APES Energy Test

define coal

fossilized plant material (buried), most was laid down in carboniferous period

largest reserves for coal

u.s, russia, china, and india

how efficient is coal?

35%

pros of coal

1. most abundant out of the nonrenewable resources

2. easy to extract through surface mining (cost efficient & few technological demands)

3. safe to store for future needs

4. easy to transport (no pipelines or oil spills)

5. needs little refining

how many years does coal have left?

119 years

cons of coal

1. surface mining causes tailing that mess up water ways

2. dirtiest to burn (s, hg, fe, as, co2, radioactive + toxic metals)

3. residual ash (20% remains when burned)

4. mining (accidents, injuries, disease)

define oil

naturally occurring, liquid mixture of hydrocarbons called petroleum or crude oil formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms over millions of years

pros of oil

1. liquids are really convenient to use and to transport and store

2. more energy dense

3. cleaner burning than coal

4. releases 85% of co2 that coal does when it burns

cons of oil

1. refining is really complex and dangerous

2. lots of spills

3. gas flares

4. keystone (habitat destruction)

5. limited supply (u.s reserves will be depleted in 25 years)

6. co2

how many years does oil have left?

46 years

how many barrels of oil does the u.s use annually?

6 billion

petroleum

mixture of hydrocarbons, h2o, and s that occur underground

crude oil

• liquid petroleum

• natural gas can be extracted and used

• can be refined into different things (tar, asphalt, diesel, kerosene)

oil is transported through…

pipelines or tanks

oil shale tar sands

potentially double our total reserves, currently happening in Canada

primary recovery for oil

• oil rig to flush water in so oil gets pumped out

• 50% is recoverable

secondary recovery

• pour chemicals and water to force oil up

• lots of pollution occurring

factors of natural gas

• cleanest of all fossil fuels

• produces ½ as much co2 as coal

• difficult to ship and store

• 80-95% methane

• 3rd largest commercial fuel

• exists as a component of petroleum

• lighter/less dense than oil

pros of natural gas

1. fewer impurities (emits no so or particulates during combustion)

2. convenient to travel through pipelines

cons of natural gas

1. escaped natural gas is methane (25x more efficient at absorbing infrared compared to co2)

2. hydraulic fracking

what is hydraulic fracking?

putting tons of chemicals into the ground, leading to groundwater contamination or toxic chemicals being ingested

how many years does natural gas have left?

63 years

factors of nuclear fission

releases chemicals (tin), produces heat, releases neutrons

what is nuclear fission’s fuel source?

uranium235

nuclear reaction

neutron strikes & splits into multiple parts, becoming unstable

fuel rod

tubes that contain uranium pellets

how many rods make a fuel rod?

100 bundles

what has been made when you have 1000 rods?

fuel assembly

control rods

rods inserted in between fuel rods to absorb excess nutrients and prevent meltdowns

most of our power plants are…

pressurized water reactants (pwr)

in a containment chamber, the fuel assembly…

heats the water

in a containment chamber, the fan…

pumps water inside

in a containment chamber, the steam…

goes into the turbine and is then transported into household voltages

in a containment chamber, what happens if the water stops cooling and shuts off?

a meltdown occurs

meltdown

fuels rods become too hot, causing them to start melting, water boils away, radioactive activity released

fukushima, Japan (2011)

earthquake in the middle of the ocean, creating tsunami

how many years is nuclear fission operational for?

30 years

pros of nuclear fission

1. no emissions (co2, greenhouse gases, etc)

2. large scale energy production

3. predictable

cons of nuclear fission

1. nuclear accidents

2. weapon grade plutonium

3. thermal pollution

4. radioactive waste disposal

2 levels of radioactivity

high level and low level

example of high level radioactive waste

fuel rods

example of low level radioactive waste

gloves (anything used for the maintenance of the plant)

when was yucca mountain bought?

1987

how much money did we put into yucca mountains in 2020?

$11 billion

how does the U.S. now store radioactive waste?

above ground in lead line containers and then seal

how did France store radioactive waste in 1970?

by dumping into the ocean

how many tons of radioactive waste are now in the U.S?

200 million tons

define nuclear fusion

energy released when 2 smaller atomic nuclei fuse togethern

pros of nuclear fusion

how the sun gets its energy

cons of nuclear fusion

spent over $25 billion over the last 50 years

needs of nuclear fusion

magnetic confinement, inertial confinement, temp = 100,000,000 C, pressure = several billion atmospheres

define hydropower

renewable energy source that generates electricity by controlling the energy of moving water, typically through damns or turbines in rivers

who are the biggest hydroelectricity producers?

