THE SOLVAY CAUSTIC SODA FACTORY AT UIOARA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R005800730006-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 30, 1999
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: September 22, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

ApprovISIAFoor Release 2000~~005800730006-6
CLASSIFICATION 5 ' .5 /CONJTROL - U. S. OF ICI. LS ONLY
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT NO.
INFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
COUNTRY Rumania
SUBJECT The Solvay Caustic Soda
Factory at Uioara
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
STATE
x NAVY x NSRB DISTRIBUTION I hereby rer
ARMY
a[ AIR C FBI' i actor an
DATE DISTR. 22 Sept. 1950
NO. OF PAGES 2
25X1A
NO. OF ENCLS. 1 s
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO
.
1. This plant, formerly Belgian-owned, is now controlled by the Central.
administration for the chemical industry. The general manager is Engineer
Weinberger, a chemical expert; he is both technical and administrative
manager. The following administrative and technical chiefs are also employed:
Chief clerk Berger; chief engineer Lrdely; chief mechanic and head of the
trade union Rosca, a Communist, The number of workmen is approximately 300,
of whom 15 percent are'women. There are approximately 50 clerical and other
administrative employeese
2, Uioara is situated in Transylvania, in the valley of the river Mures, on
the south bank of the river; on the north bank of the river is the main
railroad line between Bucharest, Teius, Cluj and Oradea. On the north the
plant area borders directly on the )'urea River from which it is separated
by an embankment which is 10 feet high and 16 feet wide. This embarkment
was built in 1916, at the same time as the factory, and begins in the east
at Teloky castle and extends westward to a point 660 feet on the other side
of the bridge. To the east of the plant area is a brickyard; behiM:1 it
rises the steep Uioara hill, on which the smaller portion of the town of
Uioara is situated. Southeast of the factory are the municipal baths and
behind them, about 1,300 feet distant from the premises of the plant, is the
Uioara salt factory, the products of which are the basis for the production
of the soda factory. On its other sides the factory is surrounded by the
buildings of the town of Uioara. Uioara is connected to the main,.:railroad
line by a branch line starting from the Feldioara-Razboieni railroad
station on the Teius-Cluj line, The legend of the attached sketch 3.s as
follows t
a. Pressure-regulator house for the natural gas line. This is a concrete
building, 13 feet by 13 feet, with two pressure regulators, one for
high pressure of over 85 pounds per square inch above atmospheric,
one for low pressure less than 85 pounds per square inch above atmosphorio
and the counter*
b, Porter's house, a concrete building, 16 feet by 13 feet*
c. Fire station and garages, a concrete building, 66 feet by 33 feet.
Own,
CLASSIFICATION AV9Ffft'~'O0NTROL U. se OFFICIALS
tatter of 16 October. i~ence to the M13 1110...
CONFIDENTIAL Director of Central Intel '
Archivist of the United States.
Approved For Release 2000/08/17: CIA-RDP82- FW''0& 4?0
V SE FOR DECLASSL ICAT]:ON
 Approved For` Release 2000/9605800730006-6
/CONTROL -* U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY,
on, MM INTELLI(Th NCE AGMNCY
25X1A
Mechanical workshops, a concrete building, 130 feet by 33 feet. The
workshop is well equipped with modern machine tools, such as automatic
lathes, milling machines, drilling machines, et cetera.
e. Administration building, a two?otory concrete building, 100 feet by 33
foote On the ground floor are the management offices, the pay office,
and the bookkeeping office, while on the second floor are the technical
offices and the drafting offices,
f.. Storehouse, a concrete building, 82 feet by 33 feet. In this building
machine parts, replacement parts, and tools are stored, as well as
gasoline and various chemical materials,
Boiler house, a concrete building, 115 feet by 40 feet by 33 feet. It
houses six high prossure boilders (340 pounds per square inch) fired
by natural gass
h,,i,k, Factory buildings; three concrete buildings, of a single story
each, 200 feet by 40 foot by 33 feat, which house the installations
for the production of caustic soda.
10 Lime depot, a concrete building, 500 feet by 26 feet by 26 feet.
m. Open-air lime store,
n. Six lime. kilns for burning the lime required for the production of
soda, Each kiln Is made of refractory bricks.. and is 100 feet in
diameter, and 100 feet high. The distance between the kilns is 16
feet, The kilns are fired by natural gas. West of the kilns is a
metal bridge 102 feet high with two narrow-gage tracks along which
run small trucks; on each end is cni elevator and a turntable for
charging the kilns with lime. The burnt lime is tapped on a level
with the ground.,
o. Open.air depot for burnt lime and caustic soda in barrels.
p. Porter's house, a concrete building 16 feet by 13 feet.
q. Bathing establishment.
Brick work,o
s Salt works.
to Teleky castle.
Gas line.
v. River embankment*
we Mount Uioara.
Natural gas for heating the boilers and kilns comes from the Transylvanian
natural gas wells. The natural gas comes through a twin pipe line, each
pipe of which is 95 mn. in diameter, ovor the railroad and street 'bridge
near the pressure-regulator house (a* on sketch). A taps-line leads to the
Solvay Works, but the pipe line goes on through the promises of the 'Moura
plant as far as the aforementioned brick works. The factory produces soda
ar er 'the solver .method, In 1947?.1948, the daily production, at full
capacity, was approximately 250. tons. The finished product is shipped by
rail,, For organic purposes the plant has 10 large trucks and three passenger
car's plus a small steam shunting locomotive, A large part of the production
is exported to the Soviet Union.
4. The plant area is surrounded by a wall, 8.2 feet high and has its own fire
brigade. A number of the plant's own night?-watchTnen perform the patrol
duty within the ring fence of the plant., four other watchman patrol outside
the fence.,
Approved For Rel ,p, QI jZ,: Cl Rr P8 -I
00NI,~730006-6