6.5/6.6 reliance on fossil fuels and alternatives to fossil fuels Flashcards
unconventional fossil fuels
Includes tar sands, oil shale, shale gas and deepwater oil. Often found within pore spaces throughout a wide geologic formation, requiring advanced extraction technologies.
conventional fossil fuels
Traditional’ non-renewable fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal).
pipeline
A long pipe, typically underground, for conveying oil or gas over long distances. They can also be laid beneath seas/oceans.
transmission line
A structure used in electric power transmission/distribution to transmit electrical energy along large distances.
tar sands
A mixture of clay, sand, water and bitumen (heavy, viscous oil) - requires steam injection to make tar less viscous before being pumped out.
oil shale
Oil bearing rocks - can be mined directly or may be ignited to allow light oil fractions to be pumped out.
fracking
The process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the oil or gas inside. Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the oil/gas to flow out to the head of the well.
shale gas
Natural gas that is trapped in fine-grained sedimentary rocks. This is extracted via fracking (water/chemicals pumped in forces he gas out).
deepwater oil
Oil/gas found far offshore and at considerable depth. Drilling from ocean rigs required to extract resources.
shipping route
The path taken by a tanker to transport oil/liquefied gas to the area/point of consumption. Major routes include the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Malacca, and the Suez and Panama Canals.
nuclear power
Power generated by the heating of water using nuclear fuel (e.g. uranium). The steam generated turns a turbine, which then runs a generator to make electricity. This process uses fission (splitting of atoms) of uranium to generate heat. This process generated waste, which is difficult to dispose of/process. Uranium is a non-renewable energy resource.
wind power
Power is generated via a turbine which possess. The blades of the turbine are connected to a nacelle that contains gears linked to a generator. Kinetic energy from the wind drives the generator to generate electricity. A wind farm is a collection of several wind turbines, which can be located on or offshore.
solar power
The conversion of the sun’s energy using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made from layers of semi-conducting material (e.g. silicon). When light shines on the cell it creates an electric field across the layers - the stronger the sunshine, the more electricity is produced.
geothermal energy
Utilising heat generated from volcanic processes - hot surface water, or water pumped underground and heated by hot rocks generates steam and powers turbines to generate electricity.
hydroelectric power
Water stored behind a dam is allowed to pass through a turbine, which in turn generates electricity.
renewable energy
Energy that is generated using energy sources that are naturally replenished within a human timescale/lifetime. These sources can be described as infinite.
recyclable energy
The energy recovery process of utilising energy that would normally be wasted, usually by converting it into electricity or thermal energy. This includes heat recovery technology, the re-processing of nuclear waste and combined heat and power (CHP) plants.
non renewable energy
Power that is generated from finite resources (e.g. fossil fuels - coal, gas, oil, uranium).
biofuel
Energy that is derived from plant/organic material (e.g. ethanol produced from fermented sugar cane).
flex fuel engines
Combustion engine (e.g. car) designed to run on more than one type of fuel - such as petrol and ethanol fuel.
carbon neutral
Achieving net zero carbon emissions (zero carbon footprint).
food security
Having the sufficient quality and quantity (including safety) of food to meet dietary requirements.
carbon capture and storage
The process of trapping carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels or other chemical or biological process and storing it in such a way that it is unable to affect the atmosphere.
hydrogen fuel cells
An electrochemical cell (like a battery) that converts the chemical energy from a reaction between a hydrogen-containing fuel and oxygen. The only waste product from this process is water.
biomass
Organic material that comes from plants and animals, and it is a renewable source of energy.
