Energy Resources Flashcards
On Exam 2 (Apr 1)
How much energy does the United States use? What type of energy resource is most commonly used across the world?
The US uses way more energy than the average person should
Mostly rely on non-renewables, starting with oil, followed by coal and natural gas
Non-renewable resources vs Renewable resources
Non. = consumed faster than can be naturally replenished (coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear power)
Renew. = can be used at current rate without exhausting supply (geothermal, solar, wind, water, biomass)
What is coal? Is it a polymorph of diamond?
A biochemical sedimentary rock composed of plant remains (most abundant of the fossil fuels)
It is NOT a polymorph of diamond because it’s made of organic material (and is therefore NOT a mineral)
What is “clean coal”? Should we be working to use it?
There is no change in the coal or the mining process; it’s trying to take the CO2 aftermath out of the environment and storing it
We should NOT be working towards it because: storage is not easy, we don’t have the space for it all, and it’s costly
How is coal formed? In what types of environments does this occur?
Burial and compaction of plant material in freshwater or swamps, which takes 300-400 million years
Coal reserves are typically easy to identify and are found mainly in areas with water, like river basins and swamplands
How is nuclear power generated? What are the problems with it?
Nuclear fission - the splitting of an atom into daughter atoms by bombarding it with neutrons
Requires uranium (a rare and heavy element), creates radioactive waste that is hard to dispose of safely, can be expensive
NOT IN MY BACKYARD
How are heavier elements formed?
In supernovas
What is petroleum?
A naturally occurring organic material, made from marine organisms, that forms a liquid (oil), gas, or semi-solid substance
Natural Gas vs Oil
N.G. = made mainly of methane and used for heating, cooking, and electricity
Oil = liquid used for lubricants (in its raw, untreated form, it’s called crude oil)
How is crude oil separated?
By density
What are the rocks needed for the formation of petroleum?
Source rock, Reservoir Rock, and Seal (or oil trap)
Source Rock
Organic + sedimentary
Formed in anaerobic conditions because it prevents the decay of the organic material
Mainly mudstone and shale (found in lakes, deltas, and coral reefs)
Reservoir Rock
A permeable or porous sedimentary rock that holds the liquid or gas
Grains are usually large and rounded (more spaces/cracks to fill)
Seal
An impermeable sedimentary rock that stops the movement of the oil and gas, forcing it to collect
Usually fine-grained because it fills in the cracks and acts as an oil trap
How does plate tectonics cause oil and gas to form?
It results in the bending or fracturing of sedimentary layers, forming structural traps
Can occur on any plate boundary: divergent = salt domes, convergent = folds/anticlines, transform = faults
What is Hydraulic Fracking?
A method of recovering petroleum by injecting fluids into the rock
Super controversial because it takes a lot of water and infrastructure, it can cause small earthquakes, and it could contaminate groundwater
Of the fossil fuels, which one has the least greenhouse gas emissions?
Of the fossil fuels, natural gas is technically the “cleanest”, meaning it has the least greenhouse gas emissions
How do greenhouse gasses work? Why are they harmful?
They move around when hit with sunlight, which causes energy to be released
When there are a lot of molecules close together, instead of being released and leaving the system, the energy is transferred from one molecule to the next
This leads to a buildup of heat in the system, causing climate changes
How does geothermal energy work? How does it relate to plate tectonics?
Hot rocks close to the surface heat water and produce steam
Faults (cracks in the crust that heat can rise up through) are predominant locations for this, which is why it’s so common in Iceland
Tidal Energy
Generated by the flow of water on the coast (more effective when the tides are coming IN)
Ex: Bay of Fundy
Wave Energy
Causes buoys in the ocean to rise and fall, spinning turbines
Hydroelectric Energy
Generated when moving water in a stream or river flows through a dam with turbines
Solar Energy
What are some misconceptions?
Black panels absorb sunlight and use it to heat water
Misconception that it’ll “steal” the sun’s energy from plants (wtf?)
Wind Energy
Misconceptions?
Wind spins turbines to generate electricity
Misconception that it kills lots of birds (even though it kills less than cats do)
Biomass
Uses organic waste such as food scraps, lumber, manure, sewage, etc. to generate electricity
Why aren’t we striving to use more renewable energy?
Misconceptions about it hinder progress
Infrastructure can be expensive and time-consuming to set up: nuclear power plants, dams, solar farms, wind turbines, etc.
