Energy & Environmental Terms

Question 1

Fossil Fuels

Answer 1

Energy sources from ancient plants and animals (coal, oil, natural gas)

Question 2

Conventional

Answer 2

Common, easy-to-extract energy sources

Question 3

Unconventional

Answer 3

Harder-to-extract energy sources

Question 4

Oil & Natural Gas

Answer 4

Liquid and gas fossil fuels used for energy

Question 5

Hydrocarbons

Answer 5

Molecules made of hydrogen and carbon, main components of fossil fuels

Question 6

Kerogen

Answer 6

Waxy substance in rocks that turns into oil or gas with heat

Question 7

Shale Gas

Answer 7

Natural gas trapped in shale rock

Question 8

Tight Gas

Answer 8

Natural gas in dense rock, hard to extract

Question 9

Coal (peat, bitumen, anthracite)

Answer 9

Fossil fuel in different forms: peat (soft), bitumen (soft coal), anthracite (hard coal)

Question 10

Energy Density

Answer 10

Energy stored per unit of fuel

Question 11

Power Density

Answer 11

Energy output per unit of area

Question 12

Net Energy

Answer 12

Usable energy left after production costs

Question 13

Automatic Waste

Answer 13

Waste that happens naturally in a process

Question 14

Unnecessary Waste

Answer 14

Waste that could be avoided

Question 15

Commercial Waste

Answer 15

Waste from businesses

Question 16

Subsistence Waste

Answer 16

Waste from basic living activities

Question 17

Net Energy Ratio

Answer 17

Energy gained vs. energy used to get it

Question 18

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

Answer 18

Energy is always lost as heat in transfers

Question 19

Energy Return on Investment (EROI)

Answer 19

Energy produced per unit of energy spent

Question 20

Crude Oil/Petroleum

Answer 20

Unrefined oil from the ground

Question 21

Peak Oil

Answer 21

The point when oil production reaches its highest before declining

Question 22

OPEC

Answer 22

Group of oil-producing countries controlling supply

Question 23

Coalbed Methane

Answer 23

Methane gas in coal seams

Question 24

Tight Sands

Answer 24

Natural gas in compact sandstone

Question 25

Methane Hydrates

Answer 25

Methane trapped in ice-like structures under the ocean or permafrost

Question 26

Oil Shale

Answer 26

Rock containing oil that needs heating to extract

Question 27

Tar Sands

Answer 27

Sand mixed with thick oil (bitumen)

Question 28

Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking)

Answer 28

Injecting fluid to break rocks and release oil/gas

Question 29

Flowback

Answer 29

Wastewater returning after fracking

Question 30

PADD

Answer 30

U.S. regions used to track oil and fuel distribution

Question 31

Fracking Fluids

Answer 31

Water, sand, and chemicals used in fracking

Question 32

Gasification

Answer 32

Turning solid fuel into gas

Question 33

Cogeneration

Answer 33

Producing electricity and heat from one source

Question 34

ANWR

Answer 34

Protected Arctic land with debated oil reserves

Question 35

Nuclear Energy

Answer 35

Energy from splitting atoms

Question 36

Uranium

Answer 36

Heavy metal used in nuclear fuel

Question 37

Half-life

Answer 37

Time for half of a radioactive substance to decay

Question 38

Nuclear Fission

Answer 38

Splitting atoms to release energy

Question 39

U-238

Answer 39

Most common uranium isotope, not easily used for energy

Question 40

Plutonium-239

Answer 40

Man-made nuclear fuel used in bombs and reactors

Question 41

U-235

Answer 41

Rare uranium isotope used in nuclear reactors

Question 42

Isotopes

Answer 42

Atoms of the same element with different neutrons

Question 43

Light Water Reactors (LWRs)

Answer 43

Common nuclear reactors using regular water

Question 44

Nuclear Chain Reaction

Answer 44

Continuous splitting of atoms releasing energy

Question 45

Fuel Rods

Answer 45

Metal tubes holding nuclear fuel

Question 46

Fuel Pellets

Answer 46

Small uranium cylinders inside fuel rods

Question 47

Fuel Assembly

Answer 47

Group of fuel rods in a reactor

Question 48

Nuclear Reactor & Core

Answer 48

Device where nuclear fission happens

Question 49

Containment Vessel

Answer 49

Structure preventing radiation leaks

Question 50

Spent Fuel Rods

Answer 50

Used nuclear fuel, still radioactive

Question 51

Decommission

Answer 51

Shutting down a nuclear plant

Question 52

Conventional Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Answer 52

Standard process of using and disposing of nuclear fuel

Question 53

High-Level Waste (HLW)

Answer 53

Highly radioactive nuclear waste

Question 54

Nuclear Fusion

Answer 54

Fusing atoms for energy (like the sun)

Question 55

Buffer (Mountain)

Answer 55

Mountains protect against erosion, noise, and regulate weather

Question 56

Clean Water Act (1972)

Answer 56

U.S. law regulating water pollution

Question 57

Coal Seams

Answer 57

Layers of coal in rock

Question 58

Common Good

Answer 58

Benefits shared by everyone

Question 59

Civil Disobedience

Answer 59

Breaking a law openly, peacefully, and accepting consequences

Question 60

Fill Materials

Answer 60

Materials used to refill mined areas

Question 61

Geology & Topography

Answer 61

Study of land formation and features

Question 62

Heavy Metals (Examples)

Answer 62

Toxic metals like lead, mercury, arsenic, and nickel

Question 63

Intrinsic Value

Answer 63

A resource's worth beyond market price

Question 64

Land Reclamation

Answer 64

Restoring mined land to its original state

Question 65

Mountaintop Removal Mining

Answer 65

Blasting mountains to reach coal

Question 66

Overburden

Answer 66

Rock and soil removed to access minerals

Question 67

Silica (Silicosis)

Answer 67

Dust from mining that causes lung disease

Question 67

Sludge Impoundments

Answer 67

Toxic liquid waste storage from coal washing

Question 68

Subsidy

Answer 68

Government financial aid to businesses

Question 69

Triple Bottom Line Approach

Answer 69

Weighing economic, social, and environmental effects

Question 70

Negative Externality

Answer 70

Unintended harm to others from an economic activity

Question 71

Soil Substitute

Answer 71

Man-made soil used in land reclamation