Coal and Petroleum (L23) Flashcards
the process in which coal is formed is a straightforward process of ______
pressing and gentle cooking of organic matter
where does the organic matter used to make coal come from?
land plants in a low-energy environment (like a swamp)
what slows down the further decay of the organic matter used to create coal?
an oxygen-free environment
what is peat?
a material made from the accumulation of organic matter
what type of coal is produced under diff levels of cooking?
little bit of cooking - a low-grade coal called Lignite
more cooking and pressing - Bituminous Coal (more compact black coal)
highest temp and pressure - Anthracite (high grade coal)
How was coal produced in the Paleozoic?
failed rift was produced from the Atlantic Ocean opening up and being bordered by swamps
What is Petroleum? and what is derived from?
petroleum is oil and natural gas derived from the remains of plankton
What are the oil and natural gases products of?
products of the chemical breakdown of the remains of various hydrocarbon compounds through absence of oxygen in organic rich-mud
what does this organic rich mud lithify into?
shale
What is Cracking?
the large complex molecules of oil and gas are broken down into smaller and shorter ones dominated by hydrogen and carbon due to conditions of increasing temperature with increasing depth
What is the oil window?
the temperature range in which most oil is produced between (60-120 degrees celcius)
what does wet gas refer to?
stuff that is liquid underground but a gas at the surface
What is dry gas?
more or less pure methane, gas both underground and at surface
What happens when oil and gas is unimpeded by an impermeable rock unit and why is it not good?
the oil and gas will continue to rise and emerge at the surface
not good, b/c it ends up being eaten up by microbes and oxidized
What is an Oil Trap?
a geologic environment that allows for economically significant amounts of oil and gas to accumulate underground
where are oil and gas contained in?
A reservoir
What is the key factor in oil traps forming?
it has to have a permeable reservoir unit that is overlain by an impermeable rock
Where do the fluids occur?
in all the individual pores and fractures within the reservoir rock
from bottom to top, the fluids always occur in this order:
water, overlain by oil, overlain by gas
What are stratigraphic traps?
traps whose characteristics are controlled by how the reservoir unit was deposited
What happens when the cap rock is punctured by drilling?
the oil and natural gas, under pressure, migrate from the pore spaces of the reservoir rock to the drill hole
before methods were developed to control the upward flow of oil in wells, what dangerous methods were used?
Blowouts (pressure explosions) and gushers (uncontrolled escape of oil)
What is Coke?
A spongy substance that is created from coal being heated in the absence of oxygen to remove gases
Where is coke burned in and why?
blast furnaces b/c it provides extremely high temps required for smelting process
what is an upside of using coke and what is it used in?
it burns much cleaner than coal and it doesn’t generate as much smoke as coal, so less damaging environmentally
used in the production of cement
What are some useful byproducts form processed coal?
organic substances used to make plastics, medicines, and solvents
What is the most obvious use for oil and gas is as _____
fuel
How is crude oil distilled in a distilliation tower?
- boiled to produce vapor
- vapor allowed to cool and condense at diff temps
- heaviest material is called bitumen
- Liquid fractions are collected in a broad range of temp, with each fraction used differently
what are the different purposes for the diff types of fractions?
Smallest hydrocarbon molecules are used as gases (natural gas)
intermediate size, used in liquid form as fuel (gasoline)
the largest size, used as solids (tar)
what are plastics in a chemical sense?
organic polymers, which are long chains of smaller carbon-based chains (called monomers) that have been linked together
what are the particular monomers in plastic?
a chemical unit called an “ester”
link them together and its a polyester
what are some pros to using plastic?
can be diverse in weight and durability
can be mouled into solid pieces
excellent electrical and thermal insulators
waterproof
cheap to manufacture
Why is plastic the ultimate customizable “designer” material?
b/c the properties of plastics can be readily modified through the manipulation of chemical components
what is an unforunate result of plastic manufacture?
plastic commonly used in single-use application and plastic doesn’t break down easily
serious environmental issue
