energy And The environment Flashcards
What are fossil fuels
Fossil fuels are carbon-based fuels that are formed over million years from the decay of living matter. It goes through direct, combustion or burning in order to reduce heat and light
How is coal formed?
Coal is formed when old trees and vegetation, dies and decomposes on swampy floors. Overtime this forms, a thick layer of peat. Later, rivers of water, along with deposits of sediment, such as mud and sand, cover the layer of peat and overtime heat and pressure will compress the sediment into a sedimentary rock, and it will harden the peat into coal
How is natural gas and oil formed?
Marine creatures, die and decompose at the bottom of the sea overtime. The remains get covered by layers of sediment which overtime due to heat and pressure begin to form sandstone rocks. This heat and pressure converts the decaying matter into natural gas and crude oil, which then get separated, and rises through the sandstone filling in the pores. The oil and gas get trapped between two layers of impermeable rock.
What is an anti-Cline trap?
This is where there is an arch shaped fold in rocks. Rock layers are upwardly convex. This is the structure of the rocks
What is a porous rock?
This is a rock that has holes or pores to hold liquids and gases inside or letting liquids and gases pass through
What is an oil trap?
And oil trough is where oil and natural gas is trapped between two layers of impermeable rock and cannot pass through. The gas is always above the oil and the structure of the rocks is anti-Cline.
Why is the demand for energy increasing?
Increasing population, increasing use of industrial processes like manufacturing, transport
What is non-renewable energy
This is energy that is used faster than it can be produced. It is formed over millions of years and it is finite
Fossil fuels and nuclear power
What is renewable energy?
This is the energy that can be replenished in one’s lifetime, and it can be used over and over again as it is infinite
Geothermal power biofuels, hydroelectric power, wind, turbines, solar power, tidal power, and wave power
What are the advantages of using fossil fuels to generate electricity?
Fossil fuel extraction can provide employment. They are readily available. They are cheap sources of power. They can increase living standards. They can improve services, such as transport, and the message of extraction are well known and well practiced
What are the disadvantages of using fossil fuels to generate electricity?
It contributes to environmental pollution as it releases, greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The extraction of fossil fuels causes damage to the environment. when extracting oil oil spills may occur
How are fossil fuels used to generate electricity?
Fossil fuels are heated up in a burner to heat up water that is converted into steam, which turns the turbine in a rotary motion that allows the generator to rotate, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy in which helps rotate coils close to a magnet that generates electricity
