APES Chapter 19 Flashcards
fossil fuels
highly combustable substances formed from the remains of organisms from past geologic ages
electricity
a secondary form of energy that is easier to transfer over long distance and apply to a variety of uses
aerobic
occurring in an environment where oxygen is present
anaerobic
occurring in an environment that has little or no oxygen
net energy
the difference between energy returned and energy invested
coal
a hard, blackish substance that forms from organic matter that was compressed under very high pressure to form dense, solid carbon structures
natural gas
a fossil fuel composed mostly of methane, produced as a by-product when bacteria decompose organic material under anaerobic conditions
oil/crude oil
a sludge-like liquid that forms within a window of temperature and pressure conditions below earth’s surfae
petroleum
term referring to natural gas and oil
proven recoverable reserve
the amount of given fossil fuel in a deposit that is technologically and economically possible to remove
primary extraction
the initial drilling and pumping of valuable oil
secondary extraction
solvents are used or underground rocks are flushed with water or steam to remove remaining oil
refining
when hydrocarbon molecules are separated into different classes and are chemically transformed for different uses
reserves-to-production ratio (R/P ratio)
how long the remaining oil will last (dividing the total remaining reserves by annual rates of production
“peak oil”
when the rate of production comes to a peak, and begins to decline
oil/tar sands
deposits of moist sand and clay containing a thick, heavy form of petroleum
methane hydrate
ice-like solid consisting of molecules of methane embedded in a crystal lattice of water molecules
clean coal technologies
a wide array of techniques, equipment, and approaches that aim to remove chemical contaminants during the process of generating electricity from coal
carbon capture
technologies/approaches that from CO2 from power plants or other emissions
carbon storage/sequetation
technologies/approaches to sequester/store CO2 from industrial emissions (example: underground)
acid drainage
a process in which sulfide minerals in newly exposed rock surfaces react with oxygen and rain water to produce sulfuric acid, which causes chemical runoff as it leaches metals from the rocks
energy efficiency
the ability to obtain a given result or amount of output while using less energy input
energy conservation
the practice of reducing energy use
cogeneration
when excess heat produced during the generation of electricity is captured and used to heat nearby workplaces and homes and to produce other kinds of power
