KEMEROVO, A POSSIBLE SITE OF A FACILITY FOR PRODUCTION OF STORABLE MISSILE FUEL

Created: 9/21/1962

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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Current Support Brief

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OSSIBLE SITEACILITY FOR PRODUCTION OF STORABLE MISSILE FUEL

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCEffice of Research and Reports

KEMEROVO, A POSSIBLE SITE OF A FACILITY FOR PRODUCTION OF STORABLE MISSILE FUEL

A nitrogen plant at Kemerovo, located in West Siberiailometers east of Novosibirsk, may be cither producing compounds having application as storable missile fuels or constructing aunit for such compounds. According lo current intelligencestorable fuels are being used in several Sovietecond-generation ICBM. As yet, however, no direct association has been noted between the nitrogen plant and the Soviet missile program.

On at least three occasions, employees of the Kemerovo Nitrogen Fertilizer Planth Congress of the VKP(b) nown producer of ammonia, ammonium nitrate, nitric acid, formaldehyde, and methanol Zlave published reports on the subject of amines,which have direct application as storable missile fuels or which may beto produce other storable fuels, such as derivatives of hydrazine. Two of the reports describe an analysis of mixturesammonia and methylamine, and theethod of identifying primary aliphatic amines. 1/ The ammonia or methanol synthesized al the fertilizer plant together withaustic soda, or other raw materials produced in the Kemerovo area would permit productionide range of amines and relatod compounds.

Another indication that the Kemerovo Nitrogen Fertilizer Plant may bc concerned with production of storable fuels is the fact thatof the State InstituteApplied Chemistry (GIPKh) were working at the plantpparently to aid in developing three processes, only one of which (tho catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene) was cited in an unclassified source. 4/ The 'catalytic hydrogenation of nitrobenzene yields aniline, which isossible storable missile fuel. Although GIPKh has planned and designed facilities producing non-strategic chemical products, its functions also include the developmenl

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and testing of propellants. During Ihes the institutemethods of producing amines for use as missile fuels, and this work led to constructionlant at Dzcrzhinsk for production of aliphatic amines. 5/ More recently.

JIPKh wasderivatives and in fact had

required for experiments, bf that the in-

stitute may beilot plant for production of hydrazine and, therefore, could contribute lo the developmentnit capable of large-scale production.

The aforementioned articles on amines by employees of the Kemerovo plant, the association of this facility with GIPKh.and the availability in Kemerovo of* raw materials used in production of storable fuels suggestacility producing such compounds may bc under construction or in operation at the nitrogen fertilizer plant. In the absence of any known associations with the Soviet missile program, however, additional evidence will be required for confirmation of the suspected activily.

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Coord:

Sources.

OSI. Scientific IntelUgenee Digest,,

p. 5. S/

Stroitel'nayact U. Stroitel'naya gazeta. U. Ekonomicheakaya gazeta, U.

Zavodskaya laboratoriya,. U.o.. U.

o. U.

Ekonomicheskaya gazeta. . 3. U.

Apr M

. 3.

. 9. Eval. 3. S

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Original document.

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