Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 10, No. 9, pp. 601--606, 1985.

Printed in Great Britain,

0360-3199/85 $3.00 + 0.00 Pergamon Press Ltd. International Association for Hydrogen Energy.

N A T I O N A L H Y D R O G E N E N E R G Y P R O G R A M IN B R A Z I L
M. C. MATrOS Secretaria de Tecnologia s/753 Minist6rio das Minas e Energia, 70056, Brasilia-DF, Brasil (Received for publication 4 October 1984)
Abstract--To face the 1973 energy crisis and allow a reduction of fossil fuels imports. Brazil has developed an

important alcohol program, suited to secure a major share of liquid fuels supply to be used in transportation sectors. National energy resource agencies point out that emphasis should be put on biomass and electricity. Having the second largest hydropower potential in the world, the Brazilian dilemma is that one-third of this potential is situated in the far Amazon region, whereas consumption centres are in the Southeast region. Thus, hydrogen presents itself as an excellent carrier for our country. The energy system in Brazil should be oriented towards a system based on electricity and hydrogen. With the availability of off-peak hydroelectricity at a low cost and new, very large plants starting operation, the situation appears quite favourable for water electrolysis and hydrogen production development. The production of electrolytic hydrogen, which can be transported and stored, is specially interesting because it allows a heavy electricity utilization well-fitted to production management. Its use would modulate and optimize electricity uses. Hydrogen production would be used in the chemical industry and for energy purposes, Relevant aspects of the Brazilian hydrogen energy program are described.

INTRODUCTION After World W a r Two, the industrial nations lived in an era of energy abundance, assuming that energy sources were virtually limitless. Many developing countries followed their example, and in 1973 the oil crisis came as a terrible s h o c k - - f o r the first time the people of the world became conscious that oil production, on which the economic and industrial development of nations was based, could soon start to decline. Since then, when it became clear that fossil fuels are not unlimited and people became aware of environmental problems, industrial nations have been forced to develop alternative technologies to satisfy their fuel needs in an attempt to reduce their dependence on petroleum. To face the 1973 energy crisis and allow a reduction of fossil fuel imports, Brazil has expanded exploration programs for petroleum and has developed alternative energy source programs. The most important of these alternative programs is the National Alcohol Program ( P R O A L C O O L ) , designed to secure a major share of liquid fuel supplies to be used in transportation sectors. National policy should opt for the development of our raw indigenous energy sources. Priorities for funding the development of alternative energy sources have been established. Nationally available energy resources and energy self-sufficiency have weighed as important considerations in pointing out that emphasis should be put on biomass and electricity. H Y D R O G E N IN B R A Z I L . A T P R E S E N T Hydrogen. as an industrial raw material, already, plays an important role in Brazil. The hydrogen producing 601

and consuming markets are difficult to evaluate as hydrogen is, at present, obtained mainly from fossil fuels. The quantities involved in potential hydrogen supply and demand are large as the Brazilian market is expanding rapidly, chiefly in the production of nitrogen fertilizers, through the process of ammonia synthesis. In Brazil, industrial demand for hydrogen is making for substantial and progressive growth. Hydrogen is seldom the final product sold. Normally, the hydrogen produced is consumed as an intermediate in various specialized purposes. Hydrogen is used in a wide spectrum of industries, to manufacture many things, from fertilizers to plastics. The 1977 hydrogen supply in Brazil of 168 000 metric tonnes was divided as shown in Fig. 1. By far the biggest consumer is the fertilizer i n d u s t r y - - 7 8 % . Next: the steel i n d u s t r y m 8 % , oil refining---6%, m e t h a n o l - - 3 % . The production of ammonia, which is chiefly responsible for the consumption of hydrogen, is required for fertilizers as well as for various chemical products such as plastics, synthetic fibres, nitric acid, etc. Brazilian hydrogen gas consumption, during 1980, was 180 000 metric tonnes. Only 2% of this total was obtained by electrolysis. The balance (98%) originated from petroleum, naphtha and natural gas. In Brazil, electrolytic hydrogen will be able to compete in the short term with that produced from fossil fuels, due to the large Brazilian hydroelectric potential. The total demand for hydrogen, during 1980, was 300 000 metric tonnes. Internal supply therefore shows a deficit of about 100 000 ty -1. Brazil imports about of the hydrogen required for the production of nitrogen-based products. There is a growing appreciation in Brazil of the pos-

602

M. C. MA"TOS

I00" J 80~ OIL"REFINING

6O

" ~

-- CoaLand others Sugarcone HydroDower Firewood

STEEL INDUSTRY

20

OiL

METHANOL

1973

1978

1983

Fig. 2. Percentage participation. Source: Balan~o Energ~tico National, 1984.

Fig. 1. Industrial uses of hydrogen in Brazil in 1977. Source: CESP-UNICAMP (1980). Tecnologia e Economia Do Ciclo Do Hidrogenio.

sible future value of hydrogen in both direct and indirect energy applications. Projections for hydrogen requirements and uses in Brazil are presented in the Poster Session of this Conference: 'Electrolytic Hydrogen Application Feasibility in Brazil' (E. V. Campos).

ENERGY SITUATION AND HYDROGEN E N E R G Y PROSPECTS IN B R A Z I L The energy crisis affected Brazil, as well as all developing countries, seriously. Brazil has depended too much on external energy resources. Although Brazilian production of oil is steadily increasing, we must be less reliant on petroleum. The evolution of total primary energy consumption is shown in Table 1 and Fig. 2 (Minist6rio das Minas e Energia, 1984). Figure 3 shows the changes which have occurred in

the last ten years in primary energy sources consumption. The evolution of petroleum participation was as follows: in 1973, petroleum was responsible for 43% of total primary energy consumption in Brazil, and this percentage shows the strong dependence of the Brazilian economy on this fossil fuel. In 1982, petroleum was responsible for 36% of total primary energy consumption in Brazil, and the national production of petroleum accounted for 27% of this demand (Brasil, 1983). In 1983, petroleum was responsible for 34% of the total primary energy consumption, and the national production of petroleum accounted for 36% of this demand. The evolution of hydraulic energy participation was as follows: in 1973, 19% and in 1983, 29%. This is the most significant increase in the last tables, contributing strongly to the data we will show in Table 2 and Fig. 4. Brazil is still vulnerable to external developments in the energy sector, because we imported, in 1983. 2 2 % - - a b o u t 1/5--of the energy in our country consumed. But the 1983 situation was much better than that of 1973 and 1978 as a result of governmental policies

Table 1. Evolution of total primary sources consumption Year Sources Crude oil Natural gas Coal Uranium U3Os Hydraulic energy Firewood Sugar cane Other primary sources-t Sub-total renewables Total 103toe* 37 865 260 2431 -16 788 23 899 7 051 121 47 859 88 415 1973 (%) 42.8 0.3 2.8 -19.0 27.0 8.0 0.1 54.1 I00.0 103toe 53 405 922 4516 29 796 26 521 10 125 184 66 626 125 469 1978 (%) 42.6 0.7 3.6 23.7 21.1 8. i 0.2 53.1 100.0 103toe 50 513 1 897 5 862 43 950 29 9l 1 17 257 53O 91 648 149 920 1983 (%) 33.7 1.3 3.9 29.3 19.9 11.5 O.4 61.1 100.0

* Tons of oil equivalent. f Refers to vegetable wastes for heat generation. Source: Balanqo Energdtico Nacional (1984).

N A T I O N A L H Y D R O G E N E N E R G Y P R O G R A M IN B R A Z I L
% 10FIVE YEARS SOURCES CHANGE IN PRIMARY ENERGY

603

CONSUMPTION

8,.71
u
-I

6-

o ltz

e~ X / / / / / / / / /

~ /7 ///
///
//7
/ / / / / / / / / / / /

'a
o

4-

2-

-I

/// / / / /// ///

=.
E

/// /// /// ///

tt

alllllltll

.a
O

\\NI
\\-,~ \\-,J \\',a \\'~1

:'/,4

/
m

N
o 0 0 E

-2"

"4

\\NI \\NI

-6

8
.It
-o

1973 = 1978

1978" 1983

- 10

Fig. 3. Primary energy sources changes in the last ten years. Source: Balanqo Energ6tico Nacional (1984).

Table 2. Evolution of external energy dependence Specification 103toe Final consumption Energy Losses in demand transformation, distribution and storage* Total Primary energy production External energy dependence 1973 (%) 91.3 103toe 114 989 1978 (%) 91.6 103toe 131 512 1983 (%) 90.1

80 989

7 696 88 685 58 340 30 345

8.7 100.0 65.8 34.2

10 540 125 529 78 456 47 073

8.4 100.0 62.5 37.5

14 494 146 006 113 788 32 218

9.9 100.0 77.9 22.1

* Includes not utilized energy and reinjection Source: Balan~o Energ6tico Nacional (1984)

604
I00

M. C. MATTOS system. Canada is the leader in this field and the host of this conference. The following words, from the report written by a special committee established by the Canadian House of Commons for the purpose of examining the potentials of all the energy sources and energy carriers, confirm this point: "In fifty years Canada's energy system will be radically different. We foresee a system based upon electricity and hydrogen as the major energy carriers or currencies, with only minimal and selected use of hydrocarbons (crude oil. natural gas and coal) as fuels. Electric power will be generated in several ways, with the hydrogen produced primarily through the electrolysis of water" (Special Committee on Alternative Energy and Oil Substitution to the Parliament of Canada 1981). Brazil could follow Canada's example and assume the same innovatory role it already played when the alcohol program was established. Brazilian initiative in searching for alternatives to imported oil transformed our country in an example to be followed by developing nations. In the same way, Brazil could become the leader in hydrogen technology among developing countries. Hydrogen produced from water can be used for ammonia synthesis in situ. A developing nation like Brazil, that must now import fertilizers and is facing the need of even more fertilization and food production in the future--food for export as well as for the increasing Brazilian population--is interested in carrying technology beyond pilot-plant levels for producing electrolytic hydrogen and ammonia. Developing nations must occupy and develop a rural infrastructure across the entire country. Energy demand can be reorganized in these countries more easily than in industrialized one, where an infrastructure is already installed. In developing countries we have the feeling that the future can be changed--it is not merely an extrapolation of the past. High growth rates of population allow for innovations that would be unthinkable in countries already totally structured, where there is practically no growth any longer. It seems that an energy system based on electricity and hydrogen would contribute to reaching this aim and be adopted more easily in a new country. It would create a number of jobs in the whole country, generating technological, agricultural and economical development together with excellent social benefits. In view of the above considerations, we come to the following conclusion: the energy system in Brazil should be oriented towards a system based on electricity and hydrogen. With the availability of off-peak hydroelectricity at a low cost and new, very large plants starting operation, the situation appears quite favourable for wate~ electrolysis and hydrogen production development. The production of electrolytic hydrogen, which can be transported and stored, is specially interesting because it allows a heavy electricity utilization well suited to production management. Its use would modulate and optimize electricity uses.

ExternG(
806O dependence

National production
40'--

20--

0 f973

I
1978 1983

Fig. 4. Percentage participation. Source: Balan~o Energrtico Nacional, 1984.

being used to constrain the growth of oil dependence whilst, at the same time, increasing electricity use. Energy considerations must cease to be a negative factor in our balance of payments position. Brazil has enormous energy resources, and options should be taken in order to capitalize on the potential that these resources represent. Brazil is a privileged country in having the secondlargest hydropower potential in the world. This potential would allow complete satisfaction of our electric energy needs up to the twenty-first century. In fact, members of the government have frequently admitted that they have not reached a final estimate for the national potential: this potential has often been reevaluated leading to higher values under the pressure of rising prices for energy. The latest value for this potential is 213 G W of installed generating capacity. Just 18% of this potential is being effectively utilized at present. In 1985, installed generating capacity should increase to 45 G W (SIESE-SG/MME, D N A E E , ELET R O B R A S ' 1983). There are enormous regional energy disparities in energy production and use in Brazil. The Brazilian dilemma is that one third of its hydropower potential is situated in the far Amazon region, whereas consumption centres are concentrated in the Southeast region. This poses the question of transportation of large blocks of energy to large distances. Thus, hydrogen presents itself as an excellent energy carrier or currency for our country. Up to now, electricity has been the dominant energy currency for energy sources including hydraulic sites, nuclear power, geothermal power and, in the future, tidal, direct solar, wave and wind. However, electricity has the disadvantage of not being storable. Hydrogen, another form of secondary energy, which can be stored and transported, is an energy carrier that is now being considered as a complement to electricity. Much has been written about an energy system based on electricity and hydrogen (Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 1983). Developed nations having adequate resources, or broad vision, are putting their faith in this energy

NATIONAL HYDROGEN ENERGY PROGRAM IN BRAZIL HYDROGEN PROGRAM Research and development activities concerning hydrogen energy have been sponsored by Companhia Energ~tica de S&o Paulo (CESP), Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP) and Ministerio das Minas e Energia (MME). The largest effort has been that of CESP, supported by state of S&o Paulo funds, and of FINEP, by federal government funds. These activities were developed without a structured coverage or plan. Expenditure on hydrogen technology, in Brazil, started in 1975. and has been much less than necessary for maintaining a continuous research and development program, and for the development of human resources. It seems urgent not only to assure the continuity of these activities and their coordination, but also to give an impulse to their development so that hydrogen, as industrail feedstock and as an energy vector, can play an important role in the Brazilian future, in a short time. A Commission for the Development of Hydrogen (CDH) was established by the Minister of Mines and Energy in 1982 for coordinating research and development activities in hydrogen energy. Hydroelectric utility companies are giving financial support to the Commission. The planning for the Hydrogen Program

