APES UNIT 6

studied byStudied by 4 people
0.0(0)
learn
LearnA personalized and smart learning plan
exam
Practice TestTake a test on your terms and definitions
spaced repetition
Spaced RepetitionScientifically backed study method
heart puzzle
Matching GameHow quick can you match all your cards?
flashcards
FlashcardsStudy terms and definitions

1 / 54

55 Terms

1

Energy

The capacity to do work or cause physical change in a system.

New cards
2

Sun: The Primary Energy Source

  • Provides energy for most life on Earth.

  • Energy is produced through nuclear fusion in the Sun’s core.

New cards
3

🔋 Forms of Energy

1⃣ Chemical Energy – Stored in bonds between atoms.
2⃣ Electrical Energy – Results from moving electrons.
3⃣ Electromagnetic Energy – Travels in waves (e.g., light, radio).
4⃣ Mechanical Energy – Includes:

  • Potential Energy – Stored energy (e.g., a stretched rubber band).

  • Kinetic Energy – Energy in motion (e.g., a rolling ball).
    5⃣ Nuclear Energy – Stored in atomic nuclei, released by fission (splitting) or fusion (joining).
    6⃣ Thermal Energy – Due to movement of molecules; related to heat.

New cards
4

Units of Energy & Power

  • British Thermal Unit (Btu) – Heat needed to raise 1 lb of water by 1°F.

  • Btu/hr – Used in air conditioning.

  • Horsepower (HP) – Used in cars; 1 HP = 746 watts.

  • Kilowatt-hour (kWh) – Measures energy usage (used in electricity bills).

New cards
5

📜 Laws of Thermodynamics

1⃣ First Law (Conservation of Energy) – Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
2⃣ Second Law – Energy conversions are never 100% efficient; some energy is always lost as heat.
3⃣ Zeroth Law – If A = B and A = C, then B = C (basis for temperature measurement).

New cards
6

🌍 Renewable Energy

  • Energy from naturally replenished resources on a human time scale.

  • Found in wide geographical areas, unlike fossil fuels, which are concentrated in a few countries.

New cards
7

Nonrenewable Energy

  • Not sustainable because formation takes billions of years (e.g., fossil fuels).

New cards
8

Arguments for Continued Use of Fossil Fuels

1⃣ Abundant supply → Leads to low prices for consumers.
2⃣ High net-energy yield → Concentrated and efficient fuel.
3⃣ Existing infrastructure → Already in place for extraction, processing, and delivery.
4⃣ Political factors → Fossil fuel industries hold economic and political influence.
5⃣ Established technology → Technology for fossil fuel use is already widespread.

New cards
9

🔥 Fossil Fuels

Formed from past geological remains of living organisms.

New cards
10

🌲 Burning Wood Fuel

Produces CO₂, heat, steam, water vapor, and wood ash.

New cards
11

🌱 Peat

  • Partially decayed vegetation from wetlands (e.g., mosses, sedges, shrubs).

  • Forms in acidic and anaerobic conditions.

New cards
12

Coal Formation

Dead plant matter decays into peat, then heat & pressure over millions of years convert it into coal.

New cards
13

🛢 Types of Coal

1⃣ Lignite → "Brown coal," most harmful to health, mainly used for electric power generation.
2⃣ Bituminous → Primarily used as fuel in steam-electric power generation.
3⃣ Anthracite → Used for residential & commercial space heating.

New cards
14

🌿 Clean Coal Technology

Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) → Pumps & stores CO₂ underground.

New cards
15

🔥 Natural Gas

Formed from buried plants & gases exposed to intense heat & pressure.

New cards
16

🛢 Oil

Fossil fuel from decomposed organic material under high temperature & pressure for millions of years.

New cards
17

Cogeneration (CHP - Combined Heat & Power)

Generates electricity & heat simultaneously, improving efficiency.

New cards
18

🛠 Pollutant Removal Technologies

1⃣ Baghouse Filters → Fabric filters reduce particulates.
2⃣ Burning Pulverized Coal → Fine coal powder reduces emissions.
3⃣ Coal Gasification → Converts coal into "syngas" with lower emissions.
4⃣ Cyclone Separator → Uses spinning effects & gravity to remove particulates.
5⃣ Electrostatic Precipitator → Uses electric charge to remove dust & smoke.
6⃣ Fluidized-Bed CombustionMore air than normal combustion, reducing NOx, SOx & particulates.
7⃣ Scrubbers → Inject chemicals to "wash out" acidic gases.
8⃣ Sorbents → Charcoal, calcium compounds, or silicates trap gaseous pollutants.

