ENERGY ESci115a Chemistry for Engineers

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering energy definitions, renewable and non-renewable sources, crude oil processing, and chemical/nuclear energy concepts.

Energy

The ability to do work.

Joule ($J$)

The SI unit of energy.

Kinetic Energy ($KE$)

Energy in motion.

Potential Energy ($PE$)

Energy that is stored.

1st Law of Thermodynamics

The Law of Energy Conservation which states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed rather it can be transformed.

Renewable Energy

Energy generated from natural processes that are continuously replenished and cannot be exhausted.

Geothermal Energy

The heat that comes from the sub-surface of the earth.

Dry Steam Power Plant

The oldest form of geothermal power plant; it takes steam out of the ground and uses it to directly drive a turbine.

Flash Steam Power Plant

A geothermal plant that uses high-pressure hot water pumped into a cooler temperature flash tank to create steam for a generator.

Binary Cycle Power Plant

A plant that passes hot water from underground through a heat exchanger to heat a secondary liquid with a lower boiling point, turning it to vapor to drive a turbine.

Solar Power

Energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy.

Photovoltaic Effect

The process through which solar panels work to convert sunlight into energy.

Wind Mill

A device that converts wind power into mechanical energy.

Wind Turbine

A device that converts wind power into electrical energy.

Hydroelectric Energy

A form of renewable energy that uses the power of moving water to generate electricity.

Tidal Energy

Energy created using the movement of tides and oceans, where the intensity of water from the rise and fall of tides acts as a form of kinetic energy.

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)

A technology for producing energy by harnessing the thermal gradients (temperature differences) between ocean surface waters and deep ocean waters.

Wave Energy

The transport and capture of energy by ocean surface waves.

Blue Energy

The energy available from the difference in the salt concentration between seawater and river water.

Non-Renewable Energy

Energy from sources that will run out or will not be replenished in many lifetimes.

Solid Fuels

Various types of solid material, such as wood, charcoal, and coal, used as fuel to produce energy and heating through combustion.

Coal

A combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock made up mostly of carbon and variable amounts of hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Coal Hierarchy (by \text{% C} content)

Peat < Lignite < Sub-bituminous < Bituminous < Anthracite (highest carbon content).

Liquid Fuels

Combustible liquid substances, such as crude oil, diesel, and gasoline, harnessed to create mechanical or kinetic energy.

Crude Oil

A naturally occurring, unrefined petroleum product composed of hydrocarbon deposits and other organic materials.

Upstream

The phase of crude oil processing involving exploration and production, including onshore and offshore drilling.

Midstream

The phase of crude oil processing involving refining and distribution.

Distillation

A refining process where crude oil is heated in a boiler and fed into a tower to separate compounds based on their different boiling points.

Fractions (Distillates)

Separated products piped off from different levels of a distillation tower.

Diesel

A petroleum fuel for big machinery demanding more torque; it is thicker in density and evaporates more slowly than gasoline.

Gasoline (Petrol)

A lighter petroleum fuel used for vehicles needing speed; it is thinner in density and evaporates easily compared to diesel.

Ignition Temperature

The lowest temperature at which a gas or vapor will spontaneously ignite without an external ignition source.

Flash Point

The lowest temperature at which a gas or vapor will ignite with an ignition source.

Fire Point

The lowest temperature at which a substance continues to burn in air after being ignited.

Smoke Point

The temperature at which a substance begins to produce a continuous, clearly visible bluish smoke.

Octane Rating

A measure of fuel stability and its ability to resist premature ignition and engine knocking.

Gaseous Fuels

Highly combustible gaseous mixtures made up commonly of hydrocarbons, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide ($CO$).

Lower Explosive Limit (LEL)

The lowest concentration of gas or vapor to ignite in air in the presence of an ignition source.

Upper Explosive Limit (UEL)

The highest concentration of gas or vapor to ignite in air in the presence of an ignition source.

Natural Gas

A naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas mixture consisting primarily of methane ($CH_4$).

Hydrogen Gas ($H_2$)

A colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, nonmetallic, highly combustible diatomic gas.

Steam-Methane Reforming

The process using high-temperature steam ($700^{\circ}C$ to $1,000^{\circ}C$) to produce hydrogen from a methane source ($CH_4 + H_2O \rightarrow CO + 3H_2$).

Electrolysis

The process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

Helium Gas ($He$)

A nonrenewable resource generated deep underground through natural radioactive decay of elements like Uranium ($U$) and Thorium ($Th$).

Alternative Fuel

Fuels derived from sources other than petroleum, including natural gas, hydrogen, propane (LPG), and ethanol.

Chemical Energy

Energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds, commonly released as heat when a reaction takes place.

Nuclear Energy

Energy released by nuclear fusion (fusing nuclei) or nuclear fission (splitting nuclei) from the nucleus of atoms.