Unit 6 Part 1 Vocab

fossil fuel

nonrenewable energy like oil, natural gas, coal

nonrenewable energy source

fixed amount of source and cannot be replenished

nuclear fuel

fuel made by bonding or breaking uranium atoms

subsistence energy source

fuel used for personal use

turbine

a machine containing a wheel or rotor spins continuously to make energy

generator

a machine that converts energy into electricity

electrical grid

a network that transports electricity from producers to consumers

combined cycle

an assembly of heat engines that work in tandem from the same source of heat, converting it into mechanical energy

cogeneration

the use of a heat engine or power station to generate electricity and useful heat at the same time

coal

considered the dirtiest fossil fuel, there are three kinds

petroleum

refined crude oil used to create gasoline, kerosene, etc

crude oil

unrefined petroleum

oil sands

combination of clay, sand, water, and bitumen - used to get crude oil

peat

partially decomposed organic matter found in wet, acidic ecosystems

lignite

youngest form of coal, most polluting and lowest quality

bitumen/bituminous coal

middle quality, age, polluting coal

anthracite coal

oldest, cleanest, best quality coal

natural gas

decaying plant/animal remains converted from oil to gas, mostly methane and found on oil deposits

fission

the action of dividing or splitting something into two or more parts

fuel rod

a rod-shaped fuel element in a nuclear reactor

control rod

a rod of a neutron-absorbing substance used to vary the output power of a nuclear reactor

radioactive waste

any material that is either intrinsically radioactive, or has been contaminated by radioactivity, and that is deemed to have no further use

nuclear fusion

atomic nuclei with a low atomic number fuse to create a heavier nuclei

charcoal

wood burnt without air to create a form of fuel

hydrologic fracturing (fracking)

a method of extended natural gas extraction by cracking rock with pressurized water to release gas

three mile island

partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor in pennsylvania on 3/28/79

chernobyl

nuclear accident in ukraine on 4/26/86

fukushima

nuclear disaster in japan on 3/11/11