OIL SHALE DISTILLATION PLANTS AT KOHTLA - JARVE AND KIVIOLI

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R014100110004-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 18, 2012
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: February 6, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/18: CIA-RDP83-00415R014100110004-8
airAi 51-0A
CLASSIFICATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
SECRET/CONTROL - US OFFICIALS ONLY
SECURITY INFORMATION
INFORMATION REPORT REPORT
CD NO.
50X1-HUM
COUNTRY
SUBJECT
USSR (Estonian SSR)
Oil Shale Distillation Plants at Kohtla
and Kivioli
Jarve
? DATE DISTR. 6,
NO. OF PAGES 3
February 1953
DATE OF
INFO.
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
50X1-HUM
PLACE
ACQUIRED
SUPPLEMENT TO
PPPVIDT run
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE 18, SECTIONS 793
AND 79N, OF THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVE-
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PROHIBITED BY LAW._ THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM I.S.PROH)BITED.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION 50X1-HUM
1. The oil-shale low-temperature-distillation plants at Kivioli and Kohtla-
Jarve supply- fuel to the Soviet naval bases at Leningrad and Murmansk.
2. Both plants, which were originally of equal capacity, were built by the
firm of Julius Pintsch in 1925. Following the Soviet withdrawal from
Estonia in 1941, the same firm was called in to extend and modernize both
plants, as well as three smaller plants at SlantsyEreda, and Sillama.
From 1944 to 1946, after the reoccupation of the area by the Soviet Army,
Kivioli was again extended and is now by far the larger plant. As a re-
sult of its greatly -increased capacity, the plant now draws additional
supplies of oil shale from Breda and Slantsy, and it has been found.
possible to close down the smaller plants at Breda, Slantsy? and Sillama,
although open-cast working continues at Slantsy and Sillama.
The area between the Baltic and ake Peipus contains oil-shale deposits
estimated at six billion tons. Layers, two to three meters in thick-
ness, are normally found at depths of 15 to 20 meters and are worked by
open-cast methods. The average proportion of volatile constituents is
between 15 and 20 percent.
Kivioli
Three methods of distillation are used:
a0
b0
c.
tunnel furnace
gas generator ?
subterranean distillation
CLASSIFICATION SECRET/CONTROL - US OFFICIALS ONLY
1STATE
X
NAVY
x
I
NSRB
1
DISTRIBUTION
ARMY
x
AIR
x
FBI
1 I
I
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/18: CIA-RDP83-00415R014100110004-8
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/18: CIA-RDP83-00415R014100110004-8
50X1 -HUM
SECRET/CONTROL - US O iCIAIS ONLY
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60 The average daily capacity of the tunnel-furnace plant is 700 ton of oil
shale and of the gaS-generator plant, which has eight generators 600 tons.
In the tunnel furnace the oil shale is distilled at 4300 C by a circulatory
low-temperature process. The gases from the tunnel-furnace and gas-generator
plants go through almost identical but separate processes, the volatile con-
stituents of the generator gas which cannot be condensed being collected in
the gas container of the generator plant and used to heat the tunnel furnace.
Both plants are now undergoing considerable extensions; and,when these have
been completed at the end of the year, the combined output of both plants is
expected to reach 600 tons per day, of which 450 to 500 will consist or
volatile conStituents,including fuel oil, gasoline, etc,, 50X1 -HUM
7. In addition, approximately 2,000 cubic meters of oil shale per day are treated
by subterranean distillation. The average daily yield by this method is 200
to 230 tons, which, after the extraction of 25 percent crude bitumen, leaves
165 to 175 tons of volatile constituents.
8. The two methods of subterranean distillation employed at Kivioli are as
follows:
a. In the case of shale lying close to the surface, i.e.,at floor depths
of up to 10 meters, boring is carried out from the surface. A pipe system
is constructed above the layer and inserted in prepared bore holes. The
shale is then heated to a temperature of 8009 C. By controlling the low-
temperature-distillation gases it is possible to influence the direction
and intensity of the distillation process.
b. In the second method the shale to be processed is blasted in blocks of
100 cubic meters and then sealed off by containing walls, constructed
specially-for this purpose? The necessary tubing is then inserted and the
blocks heated as above.
9. A power station has recently been completed at Kivioli, which more than
covers the peak requirements of the plant. It is therefore no longer
necessary to obtain current from the Kohtla power station., which is now
available solely for supplying the requirements of the Kohtla-Jarve plant.
50X1 -HUM
100 The new power station, which is- immediately next to the boiler-house con-
sists of two condensing turbites, one from Siemens-Schuckert, and the other
of USSR manufacture, each of which has an output of approximately 2750 kr-T
50X1 -HUM
.Kohtla-Jarve
11. The Kohtla-jarve plant, which is considerably smaller than that at Kivioli,
uses only the gas-generator system, There are at the moment twelve gener-
ators in use.
12. -Daily capacity is 900 tons of oil shale. After abstraction of bitumen, the
average daily output of volatile constituents is 250 tons. 50x1-HUM
SECRET/CONTROL - US OFFICIALS ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/18: CIA-RDP83-00415R014100110004-8
50X1 -HUM
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/18: CIA-RDP83-00415R014100110004-8
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/18: CIA-RDP83-00415R014100110004-8