China, U.S, and Brazil

3 types of damn

run of the river systems, water impoundment, and tidal systems

define run of the river systems

water is held behind a damn and runs through a channel before returning to the river

pros of run of the river systems

• little flooding

• river flow not as disrupted

cons of run of the river systems

• smaller

• unpredictable

define water impoundment

water is stored behind a dam and the gates of the dam are opened and closed controlling the flow of water

2 big impacts of water impoundment

1. flooding of ecosystems behind dam

2. sedimentation

pros of hydropower

• efficient

• source of power

• could prevent flooding

• can be tourist attractions

• no air pollutants released during electricity generation

cons of hydropower

• wildlife issues

• ecosystem destruction

• large scale flooding due to dam failures

• evaporative losses

• herbicide contamination

• nutrient flow retardation

• human displacement

fish ladders

cement “steps” or series of pools that migratory fish can use to continue migration upstream, around or over dams

define biomass

organic matter burned to release heat, primarily for heating homes/cooking

pros of biomass

• renewable

• reduces waste

• can be used for electricity, heating, cooking, biofuels

cons of biomass

• releases pollutants

• can lead to deforestation and habitat destruction

• lower energy output than fossil fuels

biomass is any…

carbon based biologically dense fuel such as wood, manure, biodiesel, and ethanol

examples of biomass

• wood/charcoal

• dried animal waste

• dead leaves/bush

what is biomass used for?

primarily in developing world for heating homes an cooking food

biomass burning is considered…

carbon neutral

define biofuels

liquid fuels created from biomass

example of biofuel

• ethanol

• biodiesel

• corn

• sugar cane

• palm oil

what is biofuel used for?

as a replacement source for gasoline, primarily in vehicles

environmental consequences of biofuel

• soil erosion

• habitat loss

• GHG release

• H2O use

• lots of corn needed

• relative to petroleum

• can compete with human consumption of corn

define biodiesel

liquid fuels produced specifically from plant oils

define solar

solar panel semiconductors emit low electrical voltage with solar energy

passive solar energy

using absorptive structures with no moving parts to gather and hold heat to cook food in a solar oven

active solar energy

use of mechanical/electrical equipment to capture sun’s heat

solar energy generally…

pumps heat by absorbing medium through a collector, rather than passively collecting heat in a stationary object

pros of solar

• no emissions during operation

• can produce electricity during peak demand (a/c)

• economically feasible

• renewable

cons of solar

• expensive to manufacture and install

• with less solar radiation, payback can take longer

• can disrupt habitats

• manufacturing of panels require energy and H2O that can release toxic metals and chemicals

define wind

generated with wind turbines by converting mechanical energy from turbines

pros of wind

• non depletable

• no greenhouse gases

• can share land with others

• high net energy

• fastest growing

cons of wind

• interrupt new in remote places

• destroy sense of isolation

• potential bird kills

• batteries for storage are expensive and hard to recycle

• noise issues

define geothermal

natural radioactive decay of elements deep in earth’s core gives off heat, driving magma convection currents which carry heat to upper portion of mantle, close of earth’s surface

pros of geothermal

• potentially renewable, only is water is piped back into the ground for reuse

• much less co2 emission than fossil fuel electricity

• no release of (pm/ sox, not, co) as is case with fossil fuels

cons of geothermal

• not everywhere on earth has access to geothermal energy, reaching close enough to the surface access it

• hydrogen sulfide can be released, which is toxic and can be lethal to humans and animals

• cost of drilling that deep in the earth can be very high initially

define tidal

energy from the rise and fall of ocean tides with turbines to generate electricity

pros of tidal

• renewable

• large amounts of energy

cons of tidal

• possible saltwater flooding

• high tide low tide difference matters

define otec

heat from sun warmed upper ocean layers is used to evaporate a working fluid, gas pressure spins electrical turbines

pros of otec

• renewable

• low greenhouse gas emissions

cons of otec

• high initial cost

• limited regions

• specific infrastructure

define fracking

extracting natural gas and oil from underground rock formation

pros of fracking

• high energy production

cons of fracking

• groundwater contamination

• high water usage

• ecosystem destruction

what are the fossil fuels?

coal, oil, natural gas

which of the fossil fuels are better and why?

natural gas because it is the cleanest and emits less co2 and pollutants

define cogeneration

simultaneous production of both electricity and steam, or hot water, in the same plant

three mile island

• worst nuclear power plant accident in Pennsylvania

• led to major regulatory changes in nuclear industry

chernobyl

• April 26th, 1986 ukraine explosion

• widespread radioactive contamination

• land is still inhabitable today