Energy Resources and Consumption

Fill-in-the-blank flashcards based on lecture notes about energy resources, consumption, and related economic and environmental issues.

A __ serves as a conduit through which hydrocarbons travel from the source rock to the reservoir rock.

migration pathway

__ is defined as the connectivity between open spaces (i.e., pores) in rock.

Permeability

In coal mining regions, acid mine drainage is the result of __ .

oxidation of sulfur-bearing minerals (pyrite) in coal

The U.S. energy economy shows a direct transition from a ____ dominated economy to an ____dominated economy without intermediate steps.

coal, oil

The unit that describes the largest quantity of energy is __.

Quad (Q)

In 2023, __ percentage of U.S. energy (i.e., total energy consumption) was derived from fossil fuels.

80-89%

__ energy resources has the lowest energy density.

Wood

__ coals experience the greatest extent of burial diagenesis.

A bituminous coal that is 300 million years old with an energy density of 33 MJ/kg

__ is a unit of power.

Watts (W)

Comparably high EROI values for __ is NOT a contributing factor to economic inertia against transitioning away from a fossil fuel-dominated energy economy in the U.S..

renewable energy resources

The water concentration of __ within a watershed increases as more of the watershed is disturbed by MTM/VF operations.

selenium

Gradually decline in energy returned on investment (EROI) of __ is NOT one of the economic risks of not reducing fossil fuel consumption in regional and global energy systems.

nuclear and renewables

__ is NOT one of the regions at greatest risk.

Sub-Saharan Africa

__ has been preferentially used by developing nations to generate electricity prior to 2012.

Coal

__ is not a method for preventing explosions in underground coal mines.

Minimizing the concentration of rock dust (pulverized limestone) in the mine shafts

__ concentration can be used as a proxy for extent of coal mining in a watershed.

Sulfate (SO42 -)

For the formation of peat in a wetland system, the rate of ____ must exceed the rate of ____.

accumulation of organic material, decomposition

Particles of bottom ash are often used in cement production because they are nearly spherical, have an almost pure silica composition, and are small in size. True or False?

False

The area of the __ is not a relevant factor when estimating the power density of a coal-fired power plant

wetland that produce peat in the geologic past

If an area of land receives solar energy at a rate of 200 W/m2 and the efficiency of the solar array is 15%, the expected power density of the solar array is ___.

30 w/m^2

__ only imposes human health hazards to miners at active mine sites is NOT true regarding the effects of mountaintop mining and valley fill techniques (MTM/VF) on watersheds in West Virginia.

MTM/VF

Converting the kinetic energy (mechanical energy) of the wind to mechanical energy in a wind turbine involves a low conversion efficiency, because of the high potential for unordered states among the innumerable and independently moving air particles in wind. True or False?

True

__ can lead to acid deposition (i.e., dry acid deposition and acid rain) when coal is burned to generate electricity.

Sulfur contained in the “fixed carbon” of coal

The __ with 2% sulfur content would be preferred by the power plant operators, because it has a higher energy density. Less effort and expense would be required to reduce sulfur emissions from the power plant once the coal was burned.

bituminous coal

The overburden at an __ mine is typically used to back fill mining pits and return the landscape to its approximate original contours (i.e., original topography). The overburden at a mountain top removal mine is placed in adjacent stream valleys, resulting in a lower relief landscape.

open pit

An accurate __ estimate requires a full life cycle approach, in which one needs to evaluate all of the land used when producing and utilizing the resource.

power density

"Cooked”, wax-like organic matter that is the precursor to oil and natural gas is called .

Kerogen

The temperature and pressure conditions between 3 and 6 km depth that produce hydrocarbons are termed the _ .

Oil window

The United States derive most of its oil imports from __.

Canada

__ units would be best for describing the rate at which the thermal energy is converted to electrical energy?

Megawatt (MW)

__ best describes the meaning of economic sustainability at a national scale.

A nation that uses its resources efficiently and responsibly in such a manner that allows continued economic activity and long-term economic growth

In his TED talk entitled "Magic Washing Machine", statistician Hans Rosling argues that future population growth and economic stagnation in developing countries will greatly increase global energy consumption. True or False?

False

Tectonic stresses push buried organic material up to the surface where it exposed to diagenetic processes. These diagenetic processes transform organic material into fossil fuels. Is a false statement regarding the importance of __ processes and energy resources.

plate tectonic

Energy transitions that are perceived to __ often face significant inertia that prevent or slow large-scale evolution of energy systems.

result in riskier, unreliable energy access

Converting thermal energy to mechanical and electrical energy is an inefficient process. A large proportion of heat produced by burning a fuel is lost to the environment as waste heat. That's why the of a power plant is always higher than its .

thermal capacity, electrical capacity

The widespread adoption of __ techniques has significantly increased domestic oil production in the U.S.

hydraulic fracturing

__ prevents inward collapse of the well, uncontrolled release of fluid pressure, contamination of potable groundwater sources that were intersected by the well.

Casing and cementing an oil well