APES Unit 6 Energy

Renewable energy

resource that is restored faster than it is consumed

\#Nonrenewable energy

resource that is consumed faster than restored

\#Fossil fuels

-Combustible deposits in earth's crust, composed of the remnants (fossils) of prehistoric organisms that existed millions or years ago.
-Coal, oil (Petroleum), and natural gas are three types or fossil fuels.
-Are hydrocarbons that consist of hydrogen and carbon molecules bonded together

\#Burning of fossil fuels

1. Fuel source provides heat

2. Water functions as moderator to capture heat

3. Water heats up enough to be converted to steam

4. Steam used to rotate a steam turbine

5. Steam turbine connected to generator causes generator to spin producing electricity

6. Condensate water from the environment used to cool steam back into liquid water

\#Coal

-A black, combustible solid composed mainly of carbon, water, and trace elements found in Earth's crust; formed from ancient plants that lived millions of years ago.

\#Process of coal formation

comes from dead organisms on land(trees from the carboniferous era)

\#Subsurface mining

-The extraction or mineral and energy resources from deep underground deposits

\#Strip mining

-A method of surface mining in which trenches are dug to scrape the coal from the ground and excess soil is deposited in a parallel spoil bank (another trench)

\#Peat

from any dead organic material

\#Lignite

from any dead organic material that is older and exposed to more heat

\#Bituminous

from any dead organic material that is older and exposed to even more heat

\#Anthracite

very dark, lots or carbon

\#Natural gas

-A mixture of energy-rich gaseous hydrocarbons (primarily methane) that occurs often with oil deposits, in Earth's crust.

\#Process of natural gas formation

• main constituent of natural gas is CH4(methane)

• fastest growing fossil fuel

• no oxygen must be present

\#Hydraulic fracturing

the use of water and chemicals to release natural gas and oil trapped between soil layers

\#Oil

-A thick, yellow to black, flammable hydrocarbon mixture found in Earth's crust; formed from the remains of ancient microscopic aquatic organisms

\#Fractional distillation

separating chemical compounds by their boiling point by heating them to a temperature at which one or more fractions of the compound will vaporize

\#Oil extraction

1. Once an oil reserve is discovered oil companies perform exploratory drilling

2. Primary extraction

3. Secondary extraction

4. Crude oil is refined by fractional distillation

\#Peak oil

-Also known as "Hubbert's Peak", after the U.S. geologist who first developed the concept; it is the point at which global oil production has reached a maximum rate

\#Other uses of oil

• plastics

• cosmetics -clothes

• electronics

• kitchen appliance

• detergens

• nonstick coating on pots and pans

• tires

\#Oil sands(tar sands)

soil containing large amounts of oil

\#Oil shale

extracting the oil source rock and then melt it. not easily extracted, expensive to extract

\#Environmental impacts of fossil fuels

1. Cause pollution:

2. Drive climate change

3. Acid drainage from coal(all) mining/acid mine runoff):

4. Infrastructure of oil drilling: ecosystems/biomes are destroyed when building pipelines and machines that support drilling leakage of pipeline: point source pollution

\#Oil supply and demand

as supply goes up and demand goes down the cost goes down

\#Carbon tax

tax on companies/corporations based on how much carbon they produce

\#Ways to conserve energy

1. strengthen the laws on fuel efficiency standards on automobiles

2. incentives for reducing energy consumption or switching to renewable resources

\#How can an individual reduce their own energy consumption?

• turn off light/TV/computer/heater/AC when leaving a room

• ride a bicycle to destination

• use public transportation(mass transit)

• use energy star complaint appliances

• use LED of fluorescent(CFL) lightbulbs

• unplug appliances when not in use

\#Nuclear fission description

1. split uranium by sending in an extra neutron

2. the splitting releases energy in the form of heat

3. heat is trapped in water which converts to steam

\#Nuclear fusion

-The joining of two lightweight atomic nuclei into a single, heavier nucleus, accompanied by the release of a large amount of energy

\#Three Mile Island

• 1979 in Pennsylvania

• worst nuclear power plant incident in the U.S

• caused by a combination of mechanical failure and human error

• fuel began to melt releasing radiation into the atmosphere

• one of the reactors was forced to shutdown permanently

• created a fear of nuclear energy

\#Chernobyl

• 1986 in the Ukraine (former Soviet Union)

• worst nuclear power plant incident in the world

• caused by a combination of poor reactor design, human - - error, and turned off safety systems

• the nuclear reactor melted down and exploded sending -- tons of radioactive particles into the atmosphere

\#Dilemmas of nuclear fission power

1. high cost

2. if mishandled can be dangerous

3. radioactive waste disposal

\#Radioactive waste disposal

life span is 1,000's of years. disposal is in the ground

\#Biomass

-Plant material, including undigested fiber in animal waste, used as fuel

\#Benefits of biomass

1. can be renewable

2. can be carbon neutral

• carbon input = carbon output

3. Sources of energy are from crops

• Examples: corn, switch grass

\#Drawbacks of biomass

1. Use of fertilizers which can runoff

• refer to earlier notes

2. Irrigation of crops causes soil to wash away(erosion)

• thus they can't farm anymore

3. Requires use of fossil fuels for farming machines

• produces pollution

\#Benefits of hydroelectricity

1. no air pollution

2. no greenhouse gases

3. can be renewable

4. store freshwater with reservoir

5. recreation

\#Drawbacks of hydroelectricity

1. expensive

2. the reservoir destroys ecosystems

3. the dam restricts river flow upstream and downstream

4. kill fish as they pass through turbines

\#Solar energy

energy from the Sun. the Earth receives enough sunlight each day to power human consumption for 25 years

\#Ways of capturing solar energy

passive solar energy collection, active solar energy collection

\#Passive solar heating

-A system of putting the sun's energy to use without requiring mechanical devices to distribute the collected heat

\#Active solar heating

-A system of putting the sun's energy to use in which a series of collectors absorb the solar energy, and pumps or fans distribute the collected heat

\#Solar Thermal Electric Generation

-a means of producing electricity in which the sun's energy is concentrated by mirrors or lenses to heat a fluid filled pipe or drive a Stirling Engine

\#Photovoltaics

A method of converting sunlight to electricity using layers of materials that either readily give up or absorb electrons

\#Active solar water heating

a combination of photovoltaic cells(which produce electricity to heat water) and passive water heating

\#Benefits of solar energy

• it is renewable

• does not produce any air pollution

• no greenhouse gas emissions

• very inexpensive

• no solid, radioactive waste production

• no water pollution

\#Drawbacks of solar energy

• inefficient

• requires much space which leads to habitat destruction

• location dependent

\#Wind

• convert the kinetic energy of the wing into electrical energy

• turbines range from 40 to 100 meters in height

• the taller the better to maximize turbulence

• turbines can be set up singly or in bunches called wind farms

\#Offshore wind farms

can produce much more electrical power because the wind is about 20% greater over water than land

\#Benefits to wind energy

• it is renewable

• no air pollution

• no water pollution

• no solid, radioactive waste

• no greenhouse gas emissions

• least expensive form of energy production

\#Drawbacks to wind energy

• can require much space

• not very efficient

• location dependent

• unreliable due to winds

• not in my backyard people(NIMBY)

\#Geothermal energy

producing energy using the heat inside the Earth, from magma just underneath the surface

\#Benefits to geothermal energy

• no air pollution

• can be renewable(depends on the injection temperature of water)

• produces no solid/radioactive waste

• cheap compared to fossil fuels

• no water pollution

\#Drawbacks to geothermal energy

• does produce small amounts of greenhouse gases from within the interior of the Earth (e.g. the release of hydrogen sulfide gas)

• not very efficient

• location dependent

\#Benefits to hydrogen fuel cell energy

• renewable

• no air pollution

• produces no solid waste

• no greenhouse gases

\#Drawbacks to hydrogen fuel cell energy

• expensive

• not efficient

\#Energy Efficiency

-Using less energy to accomplish a task, as, for example with new technology

\#Energy Conservation

-Using less energy, as, for example, by reducing energy use and waste

\#zero-net-energy buildings

-Buildings that produce as much or more energy than they use

\#Cogeneration

use of fuel to generate electricity and produce heat

\#Electricity

-the flow of electrons in a wire, is a very versatile form of energy and can be generated from nearly any source

\#Generator

-A bundle of wires spins with a magnet to generate an electric current

\#Surface Mining Reclamation Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA)

-An act requiring coal companies to restore areas after mining and allows for inspections and prohibits mining on sensitive areas (National Parks, wildlife refuges, wild and scenic rivers, and sites on the national register of historic places

\#Acid mine Drainage

-Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dissolved minerals such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams

\#Mountaintop Removal

-The removal or the entire summit of a mountain to reach a coal seam, is very environmentally destructive and can change the entire land distribution for an area

\#Fluidized-bed combustion

-A clean-coal technology in which crushed coal is mixed with limestone to neutralize the acidic sulfur compounds produced during combustion.

\#Major oil spills

-Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
-Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

\#Oil Pollution Act

-establishes liability for damages to natural resources from a catastrophic oil spill, including a trust fund to pay for cleanup of companies that cannot afford to pay (oil is taxed to provide money for the trust)

\#Tidal Energy

-A form of renewable energy that relies on the ebb and flow of the tides to generate electricity

\#Radioactive Decay

-the emission of energetic particles or rays from unstable atomic nuclei; includes positively charged alpha particles, negatively charged beta particles, and high energy, electromagnetic gamma particles

\#Nuclear Fuel Cycle

-The processes involved in producing the fuel used in nuclear reacts and disposing of radioactive (Nuclear) wastes

\#Enrichment

-The process by which uranium ore is refined after mining to increase the concentration of fissionable U-235

\#Nuclear Reactor

-A device that initiates and maintains an controlled nuclear fission chain reaction to produce energy for electricity

\#Low-level radioactive wastes

-Radioactive solids, liquids, or gases that give off small amounts of ionizing radiation

\#High-level radioactive wastes

-Radioactive solids, liquids, or gases that give off large amounts or ionizing radiation

\#Yucca Mountain

-the only candidate for U.S. deep geologic storage of high-level nuclear waste

\#Fuel Assemblies

-Areas with 150 fuel rods, there are about 150-250 fuel assemblies per nuclear reactor

\#Fuel Rods

-closed tubes about 4m long containing uranium fuel pellets

\#Nuclear Waste Policy Act

-Required the first site of nuclear waste storage to be operational by 1998, but was postponed to 2012 and 2017

\#Second law of thermodynamics

When an energy transformation occurs some energy is lost as heat to the environment\#

Petroleum formation

From remains of phytoplankton that died millions of years ago. Deposits of phytoplankton are found in porous sedimentary rocks and are capped by nonporous rocks. Petroleum forms over millions of years and fills the pore spaces in the rock

\