Unit 8 Problem Set (Exam 2)

Global commercial energy use has increased at what approximate annual rate in recent decades?
a. 0.1–0.5%
b. 1–2%
c. 3–4%
d. 5–7%
e. 10%

B

Global commercial energy use today is approximately
a. 5 EJ
b. 50 EJ
c. 500 EJ
d. 5000 EJ
e. 50,000 EJ

C

The United States consumes roughly what percentage of global commercial energy?
a. 5%
b. 10%
c. 20%
d. 35%
e. 50%

C

Which region dominates recent global energy growth?
a. North America
b. Western Europe
c. Sub-Saharan Africa
d. China and developing Asia
e. Middle Eas

D

Post–World War II commercial energy consumption increased by a factor of
a. 2x
b. 5x
c. 10x
d. 20x
e. 50x

C

Global energy usage patterns show that developing nations
a. Are rapidly increasing energy use through industrial expansion
b. Have declining total energy demand
c. Have energy use dominated by nuclear
d. Rely exclusively on renewables
e. Consume more coal than all developed nations combined

A

The majority of current world energy comes from
a. Solar
b. Wind
c. Fossil fuels
d. Hydroelectric
e. Nuclear fusion

C

In the U.S., the two dominant energy sources are
a. Solar and Wind
b. Natural gas and solar
c. Coal and petroleum
d. Petroleum and natural gas
e. Hydroelectric and natural gas

D

Industrialized nations generally show
a. Rapid growth in energy use
b. Declining energy demand due to energy efficiency
c. Steady, slow growth
d. Energy consumption entirely from renewables
e. No change in usage over decades

C

A major factor contributing to rising global energy demand is
a. Decreasing industrial activity
b. Rapid population growth
c. Collapse of oil production
d. Decline in transportation usage
e. Decrease in electricity access

B

Coal reserves are most concentrated in
a. Middle East
b. Africa
c. South America
d. Japan
e. Six nations including U.S., Russia, China, India

E

Coal has the highest ______ of all fossil fuels.
a. Energy per gram
b. Hydrogen content
c. Octane rating
d. Combustion efficiency
e. CO emissions per joule

E

Natural gas is composed primarily of
a. Propane
b. Ethane
c. Methane
d. Benzene
e. Butane

C

A major environmental concern with natural gas is
a. High soot production
b. Large mercury emissions
c. Methane leakage during transport
d. Lead contamination
e. Uranium runoff

C

Fracking involves
a. Injecting CO into aquifers₂
b. Heating coal to form coke
c. Pressurized water/sand/chemicals to release trapped gas
d. Mining surface layers for oil shale
e. Refining crude oi

C

The Alberta oil sands primarily contain
a. Methane
b. Ethanol
c. Bitumen
d. Pure gasoline
e. LPG

C

One environmental risk of oil sands production is
a. Ozone depletion
b. Toxic tailings ponds
c. Methane hydrate formation
d. Excessive nuclear waste
e. Rapid desertification

B

Gasoline consists primarily of hydrocarbons with
a. 1–3 carbons
b. 4–6 carbons
c. 7–8 carbons
d. 12–20 carbons
e. 30+ carbons

C

Octane number measures
a. Energy content
b. Toxicity
c. Resistance to engine knocking
d. Carbon emissions
e. Viscosity

C

MTBE and ethanol are used in gasoline to
a. Reduce octane
b. Increase water solubility
c. Increase octane and reduce knocking
d. Increase sulfur content
e. Convert hydrocarbons to aromatics

C

The fastest and cheapest way to reduce emissions is
a. Increasing energy efficiency
b. Switching entirely to nuclear
c. Building more refineries
d. Expanding coal use
e. Switching to diesel vehicles

A

Energy efficiency in industry often involves
a. Burning more fossil fuels
b. Eliminating process control
c. Modernizing manufacturing
d. Increasing waste stream temperatures
e. Encouraging overproduction

C

Residential efficiency improvements include
a. Gas flaring
b. Indoor coal stoves
c. Removing insulation
d. LED lighting and insulation
e. High-pressure gas pipelines

D

Transportation energy efficiency strategies include
a. Larger engines
b. Heavier vehicles
c. Hybrid and electric vehicles
d. Burning crude oil directly
e. Removing catalytic converters

C

Public transportation improves energy efficiency by
a. Increasing emissions per person
b. Reducing total fuel use per passenger
c. Reducing engine compression
d. Generating methane
e. Lowering octane rating

B

Smart grids help improve energy efficiency by
a. Increasing fuel imports
b. Optimizing consumption patterns
c. Releasing methane
d. Encouraging peak consumption
e. Disabling renewable integration

B

Energy efficiency strategies in buildings include
a. Weak insulation
b. Inefficient incandescent bulbs
c. Leaving lights on continuously
d. Gas flaring indoors
e. Advanced HVAC systems