605

is in the initial phase, basic research and application projects having yet to be selected. The objective of this program is the establishment of policies for hydrogen research and development, and utilization, linking hydrogen R&D to utilization. The target is to reach technological independence, and simultaneously to incorporate economic results that would allow expansion of the program. The Commission for the Development of Hydrogen has the main objective of establishing the Brazilian Hydrogen Centre, that will be organized, as it expands, in four nuclei, as shown in Fig. 5 (Comissfio de Desenvolvimento do Hidrog~nio (1984)). The Centre funding is US$ 5 000 000 for the first three years. A brief overview of the research and development areas of interest in Brazil now will be provided in Table 3. A test electrolysers plant is being installed at Corumbatai--SP, with the specifications as shown in Table 4. The electrolysers, of the unipolar type, were built by CESP using technology developed by UNICAMPC O D E T E C (University of Campinas--Company for Technological Development). Investigations in electrochemistry concerning applications in electrolysers presently being developed at

Director council
I

i I I

I
Research and development DeveLopment of human resources Laboratory research Engineering development of prototypes and indust rioL processes Development of products and processes Production prototypes ot equipment on industrial scaLe Scaling, engineering and prototype fabrication

I
Industrialization Encouragement of industrialization SeLection of producers Transfer of technology Promotion of equipment production Liaison between industry and research Technical and economic feasibility studies

I
UtiLization Marketing research Support of and incentives to consumers
Economic assessments Assistance with corltrocts and associations Diffusion of equipment

DeveLopment of models on Laboratory scale Information centre: technicaL, and scientific integrotior

and .xlustrioL utilizations

Liaison between end-users onrl industry

Fig. 5. Brazilian Hydrogen Centre.

Table 3. Research and developmentareas of interest now. in Brazil 1. Water electrolysis----electrolysers for large production of hydrogen or ammonia 2. Storage techniques--practical aspects of metal hydrides 3. Fuel cells--Construction of prototypes of phosphoric acid cells

606

M. C. MATI'OS panorama that hydrogen will. in the near future, assume an important role within the energy matrix. REFERENCES Brasil, Minist6rio das Minas e Energia, Balan~o Energ~tico NacionaL Brasilia (1983). E. V. Campos, Electrolytic hydrogenmapplication feasibility in Brazil, 5th WHEC, Toronto, Canada (1984). J. Carvalho, G. Tremiliose Filho, L. A. Avaca and E. R. Gonzalez, Ni-Fe codeposits as cathodes for water electrolysis, 5th WHEC, Toronto, Canada (1984). CESP-UNICAMP Tecnologia e Economia do Ciclo do Hidrog~nio, 108 (1980). Comissfio de Desenvolvimento do Hidrog6nio Centro Brasileiro de Hidrog~nio 13, (1984). Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, Hydrogen energy and energy related publications and films. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 8, 237-241 (1983). Minist~fio das Minas e Energia Preliminary version of Balano Energdtico Nacional. Brasilia (1984). SIESE-SG/MME, DNAEE, ELETROBRAS Boletim Trimestral JAN/MAR (1983). D. M. Soares and O. Teschke, Sine wave electrode tester for full-size electrolysers, 5th WHEC, Toronto, Canada (1984). Special Committee on Alternative Energy and Oil Substitution to the Parliament of Canada, Energy Alternatives. Canadian Government Publishing Centre, Ottawa, 9, (1981). A. A. Tanaka, E. R. Gonzalez and L. A. Avaca, A contribution to the study of the H.E.R. on tungsten under water electrolysis conditions, 5th WHEC, Toronto, Canada (1984). M. A. Tenan and O. Teschke, A new model for electrolytic hydrogen bubble evolution, 5th WHEC, Toronto, Canada (1984).

Table 4. Specifications of the test plant in installationat Corumbatai---SP Hydrogen production rate Cell voltage Number of cells Efficiency Specific consumption of electricity Current density 20 Nm3h2.1 V 12 70% 5 kWhNm -3 13.0 Adm -2

Instituto de Ffsica e Quimica de S~o Carlos, USP (University of S~o Paulo), are described in two papers presented at this Conference: "A contribution to the study of the H.E.R. on tungsten under water electrolysis conditions' (A. A. Tanaka, E. R. Gonzalez and L. A. Avaca) and 'Ni-Fe codeposits as cathodes for water electrolysis' (J. de Carvalho, G. Tremiliose Filho, L. A. Avaca and E. R. Gonzalez). Concerning hydrogen production by water electrolysis, two papers are being presented in the Poster Session of this Conference: 'Sine wave electrode tester for full size electrolyers' (D. M. Soares and O. Teschke) and ' A new model for electrolytic hydrogen bubble evolution' (M. A. T e n a n and O. Teschke), by the University of Campinas.

CONCLUSION It can be seen from the present Brazilian energy