New cards
19

📈 Law of Supply

  • As price increases, quantity supplied increases.

  • Suppliers maximize profits by increasing production.

New cards
20

📉 Law of Demand

Higher price = Lower demand (Inverse relationship).

New cards
21

🔥 Fossil Fuels Formation

  • Coal → Formed from land vegetation over millions of years.

  • Natural Gas → Formed from marine organisms, relatively cleaner than coal & oil.

  • OilLiquid fossil fuel, formed from marine organisms, trapped in rock & sediment, extracted by drilling.

New cards
22

Other Nonrenewable Fossil Fuel Resources

1⃣ Methane Hydrates (Clathrates)

  • Found in permafrost, ocean floor, & continental shelves.

2⃣ Oil Shale

  • Fine-grained rock containing kerogen, which can be converted into shale oil.

3⃣ Synfuels

  • Fuels derived from coal, natural gas, or biomass via chemical conversion.

4⃣ Tar Sands

  • Contain bitumen (semi-solid oil), extracted via strip mining or in situ methods (steam injection).

New cards
23

🔥 Combustion Reaction of Fossil Fuels

  • Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is released, contributing to global warming due to the greenhouse gas effect.

New cards
24

Steps from Fuel to Electricity

1⃣ Extract thermal energy from fuel to raise steam.
2⃣ Convert thermal energy into kinetic energy in the turbine.
3⃣ Use a rotary generator to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.

New cards
25

💧 Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)

  • Injects water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure to create & expand rock fractures.

  • Used in low-permeability rocks (e.g., sandstone, shale, coal beds).

  • Increases oil/gas flow from petroleum-bearing rocks.

New cards
26

Nuclear Fission

  • Atom splits into smaller nuclei + by-product particles.

  • Releases heat, which can be controlled for electricity.

  • Uncontrolled reactionMeltdown (severe reactor accident).

New cards
27

🔥 Nuclear Meltdown

  • Overheating in a nuclear reactor → core damage.

New cards
28

🔋 Nuclear Fuels

1⃣ U-235

  • Less than 1% of natural uranium.

  • Critical Mass: Minimum amount needed for a chain reaction.

2⃣ U-238

  • Most common uranium isotope.

  • Half-life: 4.5 billion years.

  • Decays into Pu-239 when hit by a neutron.

3⃣ Pu-239

  • Half-life: 24,000 years.

  • Produced in breeder reactors from U-238.

  • Provides 1/3 of total energy in nuclear power plants.

New cards
29

🔧 Nuclear Reactor Components

1⃣ Core

  • Holds up to 50,000 fuel rods (each packed with fuel pellets).

2⃣ Fuel

  • Enriched U-235 (concentrated uranium).

  • 1 uranium atom fission = 10 million times the energy of a coal atom combustion.

3⃣ Control Rods

  • Absorb neutrons to slow down reaction.

4⃣ Moderator

  • Slows neutrons for a sustainable chain reaction.

5⃣ Coolant

  • Removes heat → Produces steam → Generates electricity.

New cards
30

🌱 Biomass

  • Biological material from living or recently living organisms.

  • Burned to create steam → generates electricity.

  • Can be grown on marginal land (not suitable for agriculture)

New cards
31

🦠 Anaerobic Digestion

  • Microorganisms break down biodegradable material without oxygen.

  • Produces methane gas → burned for energy.

  • Benefits:
    Reduces reliance on coal & oil.
    Lowers land disturbances from coal mining.
    Reduces methane emissions from landfills (helps fight global warming).

New cards
32

Biofuel

  • Liquid fuel from living organisms.

  • Biodegradable & can be converted into:
    🚗 Biodiesel
    🚜 Bioethanol (powers vehicles).

  • Renewable & can be produced anywhere (unlike fossil fuels).

