1. OXYGEN PRODUCTION IN EAST GERMANY 2. THE VEB SAUERSTOFFWERK BERLIN-NIEDERSCHOENEWEIDE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A006900230002-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 7, 2008
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: May 23, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2008/03/07: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006900230002-2
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the ipionap Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or r.,Nation of which in any manner to an unauthorised person is prohibited by law.
COUNTRY But Oerwany
DATE OP INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRE
1.
2.
Omen Production in Bast Geruany DATE DISTR.
The TED 5aueritoff s*,Berlin-
Viedersohoeneweide NO. OP PAGES
23 May 1955 25X1
4
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
The flolyowtng is the oxgna-produolnB capacity of tut Ooaaa7 as of
the end of October 19541
1. Plant
DR= 'of 30 'Added hase Added "O"Lly
as
cot 54 1 Jaen 59 at end of 1955
Babeleberg _
120
-
-
120
Dresden
500
300
(2)
600
(6)
1,100
Buetsow
U0c
-
-
400
Chasnits
200
200
-
200
Sohwarsenberl
600
400
-
600
Brandenbarg
100
-
200
(7)
300
Plauen
220
-
-
220
Leipzig
4000
120
(3)
-
400
100
Kleindalsig
100
-
-
Hirschfelde
400
200
-
400
lfafa
ma
4fursen (tureen
chinery Factory) 125
125
125
Ber
lin 200(1)
-
200 (8)
400
Mag
deburg 400
120 (4)
4?O
Erf
urt 320
120 (5)
320
S.a.t. (Erich air Bnde)'
Berlin 200
Total 1
5,2 5
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In the above tabulation, the numbers in parentheses indicate the following:
(1) The 2Q -cubic-meter installation was obtained from the Messer firs in
Frankfurt/Main.
25X1
L~.)A I
The 120-cubic-meter installation came from Messer, Frankfurt/Main.
(7)
(8)
This 600-cubic-meter installation is to produce liquid oxygen.
Delivery date is and of 1955.
Delivery date for this 200-cubic-meter installation is mid-1955.
This 200-oubio-meter installation was put into operation 1 November 19511.
2, In addition to the plants listed above, there are also some others, concerning
which information as of 1952 is available:
Niederlausitzer Sauerstoff tabH
(Niedsrlausi1s Oxygen Company, Ltd.)
Brandenburgisoher Bergbau
Capacity, cubic meters per year
180,000
(Brandenburg Mining Company) 265,000
Book, Brandenburg 72,000
W.inhuebel 520,000
Staaken 150,000
Total 1,187,000
3. all the aforementioned plants except Srioh am Snde /Berlin and Staaken are
under the WB Teohnisohe (lase ( VYB for Industrial Oases), Coswig. Erich
am Endo /Berlin and Staaken are under the Magistrat of Berlin.
4, In addition to the above plants, the following enterprises have their own
plant installations, which were produced by Mafa rcen (formerly Schuetz
Compressor Company), which has about 150 employees:
Plant
Capacity (cubic
meters per hour)
Tear
Built
Used fors
Neptunwerft, Rostock
Seidenwerk Pirna
50
1953
Welding and cutting
(Silk Works Pirna)
50
1953
Production of syn-
thetic fiber
50
1953
Welding and cutting
Maxhuette Unterwellenborn
3,000
1953
Air blast in the
blast furnaces
S-E-C-R-E-T
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5. The last-named plant has a Linde-Fraenkel installation.,disaantled by the
Luetzkendorf refinery, which produces 90-percent oxygen, adequate for
the purpose for which it is used.
6. There are also large installations at the Leunewerk and Bunawerk plants)
and also at Stickstoff-lark Piesteritz which separate air into its com-
ponents, but which are mainly ooncernd with the production of nitrogen
and produce oxygen only as a by-product. This output helps to overcome
the shortage of oxygen in the metal-processing industry. No details are
known as to this supplemental capacity.
7. The following indicates the development of,oxygen-producing capacity in
Bast Germanys
a. End of 1951
Capacity: 2,617 cubic meters per hour
2,617 x 24 x.360 ? 22,600,000 cubic seiers
per year
b. 30 October 1954
Capacity: 4,422 cubic meters per hour
4,422x24x360?
38,200,000 cubic meters
per year
as After the Berlin installation begins operating at the beginning of
November 1954
Capacity: 4,622 cubic asters per hour
4,622 x 24 Y 360 a 40,000,000 cubic meters
per year
d. After instal]a tions now under construction have been put in operation
Capacity: 5,422 cubic asters per hour
5,422 x 24 x 360 = 47,000,000 cubic asters
per year
8. The above computations do not include the plant installations at the Nept n-
Worke or at the Pirna, Riesa, or Maxhu?tt? plants, since these we all geared
to local use. The same is true of the installations at Leuna, Buna, and
Piesteritz.
