Exam 4 Flashcards
electrical power
the amount of work done by an electric current over given time
energy carrier
transfers energy from primary energy source to point of use
cons of solar power
- not continuously available
- incineration of birds
- solar panels include cadmium, mercury, lead
LOCA
- Loss of Cooling Accident
- sudden loss of cooling water from around the reactor
- could lead to meltdown
fuel elements/rods
rods filled with enriched urainium dioxide pellets and arranged in a geometric pattern necessary for fission
condenser
converts turbine exhaust steam into water
conservation reserve
an imaginary source of energy that results from policies promoting greater efficiency of energy use, resulting in a reduced energy requirement
active safety
relies on operator-controlled action, external power, electric signals, etc.
natural gas advantages
cleanest form of stored energy
meltdown
uncontrolled decay that releases enough heat energy to melt materials in the core (can also cause steam explosion)
ocean thermal-energy conversion
use the different temperatures of the surface and deep water to harness energy
radioactive wastes
- direct products of fission (high-level)
- materials in reactor converted to unstable isotopes (low-level)
Energy Policy Act of 2005
- signed by George W. Bush
- tax credit
- insurance for regulatory delays
- federal loans
- funds for Next Gen plants
oil shale
fine sedimentary rock containing a mixture of solid, waxlike hydrocarbons: kerogen
radioisotopes
- direct products of fission
- generally unstable
- become stable by ejecting subatomic particles, high-energy radiation, or both
supply-side policies
increase available fossil fuels
two ways to control fusion reaction
- laser beams
- Tokamak: magnetic field
both use more energy than they produce
enhanced recovery
injecting carbon dioxide which breaks up oil droplets and enables them to flow again
recent demand-side policies
- increasing vehicle mileage standards
- increasing energy efficiency of lighting, appliances, buildings
- encouraging industries to use combined heat and power (CHP) tech
- promoting greater use of non-fossil fuel sources
Second Law of Thermodynamics
in every energy transformation, some usable energy is lost to the system
gasohol
10% ethanol and 90% gas
enrichment
changing U238 to U235 (technically difficult, which is why some countries haven’t figured it out)
chain reaction
radioactive decay releases a neutron, which may split another element, which releases a neutron, which may split another element, etc…
Atomic Energy Commission, now Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
agency in the US Dept of Energy
sets and envorces safety standards
fission
splitting uranium-235 into two smaller atoms
balance-of-trade deficit
a deficit in money flow resulting from purchasing more from other countries than is sold to other countries
embrittlement
metal in the reactor vessel becoming brittle from neutron bombardment
corporate average fuel economy (CAFE)
fuel efficiency requirements for vehicles
solar generation of electricity
- PV cells
- tower
- updraft tower
- concentration (trough, power)
primary energy source
can be used in the form in which they are found in nature (sun, geothermal, coal, wood, nuclear)
mass number
sum of the number of neutrons and protons in the nucleus of an atom
U235
- unstable isotope of uranium
- will undergo fission easily
primary energy use categories
- transportation
- industrial processes
- commercial and residential use (heating, coooling, lighting, appliances)
- generation of electrical power
natural gas disadvantages
storage and transporation more difficult
electricity advantages and disadvantages
- advantage: clean at point of use
- disadvantage:
- dirty at point of generation
- conversion losses
- storage
- transmission
- doesn’t address transportation needs significantly
Global
- 437 reactors operating
- 69 under construction
- 13.5% world electricity
Energy Independence and Security Act
- 2007
- EI
- addressed demand-side
moderator
slows down the neutrons that produce fission so that they are traveling at the right speed to trigger another fission
integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant
coal mixed with water and oxygen, heated under pressure to produce a synthetic gas (syngas) then burned in gas turbine. CO2 waste concentrated then injected into oil wells to help production
fuel cells
devices in which hydrogen or some other fuel is chemically combined with oxygento produce electrical potential rather than burning
corrosion
chemicals in water corrode pipes, causing them to crack
oil disadvantages
- environmental impact at every step
- security
- economic threat
electrolyzer
in a solar receptor that is designed to produce fuel from water using solar energy
ethyl alcohol
- ethanol
- produced by fermentation and distillation
- usually more expensive than gas
passive safety
- engineering devices and structures that make it impossible to fail
- depends on simple gravity, resistance to high temps, etc
hurdles of solar use
- collection
- conversion
- storage
- cost
coal advantages
- cheapest
- convenient
opposition
- distrust of tech
- safety and trust issues
