Energy Flashcards
primary energy
recovered from our planet - wind water fossil fules
Secondary energy
what we use to power our daily lives, car fuel, electricity
Rise of consumption
more people using technologies - more people, more technology
discovery how to use resources to make energy
the more economically developed a country is, the more energy it uses
what are energy transitions
switch form one source of fuel to another
driven by resource availability, ability to transform primary into secondary, new technologies, demand for energy
engines
converts one type of energy into mechanical energy
steam engine - 1776 industrial revolution James Watt
In 1890 Rudolf Deisel invented the combustion engine
gas turbine - 1930
increased the amount of work people could do
Wood
primary fuel source in Canada until the end of the 19th century
it was cheap, abundant, and available
wood famine - no wood to heat houses or cook food, people froze to death
Coal
it is a combustable carbon - based sedimentary rock
was mined in cape Breton in 1870, 21 mines
most mines were abandoned because of the development of the CPR, access to coal in the west
alberta supplied half of canada’s coal in 1947.
What was the hillcrest mining disaster?
a rockfall blocked the air vents, a spark caused an explosion. 189 men died in june 1914
Frank slide disaster
happened in 1903 - turtle mountain was mined out like a honey comb, the whole top of it slid off, destroying the town of frank.
Petroleum
in the middle of the 20th century, it was the main source of energy
it can be a solid form: Bitumen, or liquid: crude oil, which requires refining.
What was the first oil dicovery?
happened in sarnia, southern ontario in 1950
as well as leduc #1 & medicine hat
Turner Valley Oil field
also known as hell’s half acre - lit up by flames
natural gas would burn as a byproduct of fossil fules
there was no environmental regulation
Decline of coal production
happened after the discovery of leduc’s oil in 1960’s
then coal production grew again, and was shiped to china
Alberta oil sands
bitumen is made from mixing sand with hot water and chemical reagents.
they react with the bitumen, creating a froth that is separated from the sand and water.
it leaves many tailings that are toxic to the environment
Who discovered the way to make bitumen?
Karl Clark in 1925 at U of A.
What is white coal? what was the main limiting factor?
hydroelectricity - cleaner form of energy
it could only reach 35 kelometers away, until the discovery of an energy transformer which made it possible to send energy thousands of kilometres away.
