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Environmental Science > Chapter 16 > Flashcards

Chapter 16 Flashcards

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1
Q

How much does Persian oil cost today?

A

$47.00/barrel

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2
Q

How many barrels of oil are spilled annually on average?

A

about 32 million gallons

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3
Q

How much coal does a typical power plant burn each day?

A

8,000 tons

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4
Q

How much co2 and so2 is released each day?

A

20,000 tons of co2 and 800 tons of so2

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5
Q

Fracking

A

a well is drilled with protective casing, and turned horizontally when it reaches a shale deposit. Pressurized fluids fracture the rock and sand is lodged in the cracks, holding them open for natural gas to flow in.

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6
Q

Oil shale

A

fine sedimentary rock containing a mixture of solid, waxlike hydrocarbons called kerogen.

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7
Q

oil sands

A

sedimentary material containing bitumen. Bitumen can be melted out and refined like crude oil.

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8
Q

Is oil supply limited? If so, what will be the source of our energy in the future?

A

Yes, and solar, wind, water power, hydrogen powered vehicles, bioconversion, geothermal power.

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9
Q

What is nuclear energy?

A

it comes from splitting atoms in a reactor to heat water into steam, turn a turbine and generate electricity.

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10
Q

How is electricity generated from nuclear fission?

A

a large atom of one element is split to produce two different, smaller atoms. The heat produced is used to boil water, turn a turbine, and power a generator.

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11
Q

Isotope

A

different (mass number) forms of the same element with a different amount of neutrons.

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12
Q

How many protons and neutrons does Uranium 238 have?

A

92 protons and 146 neutrons

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13
Q

How many protons and neutrons does Uranium 235 have?

A

92 protons and 143 neutrons.

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14
Q

Fuel rods

A

rods full of U235 pellets

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15
Q

Moderator

A

fluid (water) coolant that slows down neutrons, so that more reactions occur.

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16
Q

Control rods

A

control rods control the chain reaction by absorbing neutrons (more control rods slow reactions)

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17
Q

A nuclear reactor is designed to

A

sustain a continuous fission chain reaction, prevent a nuclear explosion, and consist of an array of fuel and control rods

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18
Q

Radioisotopes

A

unstable isotopes of the elements resulting from the fission process

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19
Q

radioactive emissions

A

subatomic particles, high-energy radiation, alpha, beta, and gamma rays.

20
Q

radioactive wastes

A

materials that become radioactive by absorbing neutrons from the fission process

21
Q

Is nuclear energy cleaner than using fossil fuels?

A

Nuclear power requires 30 tons of raw material, emits no co2 or acid-forming pollutants, and produces 250 tons of radioactive waste

22
Q

What happened at chernobyl?

A

An engineering experiment gone wrong. A reaction between steam and graphite produced free hydrogen and carbon oxides, combined with oxygen created an explosion

23
Q

What negative impacts are possible with nuclear energy?

A

incidents, accidents, doubt of safety, power plants may become targets of terrorist attacks, and disposal concerns.

24
Q

Briefly describe how solar power works

A

energy is absorbed by solar panels and creates electrical charges that move in response to an electrical field causing energy to flow

25
Q

Active

A

moves water or air with pumps and blowers

26
Q

Passive

A

moves water or air with natural convection currents or gravity

27
Q

Photovoltaic solar power generates electricity directly by using the sun - how does that work?

A

via electronic processes that occur naturally in certain types of material called semiconductors

28
Q

solar powered satellite

A

uses microwave transmission to beam solar power to earth. it has an unobstructed view of the sun, isn’t affected by day or night, and power is available to any location on earth

29
Q

What are artificial trees?

A

boxed shaped extractors lined with lye. lye is an absorbent of co2

30
Q

briefly describe how wind power works

A

wind turbines harness the kinetic energy of moving air. it turns a generator and creates electricity

31
Q

briefly describe how hydro power works

A

turbines and generators are used to convert the motion of water into electricity

32
Q

Impoundment

A

stores water in a reservoir. When its released, this energy is used to turn a turbine.

33
Q

Diversion

A

Channels a portion of a river through a canal or pipe into a turbine and generator.

34
Q

pumped storage hydropower

A

water is pumped back into a reservoir during periods of low energy use, then released again when needed.

35
Q

Solar thermal heating systems that move water or air with natural convection currents or gravity are:

A

Passive

36
Q

A device in which electrons flow from one layer to another through a circuit creating an electrical current is:

A

A photovoltaic cell

37
Q

feed-in tariff

A

Pays you for energy you produce at home via solar panels, and send on to the national grid.

38
Q

Passive solar energy

A

an approach in which buildings are designed to maximize absorption of sunlight and keep it cool in summer.

39
Q

Active solar energy collection

A

an approach in which technological devices are used to focus, move, or store solar energy.

40
Q

Concentrated solar power

A

generating electricity by focusing sunlight from a large area onto a smaller area.

41
Q

PV cells

A

when light strikes the metal plates in the cell, electrons are released, and are attracted by the electrostatic forces to the opposing plate. This creates an electrical current.

42
Q

Thin-film solar cells

A

a pv material compressed into a lightweight sheet that can be used in various surfaces to generate power.

43
Q

Net-metering

A

the value of the power the homeowner provides is subtracted from the homeowners utility bill.

44
Q

geothermal energy

A

the radioactive decay of elements deep in the interior of our planet generates heat that rises to the surface

45
Q

ground-source heat pumps

A

provides heating by transferring heat from the ground in winter and cooling in the summer.

46
Q

enhanced geothermal systems

A

we drill deeply into dry rock and inject cold water. The water becomes heated and is then drawn back up

47
Q

Tidal energy

A

energy harnessed by erecting a dam across the outlet of a tidal basin.

Environmental Science (11 decks)

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