PRODUCTION AND METALLURGY OF RHENIUM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00415R003400070001-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 6, 2012
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 3, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

0
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/06: CIA-RDP83-00415R003400070001-5
CLASSIFICATION
CENTRAL INTELLLGENCE AGENCY REPOR
INFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
COUNTRY Gerthany (Russian Zone)
SUBJECT Production and I:etallurg?7 of Rh :r- ti!
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF I
'813 VOCU1U4IT 001TAMI1S IRMIMA1CU ACP3CTIi111T R 2AT1OI2A@.83PEUOC
OP TOR U1711ftD STATBS 19MM T1I3 HEA2II3O OP THE SSPIOSACU ACT ?O
D. S. C., 31 AND 22. AS AMEND35, ITS TRAWS51I26I0f4 OR 3118 tEW LATIO2I
OP ITS COMM l I Ali? 0AWW@R TU A[d. UAAUTWO@U 1TI) P1IRSOS1 IS P20.
11131730 3? I.AT1.1r3P6'CDUCTiO1 OP 111113 MIS IS P3031311311.
been available at high cost t ou jh a a5!11-scale production by Gobr. Borchers/
Ulcer which used 11 ansfeid pig iro as a source. With t'ie development of the
now process, rhenium production l ;,' t; br, Borders has been diocon-tinued and
that firm bra turned to the ospar- tion of the moiybdenunl ni e t snd
comer which are also present in kiaa Tnsfeld pig. 50X1-HUM
DATE DISTR. 3 October .1949
NO. OFPAGES3
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
Using a procea developed in Julh 1.947, a test installation is said to have
produced a total of several lrancu`,?e8 ' iogracis of metallic rheniu~a king
this natal available for a close study of its properties, its alloys and~its
uses as a catalytic went. Prevsfausl?,r, only small. amounts of rhenium had
t e i:nnsfelder Xupfersohieferber eu AAA 4L.
good results in an experiment irn-olvinr, the use of 30 tone: of basic ~. ;er:I.ai.
The further proco ping of crude r enia= n sulphide to obtain the above-rentioned
end-product is comparatively cis -m, '' a can be handled, in view of t:: c? s a.ll
quantities, in a laboratory.. C: _llo of this, the Kupferk irn er-
Biei.hi.tte in tiettntedt planned an ia-as'rallation d.eccribed holou,?,
Assuming a daily yrield of 7 tons of lead ox de, which can be considered as
7u d um production for the near fiturc, the, process appears ocher 1tica?...Fy Eta`
follows:
VereiniZte Keliwerke in Aschorsl. 4 n? to ox?+.mine the ?,ansfold inter:fu-_R(l.i .r~r
products, ocpocia_lly those which yar.p) ar to be rich in rhenium, with the oblect
of pocsi"ale direct extraction of e .ter-soluble rhenium compounds.. It also
appeared that inter?odiery lead t dd_des produced et'the IIottstedt Lead :lorks
(BleihVitte) during a. differentia x. rolling process were relatively ricer in
rhenium. The copper division in s laboratory attached to the - Kupforlua_.m-_or
and the Dleihi tte and the Central_ Taboratorj at ;isleben also becaiio concerned
with a technological process for -bta.in:Lrig rheniu , using as a source a fine
load dust recovered at the fleilaf; :te.. This dust curren tly contains u, to 90
crams of water-soluble rheriu na.tt ton. It is considered advisable to -,.s,urie
an average of 60 grt'."is per ton, c- {' zfia -i ch 50 ;rams can be extracted.
The following proce:-'s, which dear: ibo:. the production of crude rhenium ,,3-lphide,
was developed to recover the rherlum in the load dust in the form of oot,ass:lu z
pernconate end later as pure _i.st nllic powder. It was finally tested qa:l.ta
CLASSIFtCATTON
is producing rhenium at the rate of 320 ?pkg. per month.
50X1-HUM
2? Sonotime during 1946, the Rusci a.s ordered d.Feit, an employee of the
SECRET ArC;MROL - U -S .. Orr-Tr-TAT c nT T.Y
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/06: CIA-RDP83-00415R003400070001-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/06: CIA-RDP83-00415R003400070001-5
Sre0R /CO 1TR13. U ,S. O FICIAIS ONLY
CMTTR,L - ? LiU ;NCE AGENCY 50X1 -HU M
7 tons of lead oxide, soaks
(laugen) and filt
8 tons of lixiviated lead-r!
(goes to the furne.' )
3.00 kg. of gypsum (den)
15 kg. filte3' a (Cement-C&' t d
waste lye
8 cubic metena to k solution d
1 a O;L7 conce,nte aced by evapora-
t'.on to d :L.2
1 cubic mote., acs .centrated
solution d 1.2 to be treated
( z:. entieren) w i 9 kg. zinc
dust (Zinkstaub).
1.1 mn of pub. ed solution to
be ,X!ecipitated b, 7 1q;.
Na23 + 140 kg.
'3.8 kg. of daap Re2S7? --)issolved
in 5 k}- HNO3 and KRf 04 crystallized
out by adding K2CC:,:.
4 method of conveyine seven Igo_ , . gdg
The lead oxide could be oonvey . moot, o f'icion (;ly and cust free If it ' ~?
ir,rnediately wetted down in the 3 ? 1t Z house in a small r.izer and if it '.tv'~
pumped from there for trecn~t :tlth lfa e.