<ul><li><p><strong>Liquid fuel</strong> from living organisms.</p></li><li><p><strong>Biodegradable</strong> &amp; can be converted into:<br><span data-name="car" data-type="emoji">🚗</span> <strong>Biodiesel</strong><br><span data-name="tractor" data-type="emoji">🚜</span> <strong>Bioethanol</strong> (powers vehicles).</p></li><li><p><strong>Renewable</strong> &amp; can be produced <strong>anywhere</strong> (unlike fossil fuels).</p></li></ul><p></p>
New cards
33

Solar Energy

  • Collects & harnesses radiant energy from the sun.

  • Generates heat & electricity using:
    🔋 Photovoltaic (PV) cells
    🌡 Solar collectors
    🔥 Central solar-thermal plants

New cards
34

🏡 Passive Solar Heating

  • No mechanical devices.

  • Uses building features to absorb & release heat slowly.

  • Helps maintain temperature naturally.

New cards
35

Active Solar Heating

  • Generates more heat than passive systems.

  • Requires three components:
    1⃣ Solar collector (absorbs energy)
    2⃣ Storage system (stores heat)
    3⃣ Heat transfer system (moves heat where needed)

New cards
36

🔋 Residential Photovoltaic System

Converts sunlight → electricity using:
📌 Solar panels (absorb sunlight)
🔄 Solar inverter (DC → AC conversion)
🔋 Battery storage & backup system

<p>Converts <strong>sunlight → electricity</strong> using:<br><span data-name="pushpin" data-type="emoji">📌</span> <strong>Solar panels</strong> (absorb sunlight)<br><span data-name="arrows_counterclockwise" data-type="emoji">🔄</span> <strong>Solar inverter</strong> (DC → AC conversion)<br><span data-name="battery" data-type="emoji">🔋</span> <strong>Battery storage &amp; backup system</strong></p>
New cards
37

🌊 Hydroelectric Power

  • Dams trap water, which is released through turbines to generate electricity.

  • Hydroelectric generation accounts for:
    🔋 44% of U.S. renewable electricity
    6.5% of total electricity in the U.S.

New cards
38

🏗 Dams in the U.S.

  • ~75,000 dams.

  • Block ~600,000 miles (~1 million km) of once free-flowing rivers.

New cards
39

Advantages of Dams

Control flooding
Long life span
Low maintenance & operating costsaffordable electricity
Moderate to high net-useful energy
No polluting waste
Water storage for cities & farms

New cards
40

Disadvantages of Dams

Expensive to build
Displace people by flooding large areas
Destroy wild rivers & wildlife habitats
Prevent fish migration
Reduce agricultural land
Sedimentation buildup requires dredging

<p><span data-name="exclamation" data-type="emoji">❗</span> <strong>Expensive</strong> to build<br><span data-name="exclamation" data-type="emoji">❗</span> <strong>Displace</strong> people by flooding large areas<br><span data-name="exclamation" data-type="emoji">❗</span> <strong>Destroy</strong> wild rivers &amp; wildlife habitats<br><span data-name="exclamation" data-type="emoji">❗</span> <strong>Prevent fish migration</strong><br><span data-name="exclamation" data-type="emoji">❗</span> <strong>Reduce agricultural land</strong><br><span data-name="exclamation" data-type="emoji">❗</span> <strong>Sedimentation</strong> buildup requires <strong>dredging</strong></p>
New cards
41

🌊 Causes of Floods

🌧 Heavy rainfall & fast snowmelt
🏗 Dams, levees, or pump failures
🔥 Wildfires (reduce vegetation that absorbs rain)
🏙 Impervious surfaces (asphalt/concrete) increase runoff
🌪 Severe winds over water
🌊 Tsunamis, storm surges, & high tides

New cards
42

🔥 Geothermal Energy

  • Heat stored in underground rock and fluids.

  • Comes from magma, hot dry-rock zones, and warm-rock reservoirs.

  • Produces steam and hot water pockets underground.

  • Used to drive turbinesgenerate electricity.

<ul><li><p><strong>Heat</strong> stored in <strong>underground rock</strong> and <strong>fluids</strong>.</p></li><li><p>Comes from <strong>magma</strong>, <strong>hot dry-rock zones</strong>, and <strong>warm-rock reservoirs</strong>.</p></li><li><p>Produces <strong>steam</strong> and <strong>hot water</strong> pockets underground.</p></li><li><p>Used to <strong>drive turbines</strong> → <strong>generate electricity</strong>.</p></li></ul><p></p>
New cards
43

Hydrogen Fuel Cell

  • Operates like a battery with two electrodes.

