Energy, Climate, Environment Midterm 2

Name three fossil fuels

coal, oil, natural gas

Fossil fuels are what

Things that contain solar energy from plants a long time ago.

Coal is what?

Mostly Carbon

Oil and Gas are what?

Hydrocarbons

Burning fossil fuels produces?

Carbon dioxide and water vapor

What is the second law of thermodynamics

Every energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe.

Why don't we typically use a lot of fossil fuels?

Because it's super expensive and we have a limited reserve.

Biodiesel

renewable, biodegradable liquid fuel made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant grease.

biofuel

any fuel derived directly or indirectly from biomass (plants, algae, or animal waste).

Biogas

renewable, energy rich gas produced when organic materials break down without oxygen.

carbon neutral

having a net-zero balance of carbon dioxide emissions, where the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere is equal to the amount removed or compensated for

Ethanol

a clear, volatile, and flammable organic chemical compound with the formula CH₃CH₂OH (or C₂H₅OH)

Hydrologic Cycle

the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface, driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.

Hydropower

a renewable energy source that converts the natural energy of falling or fast-running water into electricity or mechanical power

active solar heating

uses mechanical and electrical equipment—such as pumps, fans, and solar thermal collectors—to capture, store, and distribute heat from the sun

energy payback time

the length of time an energy-generating system must operate to produce an amount of energy equal to the total energy consumed to manufacture, build, transport, maintain, and decommission it

Insolation

incoming solar radiation

parabolic concentrator

an optical or reflective device shaped like a parabola that gathers and focuses divergent light, sound, or electromagnetic waves onto a single point or focal line

passive solar heating

a building design approach that uses the structure itself to collect, store, and distribute heat from the sun without relying on mechanical or electrical devices like pumps and fans

photovoltaic cell

commonly called a solar cell—is a non-mechanical electronic device that converts sunlight (or artificial light) directly into direct current (DC) electricity using the photovoltaic effect

semiconductor

a material—most commonly silicon—that absorbs sunlight and converts it directly into electricity through a process called the photovoltaic effect

solar constant

the total amount of solar electromagnetic radiation received per unit area at the top of Earth's atmosphere

Solar Lighting

an off-grid lighting system that converts sunlight into electricity during the day, stores that energy in a rechargeable battery, and uses it to power an LED (Light-Emitting Diode) bulb at night

Solar Oven

a device that uses direct sunlight to heat, cook, or pasteurize food and drinks without using gas, electricity, or wood

solar panel

a device that converts sunlight directly into electricity using semiconductor materials via the photovoltaic effect

Solar Pond

a pool of saltwater that collects and stores solar thermal energy

air source heat pump

an all-electric heating and cooling system that moves heat between the outside air and the inside of a building rather than burning fuel

geothermal heat pump

an energy-efficient heating and cooling system that uses the stable, moderate temperature of the shallow earth to condition buildings

ground source heat pump

a high-efficiency heating and cooling system that uses the stable, constant temperature of the shallow earth instead of outdoor air to control indoor climate and heat water

Hydrothermal System

a natural network where water circulates underground or through the ocean floor, powered by geothermal heat from the Earth's interior

atomic nucleus

the small, dense central region of an atom

atomic number

the total number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom

background radiation

the constant, low-level ionizing radiation present in the natural and human-made environment

binding energy

the minimum energy required to break a system of particles apart into its individual, isolated components

Breeder reactor

a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile fuel than it consumes while producing energy

chain reactor

a self-sustaining process where neutrons released from splitting an atomic nucleus (fission) go on to trigger the fission of surrounding atomic nuclei, releasing continuous energy

control rods

regulate the rate of nuclear fission in a reactor by absorbing excess neutrons

coolant

absorbs and removes heat from the reactor core to prevent the fuel rods from overheating and to transfer that energy to electricity-generating turbines

critical mass

the minimum amount, size, or number of something needed to start or sustain a specific reaction, process, or outcome

curve of binding energy

The curve of binding energy is a graph that plots binding energy per nucleon (the average energy required to remove a proton or neutron from a nucleus) against the mass number (\(A\), the total number of protons and neutrons) of different atomic nuclei

enrichment

the process of increasing the proportion or concentration of a specific isotope within a mixture of isotopes

fissile

an atomic nucleus can undergo nuclear fission and sustain a chain reaction when it absorbs a low-energy (thermal) neutron

Fission

the splitting or breaking up of something into two or more parts.

