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103 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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energy efficiency
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To accomplish a task with less energy
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Fossil Fuel
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Combustible deposit's in earth's crust composed of remnants of prehistoric organisms that existed millions of years ago.
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Coal
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Carbon based compound
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When were fossils fuels formed?
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300 million years ago in he Carboniferous Period
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Types of Fossil Fuels
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coal, oil, and natural gas
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Oil
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fossil fuel formed from aquatic dead organisms and tectonic plate movement
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Hydrocarbons
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compounds containing hydrogen and carbon including crude oil and natural gas
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Natural Gas
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Fossil fuel; combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases, primarily methane.
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Methane
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main natural gas
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Lignite
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softest type of coal, formed in wetter locations
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sub bituminous coal
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median grade of coal;
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Anthracite
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hardest coal; burns the cleanest, but is the most expensive
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Hard coal vs. Soft coal
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soft coal forms first and has lower concentrations of carbon and lower heat values
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Surface Mining
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Within 30 m of surface don via strip mining and drag lining. obtains 60% of coal. It is cleaner, safer, and less expensive.
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Strip Mining
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Trench dug and minerals are removed; a new trench is dug parallel and contents are put into old trench
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Subsurface Mining
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Extraction from deep ground deposits; 40% US coal; Leads to 2000/deaths/year and Black lung disease
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Black Lung Disease
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lungs coasted in inhaled coal sust
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Acid Mine Drainage
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polluted run-off water from metals (H2So4, PB, Ar, Ad, Se) from mines.
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Dragline
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removing the surface of land for contents
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Acid Deposition
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Acid falls from atmosphere to surface, it is mainly created from burning coal versus oil and gas
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Ways to make coal cleaner
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Scrubbers and desulfurization
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Resource Recovery
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Process of removing any material from polluted emissions and selling it
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Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
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Required nations 3 dirtiest plants to cut Sulfur dioxide emissions; led to resource recovery and scrubbers
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Fluidized Bed Combustion
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combustion technology used in power plants
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Petroleum
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Crude oil
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Crude Oil
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a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons
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Petrochemicals
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an oil, used to make fertilizers, paints, and pesticides
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Liquefied Petroleum Gas
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Natural gas stored in pressurized tanks
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Cogeneration
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Natural gas used to produce electricity and steam
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Structural Traps
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underground geological structures that tend to trop any oil or natural gas if presents
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salt domes
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when salt rises because it is less dense then surroundings creating a dome; acts as a structural trap
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strata
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layers of sedimentary rock that move due to the tectonic plates and often act as structural traps fir gas and natural oil
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Coal bed methane
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form of natural gas extracted from coal beds.
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Oil Pollution Act (1990)
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established liability for damages caused by oil spills; established after the Exxon Mobil spill (largest in the US0
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Continental shelves
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continents; where most hydrocarbon compounds are extracted
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Synfuels
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Liquid/gas fuels derived from solid fossil fuels; tar/oil sands, oil shales, and gas/methane hydrates
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Tar/Oil Sands
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sedimentary rock or sands with tar, asphalt, oil, or bitumen.
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Oil Shale
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sedimentary rocks with organic matter, releases high amount of hydrocarbons locked in shale when heated
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Gas/Methane Hydrates
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Ice with gas bubbles found in the arctic tundra and Russia
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Coal liquefaction
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converting coal into a liquid fuel
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Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977)
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Prohibits mining in sensitive areas, required permits and inspections of coal mining operation, taxes go to restoration of pre-1977 areas damaged.
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Nuclear Energy
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Energy created from the chane in the nuclei of atoms
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Fission
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Obtaining energy from reducing a large atom to smaller atoms
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Fusion
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Creating a larger atom from smaller atoms
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Atomic Mass
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mass of neutrons and protons within an atom
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Isotopes
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Given elements that differ in mass; though they are the same element
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Atomic Number
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proton number
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Radioactive Decay
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emision of energy particles from an unstable atomic nuclei
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Nuclear Fuel Cycle
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process of obtaining, using, and disposing of uranium fuel
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enrichment
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refining uranium core to increase concentration of fissionable Uranium - 235
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Which type of Uranium is most commonly used?
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U-238
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What type of Uranium is fissionable?