  • Oxygen passes over one electrode, hydrogen over the other.

New cards
44

🔬 Reaction Process

  • Hydrogen reacts with a catalyst → forms electrons (-) and hydrogen ions (H⁺).

  • Electrons flow out → used as electrical energy.

  • Hydrogen ions move through a membrane.

  • H⁺ combines with oxygen and electrons → produces water (H₂O).

  • Unlike batteries, fuel cells never run out!

<ul><li><p><strong>Hydrogen</strong> reacts with a <strong>catalyst</strong> → forms <strong>electrons (-)</strong> and <strong>hydrogen ions (H⁺)</strong>.</p></li><li><p><strong>Electrons</strong> flow out → used as <strong>electrical energy</strong>.</p></li><li><p><strong>Hydrogen ions</strong> move through a <strong>membrane</strong>.</p></li><li><p><strong>H⁺ combines with oxygen and electrons</strong> → produces <strong>water</strong> (H₂O).</p></li><li><p>Unlike <strong>batteries</strong>, <strong>fuel cells never run out</strong>!</p></li></ul><p></p>
New cards
45

🌬 Wind Turbines

  • Convert wind into electricity (opposite of a fan).

  • Wind turns blades → powers generators to produce electricity.

New cards
46

Wind Farms

Clusters of wind turbines generating large amounts of power.

New cards
47

🌱 Efficiency & Impact

  • Most efficient method of producing electricity.

  • 1 megawatt of wind energy offsets ~2,600 tons of CO₂.

New cards
48

🏡 Wind Energy in the U.S.

  • 6% of electricity demand comes from wind energy.

  • Current wind capacity powers ~20 million homes.

New cards
49

🌊 Offshore Wind Energy

Major opportunity to power coastal cities.

New cards
50

🌍 Global Wind Energy

  • Largest turbines can power 600 U.S. homes.

  • China has the largest installed wind energy capacity, followed by the U.S..

  • 25% increase in wind turbine use in the last decade, yet wind still provides only a small percentage of global energy.

New cards
51

🏠 Home Insulation & Sealing

  • Add insulation & seal air leaks to reduce energy waste.

  • Improving attic insulation can save 10%+ on annual energy bills.

New cards
52

🌡 Programmable Thermostats

  • Adjusts heating & cooling automatically for efficiency.

  • Can save up to 15% on heating & cooling costs.

New cards
53

💡 Efficient LED Lighting

  • Consumes less energy than incandescent bulbs.

  • Contains no mercury → safe for household disposal.

New cards
54

🔌 Phantom Loads

  • Energy consumed by electronics when turned off.

  • 75% of home electronics' energy use comes from phantom loads.

  • Unplug devices or use smart power strips to reduce waste.

New cards
55

Energy-Efficient Appliances

Use less electricity, reducing energy consumption & costs.

New cards

Explore top notes

note Note
studied byStudied by 64 people
213 days ago
4.7(3)
note Note
studied byStudied by 26 people
891 days ago
5.0(1)
note Note
studied byStudied by 25 people
514 days ago
5.0(1)
note Note
studied byStudied by 4 people
688 days ago
5.0(1)
note Note
studied byStudied by 16 people
903 days ago
5.0(1)
note Note
studied byStudied by 10 people
760 days ago
5.0(1)
note Note
studied byStudied by 67 people
701 days ago
5.0(4)
note Note
studied byStudied by 44 people
758 days ago
5.0(3)

Explore top flashcards

flashcards Flashcard (92)
studied byStudied by 11 people
841 days ago
4.0(1)
flashcards Flashcard (116)
studied byStudied by 10 people
800 days ago
5.0(1)
flashcards Flashcard (43)
studied byStudied by 15 people
3 days ago
5.0(1)
flashcards Flashcard (57)
studied byStudied by 17 people
751 days ago
5.0(2)
flashcards Flashcard (40)
studied byStudied by 2 people
177 days ago
5.0(1)
flashcards Flashcard (71)
studied byStudied by 42 people
385 days ago
5.0(4)
flashcards Flashcard (82)
studied byStudied by 41 people
88 days ago
5.0(1)
flashcards Flashcard (222)
studied byStudied by 29 people
646 days ago
5.0(1)
robot