- high construction cost and short operational lifetimes
- mistakes too dangerous
- targets for terrorists
- disposal
oil sand
sedimentary material containing bitumen, an extremely viscous, tar-like hydrocarbon
Energy Policy Act
- intended to establish energy policy for years to come
- PA
- 2005
- recommendations from Bush administration
- increase energy supply, other initiatives
electrolysis
use of electrical energy to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, resulting in hydrogen and oxygen gas
low-level waste
- indirect products of fission (reactor materials)
- hospital and industry waste
demand-side provisions
- raising CAFE
- requiring increase in efficient lightbulbs
- ecouraging Energy Star appliences
- tax credits for energy efficient building improvements
- promoting hybrid and hydrogen fuel vehicles
- encouraging waste-energy recovery
Carter Doctrine
1980 - Carter stated that the US would use military force if necessary to ensure our access to Persian Gulf Oil
biodiesel
made from veggie oil and diesel
proved reserves
fairly accurate estimate after exploratory drilling
U238
isotope of uranium
will NOT readily undergo fission
93% of all uranium found in nature
fission products
- lighter atoms
- nuetrons
- energy
turbine
sophisticated paddle wheel
supply-side provisions
- RFS for ethanol and biodiesel
- funding for research and development
- tax credits for electricity generated by alt energy
- tax credits for investment in alt energy
fusion reactors
- hydrogen abundant
- helium inert, nonpolluting, nonradioactive gas
- now can only use d-t reaction (deutrerium, tritium which is radioactive)
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
- 2009
- supply and demand policies
- lowering dependence on foreign oil
- security
- solving climate change
First Law of Thermodynamics
energy is never created or destroyed, only converted
undiscovered resources
educated guess about where oil/natural gas may be located and how much
recent supply-side policies
- exploring and developing domestic sources
- increasing use of coal
- removing environmental and legal obstacles
- providing access to remote sources of natural gas
geothermal heat pump
a system that involves loops of buried pipes filled with antifreeze or refrigerant, circulated by a pump and air handler to move air through a building
hydrogen economy
an economy in which hydrogen is the major energy carrier
E = mc2
- Energy = mass x speed of light squared
- mass of the product is less than the mass of the starting material and the lost mass is converted to energy
secondary recovery
injecting brine or steam (up to 50%)
smart grid
self-healing, able to monitor problems in real time, react, isolate trouble areas to prevent cascading black and brown-outs
History of Nuclear Power – WWII -> present
- 1950s - research, development, promotion of plants and weapons
- 1960s - building plants
- 1975 - 53 plants, 9% of nations electricty, 170 in planning or construction
- After 1975 - no new construction (protests, no possible evaculation, poor safety records, etc)
- 2014 - 100 reactors (not projected 2000), 20% US power
tidal barage
dam with turbines built across mouth of a bay to harness tidal energy
oil advantages
- cheap
- convenient
electric generator
Coil of wire that rotates in a magnetic field, or remains stationary while magnetic field is rotated around it. Converts mechanical energy to electrical.
demand-side policies
lower the use of fuels through efficiency or alternative energy sources
biomass energy
- derived from photosynthesis
- firewood, waste, methane, ethyl alcohol, biodiesel
primary recovery
conventional pumping (up to 25%)
turbogenerator
combined turbine and generator
sources of energy that depend on the sun
- hydropower
- wind power
- biomass
- solar (obviously)
power tower
array of sun-tracking mirrors that focues sunlight onto a receiver tower, transfers heat to salt liquid, which flows to heat exchanger that drives a turbine, or to storage
fussion
fusing hydrogen into helium (occurs on the sun)
renewable fuel standard
- (RFS)
- minimum volume of renewable fuel in gas
production / recovery
extraction of materials from Earth
isotopes
forms of elements based on different numbers of neutrons (but same original number of protons and electrons)
equivalent to an energy source with the greatest potential for creating new energy supplies and the least number of environmental costs
conservation
thermal pollution
waste heat energy discharged into natural waterways
solar constant
the radiant energy from the sun reaching the top of the atmosphere at 1,366 watts per square meter
control rods
filled with neutron-absorbing material and inserted between the fuel ros to control the chain reaction by withdrawing and inserting rods as necessary
get HOT
coal disadvantages
greatest impact of all fossil fuels
geothermal energy
uses naturally heated water to drive turbogenerators
peak oil
the highest point in the curve of oil and gas production
energy
the capacity to do work (heat, light, electricity, motion, chemical bonds in compounds like fuel)
photovoltaic cell
- PV
- solar cell
- 2 thin semicoductor layers separated by junction layer of atoms exchanging electrons
