APES Chapter 15: Nonrenewable Energy

net energy yield

Total useful energy produced during the lifetime of an entire energy system minus the energy used, lost, or wasted in making useful energy available

energy return on investment (EROI)

The energy obtained per unit of energy used to obtain it

crude oil

Petroleum as it comes out of the ground and before it has been refined or processed into useful products; crude petroleum

peak production

Point in time when the pressure in an oil well drops and its rate of conventional crude oil production starts declining, usually a decade or so; for a group of wells or for a nation, the point at which all wells on average have passed peak production

refining

A process that seperates petroleum into fuels and gasoline or oil

petrochemicals

Products derived from petroleum or natural gas

proven oil reserves

Identified deposits from which conventional crude oil can be extracted profitably at current prices with current technology

OPEC

An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the production and sale of petroleum

shale oil

Slow-flowing, dark brown, heavy oil obtained when kerogen in oil shale rock is vaporized at high temperatures and then condensed

kerogen

Solid, waxy mixture of hydrocarbons found in oil shale rock

tar sands

Sedimentary rocks or sands impregnated with tar oil, asphalt, or bitumen

bitumen

A thick, sticky tar-like heavy oil

natural gas

A mixture of hydrocarbon gases that occurs with petroleum deposits

liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)

Liquefied propane and butane gases from a natural gas field

liquefied natural gas (LNG)

Natural gas converted to liquid form by cooling to a very low temperature

coal bed methane gas

An unconventional natural gas found in coal beds across the US and Canada

methane hydrate

Small bubbles or individual molecules of methane (natural gas) trapped in a crystalline matrix of frozen water

synthetic natural gas (SNG)

Gaseous fuel containing mostly methane produced from solid coal

coal gasification

Conversion of solid coal to synthetic natural gas

coal liquefaction

Conversion of solid coal to a liquid hydrocarbon fuel such as synthetic gasoline or methanol

synfuels

Synthetic gaseous and liquid fuels produced from solid coal or sources other than natural gas or crude oil

light-water reactor (LWR)

A type of nuclear reactor that operates by heating ordinary water

fuel rods

The pellets of uranium or other fissionable material that are placed in tubes, which, together with the control rods, form the core of the nuclear reactor

fuel assemblies

Groupings of fuel rods that are used to build up the nuclear fuel core of a power reactor

control rods

A neutron-absorbing rod that helps control a nuclear reaction by limiting the number of free neutrons

containment shell

A barrier with a thick, steel-reinforced, concrete wall which surrounds the reactor core

nuclear fuel cycle

Processes involved with producing nuclear power from the mining and processing of uranium to control fission, reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, decommissioning of power plants, and disposal of radioactive waste

decommission

The dismantling of an old nuclear power plant after it closes

advanced light-water reactor (ALWR)

A new type of nuclear reactor that has safety features that make meltdown, explosion, release of radioactivity nearly impossible

nuclear fusion

A nuclear reaction in which atomic nuclei of low atomic number fuse to form a heavier nucleus with the release of energy

nuclear fission

A nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy