chapter 12 Flashcards
fossil fuel
fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago
non renewable energy resource
an energy resource with a finite supply
nuclear fuel
fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy
commercial energy source
an energy source that is bought and sold
subsistence energy source
an energy source gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs
energy carrier
something that can move and deliver energy in a convenient usable form to end users
turbine
a device with blades that can be turned by water wind steam or exhaust from combustion that turns a generator in an electricity plant
electrical grid
a network of interconnected transmission lines that joins power plants together and links them with end users
combined cycle
a power plant that uses both exhaust gases and steam turbines to generate electricity
capacity
in reference to an electricity generating plant the max electrical output
capacity factor
the fraction of time a power plant operates in a year
cogeneration
the use of a fuel to generate electricity and produce heat
coal
solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees ferns and other plant materials
petroleum
a fossil fuel that occurs in underground deposits composed of a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons water and sulfur
crude oil
liquid petroleum removed from the ground
oil sands
slow flowing viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand water and clay
bitumen
a degraded petroleum that forms when petroleum migrates to the surface of earth and is modified by bacteria
CTL
the process of converting solid coal to liquid fuel
energy intensity
the energy use per unit of gross domestic product
hubbert curve
bell curve representing oil use and projecting both when oil production with reach max and when the world will run out of oil
peak oil
point at which half the total known oil supply is used up
fission
neutron strikes atomic nucleus and splits it
fuel rod
cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor
control rod
device inserted between fuel rods to absorb excess neutrons and slow reaction
radioactive waste
nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity
becquerel
unit that measures the rate at which a sample of radioactive material decays
curie
unit of measure for radiation
nuclear fusion
when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heaver nuclei