9. When an annual capacity of 47 million cubic asters of oxygen is attained, it
will be possible approximately to cover current requirements.
10. VIB Sauerstoffwerk Berlin-Niedsrs s ?
(Status as of the end of. October 1954); Theplant was built in 1951 with
investment g rou the end of 1954, amounting to a total of
4.5 million D. The affiliations have been as follows: -
a. 1951-1953, under VVB Pukas Radebeul
b. 1953-June 1954, under VVB Berlin
c. July 1954-9eptemlor 1954, directly under the Main Administration for
Chemicals in the Ministry of Heavy Industry
d. Since September 1954s under VVB Technische Game, in Coswig, Anhalt, the
head of which is Ronneberg (fnu).
The personnel comprises 100 employees, of, whoa 60-percent are administrative
and 40-percent are factory workers; 30-percent are women] there are two
apprentices.
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11. Important sections of the plant are the oxygen-nitrogen department and the
rare gases department.
12. In 19519 an installation for the separation of the constituents of air
was built by the Messer firm., Frankfurt/Main. This installation had a capacity
of 200 cubic meters per hour of oxygen and 3.4 cubic meters per hour of helium-
neon mixture (in the ratio 78:22). In 1953, construction of an additional
installation was started by the Mafa-Wurzen firm. This installation has a
capacity of 200 cubic meters per hour of oxygen, 50 cubic meters per hour of
nitrogen, and 1.5 cubic meters per hour of argon. The installation began
operations in November 1954.
25X1
2bX1
13. The Plan quota of 1,770,000 cubic meters of oxygen will be fulfilled. The price
of oxygen is .60 DM per cubic meter for consumers using over 1,000 cubic
meters per month and 1.20 IN per cubic meter for consumers using leas.
14. The price of argon is 18.50 Die per liter for 914-percent argon (containing
6 -percent nitrogen); the price in West Germany is 23.00 DM. Sales of argon
are to start in November 1954. The price for helium-neon mixture, in the ratio
78x22, nitrogen-free, is 12.50 DU per liter, or somewhat below the world market
price. Nitrogen is not being produced at present. The new installation, which
is to start operations at the beginning of November 1954, will produce 50 cubic
meters Of nitrogen per hour. The price of nitrogen will be .56 DM per cubic meter.
15. Sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate come from Bernburg.
16. Oxygen is used by the metal-processing industry folding and cutting. The
distribution area is Berlin and the surrounding area, including lisenhuetten-
Kombinat J. I. St lint Fueretenberg/0. The largest quantities of oxygen go to
the Berliner Gluehlr enwerk and the HF Jerk in Obersohoeneweide. Nitrogen will
go the Berliner GELue onwerk, to be used to fill light bulbs. However, the
principal consumer will be the HF Jerk in Obersohoeneweide. The helius4-neon
mixture is also used for filling light bulbs. The capacity output of this mixture,
which amounts to 3.4 cubic meters per hour or about 30,000 cubic meters per year,
cannot be utilized. Requirements amount to 3.5 cubic meters per year, which
can be produced in a little over an hour. The capacity figure of 30,000 cubic
meters per year was established on the basis of a survey of requirements conducted
by the DHZ (Deutsche Handelzentralen), which was based on export plans which could
not be realized. Argon is supplied in, a 94-percent pure grade, against an accept-
ance guarantee for 93-percent purity. It is used to fill incandescent light bulbs.
For arc-welding, 97 percent pure argon is required. Argon could be furnished in
this quality, but then the capacity would be inadequate. The capacity was
originally planned to be 8 cubic meters per hour, but actually it is only 1.5
cubic meters per hours so that there is no surplus of argon for welding.
17. A new installation, produced by Mafa-Jurzen, which can produce 200 cubic meters
of oxygen and 50 cubic meters of 99.9 percent pure nitrogen per hourrhas been
completed. It is to start operating 1 November 19514. Development work is
being conducted in the research department of the plant concerning the separation
of helium and neon in the helium-neon mixture.
18. In order to conserve on steel cylinders, transportation costs, and manpower,
a ring main was built leading from the Berlin-Schoeneweide Plant to the
following plantez Halbsfugwerk II, Transformatorerarerk Oberechoenewoide,
Gereeaebau Oberenree, Kabeiwerk Oberspree, and the HF Jerk fuer Fernmeldewesen.
The main cost 156,000 DM and is 3.5 kilometers long. It was put into operation
in mid-19514. It can handle 800,000 cubic meters per year.
19. A second conduit is being laid alongside as far as the HF plant., to carry
nitrogen.
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 Approved For Release 2008/03/07: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006900230002-2
Approved For Release 2008/03/07: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA006900230002-2