5.2 Distributionn of Natural Energy Resources Flashcards
how do countries calculate their proven reserves for an energy resource
geologic and engineering data
proven reserve
estimate of the amount of a resource that can be obtained from an area in an economically profitable manner
producers
countries that have natural deposits of an energy resource
if a country produces a resource what do they do with it
extracts and prepares it for sale to other countries
how many methods are there for extracting fuel and what are they
2: mining and drilling
mining
method used to extract solid fuels
solid fuel examples
coal uranium
drillling
method used to extract gaseous or liquid fuels
examples of gaseous or liquid fuels
ntural gas or crude oil
subsurface mining
the process of extracting resources from deep underground, using tunnels and shafts to reach deposits
cons of subsurface mining
dangerous for workers
cause environmental problems such as cave-ins, fires, and contamination of nearby waterways
surface mining
the process of accessing and extracting resources by removing overlying soil and rock
when is surface mining done
when resources are located near the surface
mountaintop removal
type of surface mining in which explosives are used to blast away the top of a mountain in order to access a buried resource
cons of mountaintop removal
destructive to the environment, generating large amounts of excess rock and soil which are often dumped into nearby valleys and waterways
strip mining
type of surface mining in which a long, relatively shallow strip of overlying soil and rock is removed to access the resource below
cons of strip mining
type of surface mining in which a long, relatively shallow strip of overlying soil and rock is removed to access the resource below
in-situ leaching
method where uranium is mined
in-situ leaching process
chemicals are pumped underground where they dissolve the uranium found in porous rocks. The uranium-containing liquid is then pumped back to the surface where it can be processed
vertical drilling
wells are drilled vertically deep into the ground, and then oil and gas resources are brought to the surface
fracking
Unconventional methods of oil and gas extraction include drilling horizontal wells and hydraulic fracturing
fracking techinque
injecting a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into the ground at high pressure, creating fractures in the rock from which oil and natural gas are released
cons of fracking
methane being released into the atmosphere and groundwater contamination
why are not all fossil fuels the same
bc they get heated and compressed differently
petroleum
oily substance found in reservoirs trapped in rock
crude oil
unrefoned and unprocessed oil that is taken from the earth
things that crude oil are used for
gas, synthetic cloth, plastics, etc.
coal made from
fossilzied plants
coal uses
heat electricity etc.
coal formation process
plants –> fossilzied to become peat –> pressure to become lignite –> presure to become bituminous coal –> pressure to become anthracite
lignite
soft coal
anthracite
hard coal
when burning what kind (like stage) of coal will release the most energy
anthracute (hard coal)
is coal considered a dirty or clean energy source and why
dirty bc it releases a bunch of oxides and gasses into the earth
what is the cleanest burning fossil fuel
natural gas
clean fossil fuel
fossil fuel that emits the least or no carbon dioxide
dirty fossil fuel
fossil fuels that emit alot of carbon dioxide and other gasses
common uses of natural gas
electricity, heating, and cooking
natural gas made of what
methane, ehtane, propane, and butane
natural gas characteristics
colorless + odorless
nuclear fuel made how
by burning uranium through nuclear fission
nuclear fission products
ALOT of energy and heat as a byproduct
is nuclear dirty or clean energy
clean
why is nuclear fission a clean energy
bc it only emits water vapor
downside of nuclear fission
creates dangerous radioactive waste that is hard to recycle bc its so dangerous
how do nuclear power plants work
boil water to create steam which turns a turbine to generate electicity
parts of a nuclear reactor
reactor core, containment shell, water supply, steam, and excess water vapor
how is water heated in a nuclear reactor
neutrons are shot at a a uranium-235 atom until it splits which makes alot of energy (heat) to boil water
products of nuclear fission
other atoms, nuetrons to continue cycle, heat
why is there a water supply in a nuclear reactor
to cool down the reactor if it produces too much heat
why is there a containment shell in the nuclear reactor
to prevent the uranium fromescaping if god forbid it melts down
why is radioactive waste so dangerous
it can stay in the air or ground for along time and daage dna of organisms
reprocessing
the process (VERY EXPENSIVE) of taking out unused uranium from old uranium rods and radioactive waste in order to recycle it
how is nuclear waste stored
it is buried or kept in containment thingies and nothing is rly 100% safe bc we dont know how to contain it yet
can nuclear power plants go on forveer explain
no the rods eventually get old and need to be taken out bc theyre too WAH WAH WAH CRAZY WAH
where must radioactive fuel waste be removed from a nuclea power plant
where the uranium rods are
