Nonrenewable Energy Study Guide – Flashcards
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Nonrenewable Resources
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-resource which the earth's crust has a limited amount of. -still being formed, but to replenish, could take millions of years
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Oil
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-dead organic material buried in marine sediment and transformed by time, heat and pressure.
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Oil
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most used source of energy in the US -100% of transportation
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OPEC
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organization of petroleum exporting countries
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Bioremediation
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covering oil spill with bacteria and bacteria consume oil -only in small amounts
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Oil Pollution Act of 1990
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required double hulled tankers
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Natural Gas
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a gas formed from fossil remains of ancient plants and animals -mainly methane -found in close proximity to oil deposits
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Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)
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-pumps high pressure water with additives into rocks in order to crack them -methane is getting into groundwater -leaking and gushing of fluid (animals drink it, then die)
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Coal
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plant material that was compressed under very high pressure to form dense, soild carbon structures
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Coal
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most abundant fossil fuel
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Coal
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supplies powerplants
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Lignite
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soft coal, brown or brown-black -moist, produces little heat -used to fuel electric power plants
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Bituminous
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-soft coal, dull to bright black -most common -produces a lot of heat -much of this coal contains sulfur which causes major environmental problems without pollution control
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Anthracite
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-hard coal, dark, brilliant black -burns most cleanly (not contaminated with sulfur)
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Surface Mining
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-coal is within 30m/100ft from surface -coal is scraped out of ground and loaded into trains or trucks -creates hill of loose rock called *spoil banks*
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Subsurface Mining
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-if coal is deeper than 100 ft -digging networks of tunnels deep underground to reach underground deposits
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Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
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-permits and inspections of active coal mining rites -companies must restore areas that have been actively surface mined -prohibits coal mining in sensitive areas (national parks, wildlife refuges) -pre-1977 mines to be slowly restored using a tax charged to coal mining companies
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Fossil Fuels
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partially decayed remnants of organisms
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300,000,000, warm, horsetails, ferns, club mosses, swamp, water, ocean floor, decaying, sediment, Heat, pressure, carbon.
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_______ yrs ago, the climate of Earth was ___ and plants grew all yr round. Plants like _____, ______, and _______ were large trees. As ancient organisms died, they fell into the _____ where they were covered by _____ or sank to the ________. The water prevented the organism from _________. Overtime these plants piled up and layers of ________ accumulated covering the plants. ~Time Passes~ _____ and _______ deep underground converted the non-decomposed organic material into _____-rich fossil fuels.
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Saudi Arabia
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most Oil deposits are found in......
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Everyday products made from petroleum
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-candy, waxes, food, cosmetics -polypropylene coat -heating oil four houses -toothbrush
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It goes up!
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WHat happens to the cost of oil when the demand is far greater than the supply?
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-use skimmers to vaccuum up oil -burn the oil -use disperants so that deep water microbes could eat it
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What did officials do in the Gulf of Mexico to help clean up spill? (3)
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-methane is getting into water -fracking fluid is leaking (dead livestock) -exploding water wells
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Environmental concerns raised due to hydraulic fracturing (3)
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less expensive, safer, more complete soil removal
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Pros of Surface Mining (3)
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-more destructive to land
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Cons of Surface Mining (1)
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-disturbs much smaller surface area -spoil often left in mine
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Pros of Subsurface Mining (2)
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-expensive -dangerous (mining accidents, black lung disease, cancer, coal mine fires)
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Cons of Subsurface Mining (2)
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CO2, Nitrogen, Sulfur Oxides, Mercury, Toxic coal ash
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What pollutants are released from the burning of coal in power plants?
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-no radioactive emissions -no widespread effects of major accident -no radioactive waste -will last several hundred more years -smaller and cheaper
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Pros of Coal-fired powerplants (5)
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-extensive disturbance on surface and underground -increase in greenhouse emissions -SO2, NO, particulate matter and other pollution are released -increase in health problems and fatalities of workers and those living around the plant -more solid waste.
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Cons of Coal-fired power plants(5)
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coal miners, transportation, power plants, coal crusher, shovel it into..., fire, steam, turbine, generator, electricity
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Sun->plants->water->pressure->coal->
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Oil
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Supplies nearly 100% of our transportation
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nuclear power, coal, oil, natural gas
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Used to make Electricity
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nuclear power
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104 power plants in the US
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Coal
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Most abundant fossil fuels in N. America
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Oil
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World's main energy source
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Coal
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Powered the steam engine during the industrial revolution
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Coal
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Over 600 power plants in the US
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Nuclear Power
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Generates 80% of France's electricity
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Natural Gas
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Composed primarily of methane
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Half Life
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the length of time needed for half the atoms of a sample to decay
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Fission
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larger atoms of certain elements are split into 2 smaller atoms of different elements
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Fusion
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2 smaller atoms are combined to make one larger atom of a different atom
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Enrichment
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the process of making more concentrated uranium to use in a reactor.
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Chain Reaction
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when the stray neutron causes other atoms to split, thus causing even more stray neutrons which cuase other atoms to split, etc. etc.
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Reactor Core
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fission occurs here
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Steam Generator
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heat produced by fission produces steam from liquid water
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Turbine
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uses steam to generate electricity
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Condenser
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cools the steam, converting it back into liquid
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Primary water circuit
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heats water using energy in fission reaction -closed system, so it cannot become steam due to increased pressure -RADIOACTIVE!!!
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Secondary water circuit
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from reactor core, very hot water circulates to steam generator, where it boils the water -converts water to steam that turns a turbine that spins a generator to produce electricity. -then steam is condensed back into liquid
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Tertiary water circuit
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provides cool water to the condenser (cools the steam) -as water in this circuit is heated, it moves to a cooling tower, where it is cooled before circulating back to the condenser.
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Nuclear Meltdown
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@ high temps (more than 1000 degrees) the metal encasing the uranium melts, releasing radiation.
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neutron
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The "bullet" that starts the U-235 fission process is what part of the atom?
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Neutrons
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Control rods provide control of the nuclear reaction by absorbing what?
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Chernobyl
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Worst nuclear disaster?
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reactor core exploded
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What happened at Chernobyl?
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no containment building
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What made Chernobyl so devastating?
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radiation targets cells that reproduce quickly (stomach, skin, etc.) hence the reason vomit, nausea, etc. Eventually cancer
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What are the effects of exposure to radioactive material?
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-less disturbance from mining -no greenhouse gas emissions -no air pollutant -fewer health probs among workers -no hazard to people living in immediate area -less solid waste generated -uncertain supplies left
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Pros of Nuclear power plants (7)
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-possibility of major radioactive emissions during a meltdown -if meltdown occurs catastrophic widespread effects -has radioactive waste -expensive
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Cons of Nuclear power plants (4)
