi retorts, is used.

Processes

There are two types of processes employed, namely atmospheric and medium pressure operation. Atmospheric operation uses only one type of catalyst-oven, the tube-and -plate design. It is used at all but one of the plants. Medium pressure operation at 7 atmospheres with double-tube catalyst ovens is used at Hoesch-Benzin, Dortmund. At Ruhr-benzin, Holten both types of processes are employed separately and at Wanne-Eickel both designs of catalyst oven are combined in series. At Wanne-Eickel also some of the medium pressure catalyst ovens are of the “taschenrohr” design.

Up to the time of the inspection only the cobalt catalyst had been used in both atmospheric and medium pressure operations.

Products

There are two types of products made respectively by atmospheric and medium pressure operation. Both types consist of normal paraffins and olefins with relatively small amounts of fatty acids and alcohols. The boiling ranges of the products from the two processes however, are different. Increased pressure tends to produce hydrocarbons of higher molecular weight. Typical analyses of the two types of products are given in the following table.

The total of all products produced at all six of the Fischer-Tropsch plants in the Ruhr when in full operation was approximately 400,000 tons per year.

At the time of inspection none of the Fischer-Tropsch plants was in operation. Because of their ability to produce basic materials for soaps, detergents and edible fats, however, there is a possibility that authorization for resumption of operations, may be given. Two of the plants (Wanne-Eickel and Kamen) have already received orders for reconstruction. Priority will probably be given to the plants able to produce the greatest proportion of waxes and the least of petrol. The controlling factor in this trend is the ability to produce iron catalysts and this depends on reconstruction of the catalyst factory of the Ruhrchemie at Holten.

Damage in the various plants is stated to be 10 to 50 per cent although it appears greater. As in the hydrogenation plants all of the instruments and some of the lighter equipment has been removed. In all of the plants clearing and repair operations were underway. It was stated that most of the plants could be up to full production in periods varying between seven and eleven months provided that adequate labour and small quantities of material could be made available.

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