Chapter 19 - Fossil Fuels, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation Flashcards
oil sands (tar sands)
deposits that can be mined from the ground, consisting of moist sand and clay containing 1-20% bitumen. Oil sands represent crude oil deposits that have been degraded and chemically altered by water erosion and bacteria decomposition widely envisioned as a replacement for crude oil as this resource is depleted
oil shale
sedimentary rock filled with kerogen that can be processed to produce liquid petroleum. oil shale is formed by the same processes that form crude oil but occur when kerogen was not buried deep enough or subjected to enough pressure and heat to form oil
electricity
a secondary form of energy that can be transferred over ling distances and applied for a variety of uses
net energy
the quantitative difference between energy returned from a process and energy invested in the process. Positive energy values means that a process produces more energy than is investedd
EROI (energy returned or invested)
the ratio determined by dividing the quantity of energy returned from a process by the quantity of energy invested in the process . Higher EROI ratios means that more energy is produced from each unit of energy invested
aerobic
occurring in an environment where oxygen is present. for example, the decay of a rotting log proceeds by aerobic decomposition
coal
our most abundant fossil fuel. A hard blackish substance formed from organic matter (generally woody plant material) that was compressed under very high pressure and with little decomposition, creating dense, solid carbon structures
crude oil (petroleum) (oil)
a fossil fuel produced by the conversion of organic compounds by heat and pressure. Crude oil is a mixture of hundreds of different types of hydrocarbon molecules characterized by carbon chains of different lengths
natural gas
a fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane (CH4) and including varying amounts of other volatile hydrocarbons
shale oil
a liquid form of petroleum extracted from deposits of oil shale
methane hydrate
an ice-like solid consisting of molecules of methane embedded in a crystal lattice of water molecules. most is found in sediments on the continental shelves and in the Arctic. Methane hydrate is a potential alternative fossil fuel
refining
process of separating the molecules of the various hydrocarbons in crude oil into different size classes and transforming them into various fuels and other petrochemical products
proven recoverable reserve
the amount of a given fossil fuel in a deposit technologically and economically feasible to remove under current conditions
reserve-to-production ratio (R/p ratio)
the total remaining reserves of a fossil fuel divided by the annual rate of production (extraction and processing)
peak oil
term used to describe the point of maximum production of petroleum in the world (or a given nation) after which oil production declines. this is also expected to be roughly the midway point of extraction of the world’s oil supplies
Hubbert’s peak
the peak in production of crude oil in the U.S., which occurred in 1970 just as shell oil geologist M, King Hubbert had predicted in 1956
primary extraction
the initial drilling and pumping of the most easily accessible crude oil
secondary extraction
the extraction of crude oil remaining after primary extraction by using solvents or by flushing underground rocks with water of steam
hydraulic fracturing (hydrofracking) (fracking)
a process to extract shale gas, in which a drill is sent deep underground and angled horizontally into a shale formation; water, sand, and chemicals are pumped in under great pressure, fracturing the rack; and gas migrates up through the drilling pipe and sand holds the fractures open
clean coal technologies
a wide array of techniques, equipment, and approaches that seek to remove chemical contaminants (such as sulfur) during the process of generating electricity from coal
carbon capture
technologies, or approaches that remove carbon dioxide from power plants or other emissions. in an effort to mitigate global climate change
carbon storage (sequestration)
technologies or approaches to sequestration, or storage, carbon dioxide from industrial emissions (underground where it will not seep out, in an effort to mitigate global climate change. we are a ling way from developing adequate technology for this
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. acid drainage is a materail phenomenon, but mining greatly accelerates it by expanding many new surfaces
directional drilling
a drilling technique in which a drill bares down vertically and then bends horizontally in order to follow layered deposits for long distance from the drilling site. this enables us to extract more fossil fuels with less environmental impacts at the surface
eminent domain
a policy in which a government pays landscapes for their land at market rates and the land owners have no recourse to refuse. in eminent domain, courts set aside private property rights to make way for projects judged to be good for the public
energy efficiency
the ability to obtain a given result or amount of output while using less energy input. technology permitting greater energy efficiency are one main route to energy conservation
energy conservation
the process of reducing energy use as a way of extending the life time of our fossil fuels supply, of being less wasteful, and of reducing our impact on environment. conservation can result from behavioral decisions or from technologies that demonstrate energy efficiency
cogeneration
a practice in which the extra heal generated in the production of electricity is captured and put to use heating workplace and homes, as well as producing other kinds of power
rebound effect
the phenomenon in which gains in energy efficiency from better technology are partly offset when people engage in more energy consuming behavior as a result. this common psychological effect can sometimes reduce conservation and efficiency efforts substantially
