Synthetic fuels: Karrick Process replaces the Bergius Process during World War 2

[Darkest]

What if the Germans had replaced their use of the Bergius Process of liquefacting coal into oil, gasoline, and synfuels with the Karrick Process?

The Karrick Process was discovered in the 1920s by Lewis C. Karrick, an oil shale technologist at the US Bureau of Mines. In the 1930s, a pilot plant was constructed at the University of Utah. Below are some of their findings:

1. Bergius liquefaction was too costly, one-half of the thermal value of the coal was destroyed during the process.
2. Bergius process required substantial volumes of water.
3. The Karrick process, including conversion from oil to motor fuel, destroys only 25% of the thermal value of the coal, making it more than 200% as efficient than the Bergius process.

So, say that in the mid-1930s, German scientists either discover the Karrick process on their own, or German spies (how many of those were there pre-WW2?) steal it from the United States.

 

[Romulus Augustulus]

I'm somewhat familiar with German use of synfuels. They manufactured synthetic fuel as well as synthetic lubricants on a large scale; later on, South Africa's apartheid regime did the same. Sasol supplied the country's needs for diesel fuels and similar products through coal liquefecation.

Ultimately I don't think it would change anything; it might delay Germany's defeat for a while. And postwar, well...probably petroleum would still be cheaper and more widely used.

I'll read up on it more and get back to you on that. Probably synfuels will be very important during the 21st century.

 

[M79]

How about bringing the synfuel plants online 12-18 months earlier with either process?

 

[Darkest]

I'm currently using this resource to help me in understanding the German oil industry.
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1981/jul-aug/becker.htm

Here's a short timeline I'm considering using in a project I'm going to post on Friday.

1932 – An American scientist, an official at the US Bureau of Mines, forms a relationship with Fritz Haber, the German scientist responsible for the Haber Process, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner. They send letters every other year.

1933 – March: Fritz Haber, through letters from his American friend, learns of the concept and basic technical information behind the newly-discovered Karrick Process, a system of creating synthetic fuel that was twice as efficient as the more widely used Bergius Process. Haber is currently in a stressful environment, as the Nazis are trying to banish him to England because of his Jewish heritage. Trying to gain leverage with the Nazis, he forwards such information, and theories of his own, to Carl Bosch, another German scientist, a fellow Nobel Prize winner and friend.

June: Carl Bosch does what he can to help his friend, but in the end it wins no large victory. However, as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of German Company IG Farben, he does make a few calls on the Karrick Process. It especially attracts the attention of another Nobel Prize Winner, Friedrich Bergius, whose field could benefit hugely from the Karrick Process. A small team is given the task to see what they can do with the concepts delivered to them from Fritz Haber, but little else is done.

1935 – August: IG Farben has nearly perfected what is called the Bergius-Dresner process (thanks to Dr. Bernd Dresner, head of the development team), basically a parallel discovery of the Karrick Process, though it had been founded on the basic concept taken from the Americans.

1936 – October: In the several plans Germany introduced to increase oil production, the newly discovered Bergius-Dresner process is involved, though it is somewhat downplayed because of it being a new technology.

March: Thanks to the Bergius-Dresner process streamlining different aspects of the oil industry, the Germans discover how to produce high-octane aviation fuel nearly as well as their American and British counterparts. The Luftwaffe will begin using such fuels in 1940. Obvious benefits using such fuel in aircraft engines included 15 percent higher speed, a 1500-mile longer range for bombers, and an increased altitude of 10,000 feet. [In OTL, they did not implement high-octane engines until 1945, six years passed when the Allies began to do so. Their procedures were flawed, cumbersome and expensive. Now, however, they can cheaply make high-octane aviation fuel.]

How does it look?

 

[esl]

I'm currently using this resource to help me in understanding the German oil industry.
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1981/jul-aug/becker.htm

March: Thanks to the Bergius-Dresner process streamlining different aspects of the oil industry, the Germans discover how to produce high-octane aviation fuel nearly as well as their American and British counterparts. The Luftwaffe will begin using such fuels in 1940. Obvious benefits using such fuel in aircraft engines included 15 percent higher speed, a 1500-mile longer range for bombers, and an increased altitude of 10,000 feet. [In OTL, they did not implement high-octane engines until 1945, six years passed when the Allies began to do so. Their procedures were flawed, cumbersome and expensive. Now, however, they can cheaply make high-octane aviation fuel.]

How does it look?

Interesting article and thanks for posting it. With the reference to "Obvious benefits using such fuel in aircraft engines included 15 percent higher speed, a 1500-mile longer range for bombers, and an increased altitude of 10,000 feet." I assume this referes to the 100 Octane fuel. Does any one know which specific planes these figures applied to ?