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U-235
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Radioisotopes
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unstable isotopes that emit radon
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Types of radiation released
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alpha, beta minus, beta plus, and gamma
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Effects of Radioisotopes
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emit radiation that effects other materials and enters normal pathways of mineral cycling and ecological food chains
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Nuclear Reactor
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device that initiates and maintains fission chain reaction that supplies electricity
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What happens in the reactor core of a nuclear power plant?
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pellets are placed in fuel rods in fuel assemblies. Th control rod releases the neutron that starts the chain reaction and can also absorb neutrons
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Light Water Nuclear Reactor
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85% World's energy; 20-30% efficient
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Burner Reactor
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consume more fissionable material than they produce; some neutrons react to form plutonium, but in smaller amounts than the original uranium
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Fusion Reactor
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2 H isotopes form Helium, must be at 100 million degrees C, have dense fuel, and contain plasma --> only hypothetical
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Breeder Nuclear Fission
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converts U-238 fuel to fissionable PU-238, uses sodium as a coolant
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Efficiency of a breeder nuclear power plant
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40-70%
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Spent fuel
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used fuel elements irradiated in a nuclear reactor
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Nuclear disasters
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3-mile and Chernobyl
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Low-level radioactive isotopes
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give off small amounts of ionizing radiation
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Proposed ways of disposal of low level radioactive wastes
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bury it, shoot it into space, bury it under antarctic sheets, dump it into subduction zones, bury it in the ocean mud deposits, or change it into less harmful isotopes
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Low Level Radioactive Policy Act (1980)
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States need to control their own waste
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High Level Radioactive wastes
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Gives off large amounts of ionizing radiation
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Vitrification
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solidifying waste into nonexplosive glass logs, it makes it easier to monitor and less dangerous
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Three ways to close/store old nuclear power plant:
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storage, entombment, decommission
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Storage
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Guard for 100 years
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Entombment
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encasing the plant
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decommission
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dismantle the plant
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Cons of Fusion
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requires a lot of heat, storage, and plasma expands
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Pebble Modular Nuclear Reactor
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Uses helium instead of steam and ceramic calls of uranium instead of fuel rods.
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Yucca Mountain
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US storage sight for high level waste
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Infrared Radiation
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invisible waves of heat energy
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radiation
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form of radiation consisting of particles
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Condenser
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condenses and recover steam that passes through turbine in a nuclear power generator
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Meltdown
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A nuclear reactor incident that results in core damage
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passive solar heating
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solar energy utilized without the help of mechanical appliances
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Active Solar energy
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utilizes mechanical appliances to harbor and use solar energy
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Solar thermal electric generation
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Sun's energy concentrated via mirrors and lenses and used to heat an oil filled pipe--> fluid then used to create electricity
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Photovoltic solar cell
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generate electricity when supplied with sun with silicon panels. The sunlight excites electron in the interior
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Fuel cell
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converts chemical energy into electricity with hydrogen and oxygen
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Biomass
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plant/animal material that combustible
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Wind energy
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use surface winds created from solar warming of air
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Hydropower
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Uses the movement of flowing or falling water
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Biogas digester
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uses energy from microbial decomposition of agricultural wastes for energy
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Schistomasis
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Disease generated from worms which are provided habitat via dams involved in hydropower production
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Ocean thermal energy conversion
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Uses the gradient change in temperature of water to produce energy;
warm surface water brings chemical to boil --> steam powers turbine --> cool ocean water cools checmical |
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Tidal Energy
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Using the high and low tide to produce energy;
dam put is bay ---> gates open for high tide and closed for low tide --> water falling back turns turbine |
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Geothermal Energy
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uses heat from the earth's core
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Areas of internal heat
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divergent and convergent plate boundaries, hydrothermal vents
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estuaries
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places where river water connects with the ocean.
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Hydrothermal reservoir
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a place that harbors hot water in the earth's crust
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Geothermal heat pumps
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Pumps/piping that takes advantage of the heat difference in the earth's surface and subsurface.
Contains circulating fluids ---> hot water leaves homes ---> cooled in earth's surace |
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Energy Conservation
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Limiting the amount of energy used
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Energy Efficiency
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using less energy to accomplish a given task
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Energy intensity
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Expenditure of energy
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Cogeneration
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energy technology that involves recycling waste heat
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Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
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US legislation that protects certain rivers from being used for dams/hydro power
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National Appliance and Energy Act (NAEA)
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Sets national appliance efficiency standards
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