Fossil Fuels Notes

Flashcards about Fossil Fuels

Coal Seam

Bands of coal visible within bedrock

Two major applications of coal in the US

Electricity generation and steel manufacturing

Hydrocarbons

Compounds composed mainly of carbon and hydrogen

Process of oil formation

Sediments (marine snow) build up, decomposition doesn't occur, sediments become buried, heat and pressure convert sediments to hydrocarbons

Origin of most oil and gas deposits

Shallow seas in the Mesozoic Era

Countries with the greatest deposits of oil and gas

Venezuela, Canada, Russia, and Saudi Arabia

Steps of oil extraction

Drilling, lining the borehole, and transportation by pipeline, tanker truck, or supertanker ship

Fractional distillation

Crude oil is gradually heated, then individual components are collected as they boil off; separation is based on molecule size and boiling temp.

Main applications of oil and gas

Transportation (gas, diesel, fuel oil)

When hydraulic fracturing begin to become profitable?

1997

Rock drilled during fracking

Shale

Impacts of fracking

Millions of gallons of water are used, Generates waste water containing hazardous chemicals, contaminates drinking water, Small earthquakes

Main uses of natural gas

Source of heat, generate electricity

Boiler

Where fossil fuel is burned in a coal-fired power plant

Turbine/Generator

Steam spins which rotates a magnet in a generator creating electric current

Power lines

Electricity is transported through high density power lines

Condenser

Returns steam to liquid water to be recirculated

Stack

Releases air pollution, soot, ash, and carbon dioxide from the boiler high into the atmosphere

Cooling Tower

Releases excess heat in the form of steam

Ash Ponds

Store non-combustible material present in coal and contains toxic heavy metals

Air Pollution

Greenhouse gas & other emissions per unit energy

Energy Return on Investment (EROI)

Ratio of energy harvested per unit of energy used to access the resource

Land Use

Electricity generated per cicre

Reserves-to-Production Ratio

Estimated years remaining of recourse