E

A key benefit of efficient technologies is
a. Higher sulfur emissions
b. Immediate reduction in fossil fuel use
c. Increased mercury pollution
d. Higher CO per joule₂
e. Faster gasoline evaporation

B

Energy efficiency is central to
a. Increasing coal dependency
b. Corporate sustainability strategies
c. Reducing insulation needs
d. Raising emissions
e. Expanding landfills

B

Waste heat recovery is an example of
a. Energy storage
b. Nuclear fission
c. Solar concentration
d. Coal liquefaction
e. Energy efficiency

E

Renewable energy sources include all EXCEPT
a. Solar
b. Wind
c. Hydroelectric
d. Geothermal
e. Coal

E

Hydroelectric power provides roughly what percent of renewable capacity?
a. 5%
b. 10%
c. 25%
d. 50%
e. 80%

E

A major limitation of wind energy is
a. Toxic emissions
b. Low energy density
c. Intermittency
d. Need for nuclear moderating rods
e. Excessive CO release

C

Tidal energy is limited because it
a. Produces toxic waste
b. Only works twice per day
c. Emits methane
d. Requires high-voltage lasers
e. Is nonrenewable

B

Geothermal energy is considered the least intermittent because
a. Wind drives it
b. Sunlight powers it
c. It relies on Earth’s internal heat
d. It stores CO₂
e. It uses biomass feedstock

C

A major challenge of geothermal systems is
a. Excessive UV radiation
b. H2S and CO2 release
c. High methane emissions
d. Need for high-pressure gas pipelines
e. Inability to reinject fluids

B

Solar PV efficiency is limited by
a. CO storage₂
b. Water pH
c. Nighttime and cloud cover
d. Fusion reactions
e. High sulfur conten

C

CSP systems work by
a. Using magnetic fields
b. Burning hydrogen
c. Focusing sunlight and produce thermal energy
d. Splitting uranium
e. Pressurizing methane

C

The lowest capacity factor among major renewables is
a. Wind
b. Geothermal
c. Hydropower
d. Solar
e. Tidal

D

Energy storage is needed because renewables like solar and wind are
a. Expensive
b. Intermittent
c. Uneconomical
d. Toxic
e. Radioactive

B

Pumped hydro storage works by
a. Compressing hydrogen
b. Pumping water uphill using excess electricity
c. Heating molten salt
d. Dissolving CO in water₂
e. Cooling nitrogen

B

Lithium-ion batteries are known for
a. Low energy density
b. High energy density and efficiency
c. Use in hydropower turbines
d. Requiring 300°C operation
e. Zero risk of overheating

B

Compressed air storage stores energy by
a. Pumping water from underground
b. Heating rocks
c. Condensing methane
d. Burning coal
e. Compressing air into underground caverns

E

Pumped hydro storage has an efficiency of
a. 20–30%
b. 40–50%
c. 65–85%
d. 90–95%
e. 100%

C

Lead-acid batteries have
a. High long-term cycling stability
b. High cost
c. Zero efficiency loss
d. Poor long-term cycling
e. Very low availability

D

Nuclear fission involves splitting
a. Hydrogen
b. Carbon
c. Uranium-235
d. Helium
e. Methane

C

Control rods function by absorbing
a. Electrons
b. Photons
c. Neutrons
d. Protons
e. Muons

C

The moderator in a reactor functions to
a. Increase fuel mass
b. Slow neutrons
c. Remove oxygen
d. Increase radioactivity
e. Speed up neutrons

B

Spent nuclear fuel is initially stored in
a. Open air
b. Ocean water
c. Deep cooling pools
d. Coal mines
e. Dry casks only

C

A major accident caused by operator error and core overheating occurred at
a. Fukushima
b. Three Mile Island
c. Yucca Mountain
d. Diablo Canyon
e. Chernobyl

B

The Chernobyl disaster resulted primarily from
a. Tsunami
b. Power grid failure
c. Loss of control during a test
d. Airplane crash
e. Sabotage

C

he Yucca Mountain site was chosen because of
a. High rainfall
b. Volatile geology
c. Thick forest cover
d. Dry climate and stable volcanic rock
e. Proximity to major cities

D

Fusion reactions combine
a. Heavy nuclei
b. Light nuclei of hydrogen
c. Uranium isotopes
d. Carbon and oxygen
e. Neutrons and electrons

B

A key challenge of fusion energy is
a. Excess CO emissions₂
b. Low energy output
c. Achieving and maintain plasma temperatures
d. Radioactive waste identical to fission
e. Lack of available hydrogen

C

Nuclear power provides
a. High CO emissions₂
b. Very low greenhouse gas emissions
c. No capital costs
d. Intermittent power
e. No radioactive waste

B