Fusion

the process or result of combining diverse, distinct, or separate elements into a single, unified whole

fissionable

capable of undergoing nuclear fission

fission product

atomic fragments and lighter nuclei left behind when a heavy atomic nucleus

Half-life

the amount of time it takes for a substance, quantity, or concentration to decrease by half

Isotope

variants of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons in their atomic nuclei

mass number

the total number of protons and neutrons combined in the nucleus of an atom

moderator

a medium that slows down fast, high-energy neutrons (released during nuclear fission) into slow, thermal-equilibrium neutrons

Neutron

a subatomic particle with no electric charge (neutral) and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton

neutron-induced fission

happens when a heavy atomic nucleus absorbs a free neutron, becomes unstable, and splits into two lighter daughter nuclei (fission fragments) while releasing energy and additional neutrons

nuclear fuel cycle

the progression of industrial steps involved in producing, using, and managing nuclear fuel to generate electricity

Nucleon

either a proton or a neutron that makes up the atomic nucleus of an atom

Proton

a stable, positively charged subatomic particle found in the nucleus of every atom

radioactive decay

the spontaneous breakdown of an unstable atomic nucleus that loses energy by emitting radiation

Sievert (Sv)

A sievert (symbol: Sv) is the International System of Units (SI) measure of the biological effect and health risk of ionizing radiation on human tissue

acid rain

any form of precipitation (such as rain, snow, fog, hail, or even dry dust) that contains high levels of acidic components like sulfuric and nitric acid

Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act (CAA) is the comprehensive U.S. federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources to protect public health and the environment

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

NAAQS stands for National Ambient Air Quality Standards. They are legal limits on outdoor air pollutant concentrations set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the authority of the Clean Air Act

Ozone

a reactive gas made of three oxygen atoms

particulate pollution

a mixture of microscopic solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air

photochemical smog

Photochemical smog is a brownish-gray haze that forms when nitrogen oxides (\(NO_{x}\)) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react in the presence of strong sunlight

pH scale

a logarithmic measurement tool used to specify how acidic or basic (alkaline) an aqueous solution is

pollution forms

Ozone, particulate matter, lead, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxides, and nitrogen oxides.

temperature inversion

a meteorological phenomenon where a layer of warm air sits above a layer of cooler air near the Earth's surface, reversing the normal pattern where air temperature decreases with altitude

carbon tax

a government fee or levy placed on the carbon content of fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas) or on greenhouse gas emissions

combined cycle power plant

an electricity generation facility that combines two or more thermodynamic cycles—typically a gas turbine and a steam turbine—to extract the maximum possible energy from a single fuel source, usually natural gas

Fracking

a well stimulation technique used to extract oil and natural gas from deep underground rock formations, such as shale, tight sands, and coal beds

natural gas

a naturally occurring fossil fuel energy source formed from the buried remains of ancient plants and marine microorganisms

petroleum

a naturally occurring fossil fuel made of a complex liquid mixture of hydrocarbons (compounds of hydrogen and carbon) that formed from the remains of ancient marine organisms over millions of years

refine/refinery

an industrial processing plant that purifies and separates raw or mixed substances—most commonly crude oil—into distinct, usable components based on physical and thermodynamic principles such as boiling point, vapor pressure, and density

reserve

an extra, unused capacity or a known portion of a resource (such as energy, power, or fuel) set aside or kept available to handle future demands, fluctuations, or emergencies

resource

most commonly refers to energy resources—natural or physical mediums that store energy (such as kinetic, potential, thermal, or nuclear energy) which can be transformed into work or usable power

turbine

a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a moving fluid (such as water, steam, gas, or wind) and converts it into rotational mechanical work