APES #26-50 Vocab words

Tar sands

slow-flowing , viscous deposits of bitumen or asphalt, mixed with sand, water and clay

Energy carrier

An energy source such as electricity that can move and deliver energy in a convenient, usable form to end users.

Combined cycle

Uses both a steam turbine to generate electricity and a separate turbine that is powered by the exhaust gases from natural gas combustion to turn another turbine to generate electricity.

capacity

The maximum electrical output

Capacity factor

The fraction of time a power plant operates during a year

Half-life

The time it takes for half of a radioactive material to decay

cogeneration

The use of a fuel to both generate electricity and deliver heat to a building or industrial process.

fracking

A method of oil and gas extraction that uses high-pressure fluids to force open existing cracks in rocks deep underground.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

A type of organic compound air pollutants that evaporate at typical atmospheric temperatures.

turbine

A device that can be turned by water, steam, or wind to produce power such as electricity.

Electrical grid

A network of interconnected transmission lines

Energy quality

The ease with which an energy source can be used to do work.

Nuclear power

Electricity generated from the nuclear energy contained in nuclear fuel.

radioactivity

The emission of ionizing radiation or particles caused by the spontaneous disintegration of atomic nuclei.

fission

A reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts, releasing additional neutrons and energy in the form of heat.

Fuel rod

A cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor

Control rod

A cylindrical device that absorbs excess neutrons and slows or stops the fission reaction.

Radioactive decay

When a parent radioactive isotope emits alpha or beta particles or gamma rays.

Radioactive waste

Nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity.

Becquerel (Bq)

A measurement of the rate at which a sample of radioactive material decays

curie

A unit of measure for radiation

biomass

Biological material that has mass

charcoal

Woody material that has been heated in the absence of oxygen so that water and some volatile compounds are driven off.

particulates/ particulate matter/soot/ PM

Solid or liquid particles suspended in the air.

Carbon monoxide

A colorless, odorless gas that is formed during incomplete combustion of most materials.