Chapter 6: Energy Resources and Consumption

Fossil fuels

________ are formed over time from deposits of once- living organisms and take thousands of years to form.

Natural gas

________ was formed from the remains of marine organisms and is relatively abundant and clean when compared to coal and oil.

Impurities

________ are removed from the syngas before it is combusted, which results in lower emissions of sulfur dioxide, particulates, and mercury.

Dams

________ destroy wildlife habitats and keep fish from migrating.

Energy

Defined as the fundamental entity of nature that is transferred between parts of a system in the production of physical change within the system and is usually regarded as the capacity for doing work

Sun

The source of energy for most of life on Earth

Chemical energy

It is stored in bonds between atoms in a molecule

Electrical energy

It results from the motion of electrons

Electromagnetic energy

This energy travels by waves

Mechanical energy

Consists of potential and kinetic energies

Potential Energy

Stored energy in any object

Kinetic energy

Energy in motion

Nuclear energy

It is stored in the nuclei of atoms, and it is released by either splitting or joining atoms

Thermal Energy

the energy an object has because of the movement of its molecules

British thermal unit (Btu)

It is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1°F

Btu/hr

A ton in many air conditioning applications

Horsepower (HP)

Used in automobile industries

Kilowatt hour (kWh)

A unit of power; a measure of energy used at a give moment

First Law of Thermodynamics

The law of conservation of energy; energy can't be created nor destroyed

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The total system work is always less than the heat supplied into the system

Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics

If a body A is in thermal equilibrium with another body B, and body A is also in thermal equilibrium with a body C, then this implies that the bodies B and C are also in equilibrium with each other

Renewable energy

Defined as energy that is collected from resources that are naturally replenished on a human time scale

Nonrenewable Energy Sources

Their use is not sustainable because their formation takes billions of years like fossil fuels

Fossil Fuels

Fuels formed from past geological remains of living organisms

Peat

It is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter, mostly wetland vegetation like mosses, sedges, and shrubs, that forms in acidic and anaerobic conditions

Coal

Formed when dead plant matter that covered much of Earths tropical land surface at one time decays into peat and is then converted into coal by the heat and pressure of deep burial over millions of years

Lignite

Often called brown coal, is the type most harmful to human health and is used almost exclusively as the primary fuel for electric power generation around the world

Bituminous

Used primarily as fuel in steam-electric power generation

Anthracite

Used primarily for residential and commercial space heating

Clean Coal

Technology that attempts to mitigate emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that arise from the burning of coal for electrical power

Carbon capture and storage (CCS)

Pumps and stores CO2 emissions underground

Natural gas

A fossil fuel formed when layers of buried plants and gases are exposed to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years

Oil

A fossil fuel produced by the decomposition of deeply buried organic material (plants) under high temperatures and pressure for millions of years

Cogeneration

Also known as combined heat and power (CHP), is an efficient technology to generate electricity and heat simultaneously at local facilities; otherwise, the heat produced from electricity generation is wasted

Baghouse filters

Fabric filters that can be used to reduce particulates

Burning pulverized coal at lower temperatures

Coal is crushed into a very fine powder and injected into a firebox

Coal gasification

A process that turns coal and other carbon-based fuels into gas known as "syngas."

Cyclone separator

A method of removing particulates through rotational (spinning) effects and gravity

Electrostatic precipitator

A filtration device that removes fine particles, like dust and smoke, from a flowing gas using an electrostatic charge

Fluidized-bed combustion

A method of burning coal in which the amount of air required for combustion far exceeds that found in conventional burners

Scrubbers

Systems that inject chemical(s) into a dirty exhaust stream to "wash out" acidic gases

Sorbents

Activated charcoal, calcium compounds, or silicates can convert gaseous pollutants in smokestacks into compounds that baghouse filters, electrostatic precipitation, or scrubbers can collect

Law of Supply

All other factors being equal, as the price of a good or service increases, the quantity of goods or services that suppliers offer will increase, and vice versa

Law of Demand

All other factors being equal, the quantity of the item purchased is inversely related to the price of the item

Methane Hydrates (Clathrates)

These are recently discovered source of methane that form at low temperature and high pressure

Oil shale

An organic-rich, fine-grained sedimentary rock containing a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds (kerogen) from which liquid hydrocarbons (shale oil) can be produced

Synfuels

Any fuel produced from coal, natural gas, or biomass through chemical conversion

Tar sands

Contain bitumen-a semi-solid form of oil that does not flow

Hydraulic fracturing

Also known as "fracking," is an oil and gas well development process that typically involves injecting water, sand, and chemicals under high pressure into a bedrock formation via a well

Nuclear Meltdown

A severe nuclear reactor accident that results in core damage from overheating

U-235

Less than 1% of all-natural uranium on Earth

Critical Mass

The minimum amount of U-235 required for a chain reaction

U-238

The most common isotope of uranium and has a half-life of 4.5 billion years

Pu-239

It has a half-life of 24,000 years and is produced in breeder reactors from U-238

Core

Contains up to 50,000 fuel rods

Fuel

Enriched (concentrated) U-235 is usually the fuel

Control rods

Move in and out of the core to absorb neutrons and slow down the reaction

Moderator

It reduces the speed of fast neutrons, thereby allowing a sustainable chain reaction

Coolant

Removes heat and produces steam to generate electricity

Biomass

It ****is biological material derived from living, or recently living, organisms that can be burned in large incinerators to create steam that is used for generating electricity

Anaerobic digestion

A collection of processes by which microorganisms break down biodegradable material, in the absence of oxygen, to produce methane gas, which is then burned to produce energy

Biofuel

A liquid fuel produced from living organisms

Solar energy

It consists of collecting and harnessing radiant energy from the sun to provide heat and/or electricity

Passive solar heating

It does not include any type of mechanical heating device and functions by incorporating building features that absorb heat and then release it slowly to maintain the temperature throughout the building

Residential photovoltaic system

It consists of solar panels to absorb and convert sunlight into electricity, a solar inverter to change the electric current from DC to AC, and a battery storage and backup system

Dams

These are built to trap water, which is then released and channeled through turbines that generate electricity

Wind turbines work very simply

instead of using electricity to make wind-like a fan-wind turbines use wind to make electricity

Wind Farms

Wind turbines clustered together

Phantom Load

Refers to the energy that an appliance or an electronic device consumes when it is not actually turned on

Cogeneration system

combustion of any fossil fuel reaction

Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Plant

Anaerobic Digester

Hydroelectric Dam

Geothermal Plant

Hydrogen Fuel Cell