L' ti o2ven tong of bead p-, Wb1_ (t o 1
The lead oxide slick is pumped :.nto -tt D contt-i.iners each of ten cubic meter
capacity where it is aerated fo .~ sousa.: a1. how!3 by me ;hn iea) met'.ns, While
one container is being filled it a oontent of the oths.N, is being,g f3.lt red.
6. Fi,l
a. An experiment with a rotary r ilt .' witli a 2.5 sq. meter filter -mrface
showed that lead oxide slid cm_ E.,:asi1T be filtered - r such an noparatus.
Performance per hour eras 22 uu kg, cte and cake contain3la g 27% moics oe,
equalling 180 kg. of dry e1:ck or abcnt 190 kg. lead -.,..,dde (sic)
be, A filter with a surface of :!q, met re operated for 6 haws par rhift
could process 1.14 tons of read oxide. An existing 7 Eqe meter, rotry
filter, which was used for. ;rl;a? .to obta..-a cadmium and which is out of
operation now, would be abl to produce 3.2 tons of lead oxide. Th:
means it would be capable or"' b ndling t r : lead ox:l de yle _d in three uhifts
per day.
a,. During this test, lead oxic containing 36 grams of rhenium per tor, was
used. Of this a unt 75 grime per ton ?13re dissW.ved ::hiie 11 gra!a per
ton were lost, i.e., 1.2.9`% :z.ema1nod as water--soluble rhenium in tap lead
oxide slick. It may be possible to ob?i.in better i'esrtlts by a ctron ;er
washing process. The resu; irk slick 'ass, about a tons, Is leaded into
cams and taken to thy-, lead plaint whi {. ; the 9 to 10 cubic teterv of filtrate
and cloning water have to c evaporated down to one cubic Meter..
7. a. Teats have shown that evaporation can: at be carried (tit in a simplsc iron
pan heated by coal because the ehlor-, ie-contai i attacks t ;74on
too strongly. When evapore Lion of `/, liters of solut E at was carried out
in an iron vessel during t'ra.-Y r e?i Fit, seven grams of iron were disLSoived.
As a result, this process h --,s to be carried out in lec-1 equipment. The
lead lined vaporizer of the zincvit i s of installation, v.Lth a daily vap& 'iza-
tion capacity of 15 cubic m t of inter, was found to be suitable. Ira is
a 30 cubic meter wooden eat'anot rya r,.ar 4 x 3 x 2.5 maters, li"ad with
lead and equipped with three Y. d-c. t,ted iron heating cc-;.1s 35 ,:.curs in
length. The steam consumption a uut; t s to abet 10 toms .per day :.
IAr T/. WE - U.S. OFFICIAL" 0:, LT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/06: CIA-RDP83-00415R003400070001-5
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/06: CIA-RDP83-00415R003400070001-5
nip/r1 i1 `" x,~ U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
b. Since the vaporization docre scs greatly with decreasing content it may
be advisable to carry out t. ci o aporation in two stages. By this process,
a large pre-vaporizer would ea-:dense the solution down to about one
quarter of its volume (from d 1.017 to d 1.085") and thereby reduce the
quantity to be handled daily from ton cubic meters to two cubic eters.
A small vaporizer could that. evaporate the solution to one cubic meter
of concentrate d 1.1? - 1.20
have been collected.
separated out. This can be cars"ad out by feeding the solution alternately
into two available lead-lined wooden cabinets of three cubic meters capacity
each. These cabinets are eauipvnd with w si er' ooolad coils and the solution is
cooled o f f in three days. The qvc is collected on the bottom of the vat
while the clear solution can be : _,emnted. From time to time, the pin is
washed with hot water in order t;o reco i'er the rhenium content of the lye which
t dhores to the gynsun_ Tirt sdl ?.ttfion is also evarorrs.ted while the spum is
2ho?veled out of the cool np cabt-st.
The decanted clear lye tabout orr cubic peter per lay) is pumped to the cadmium
precipitator.* For this purpose a:sit cubic meter container with mixer is
available and for the final filte- .nc' a 25 section, 50 x 50 am. filter press..
with pump, is used. The cadmium rrecipitation as wen as the following rhenium
precipitation is carried out ever v five days, whexaever 5 cubic meters of lye
10. The rhenium precipitation is carried out in a lead-lined six cubic me vat
which has a good drainage. outle decanting tape, and pipes for air and steam.
The Na S solution needed for the recipitation it prepared and filtered in a
box of20.. 5 cubic meter caps ci tLy.. vat' having a t.apecit r of one tank car' would
be needed for the sulphuric acid ",?
11. For filtering the rhenium sulphl ?.! uc earthenq?,aree suction filters of about
75 cma diameter are sufficient. 1 :e acid filtrate is pumped to the waste
dump (ialde) . For processing the ?- -lphide to (-4, 4 earthenware containers of
50 liters each are needed, one es-_:t 1ennware suct:.on filter of 50 am. diancterr
and five evaporation pans of 50 1:'x.tars rapacity. Reduction of the potassium
perrhenate into metallic rhenium Erne a.ccomplishn;d in an electric pipe furnace
in an atmosphere of hydrogen.
Cowmen t Apparently c,r$dni n is alsc present in the raw material. 50X1-HUM
C . fig= The word use? is Schwefel'ure. The schematic outline
of the process indicates that HUG -.. is added at this point.
CECI~R~/GQT;T k L -r U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/06: CIA-RDP83-00415R003400070001-5
8. When the concentrated solution ( /clay) is cooled, 100 kg. of gyps are