exam3 Flashcards
chapters 8 and 14
nonrenewable
an energy source with a finite supply, primarily the fossil fuels and nuclear fuels
fossil fuels
a fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago
nuclear fuel
fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy
turbine
a device with blades that can be turned by water, wind, steam, or exhaust gas from combustion that turns a generator in an electricity-producing plant
electrical grid
a network of interconnected transmission lines that joins power plants together and links them with end users of electricity
coal
solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials preserved 280 million to 360 million years ago
petroleum
a fossil fuel that occurs in underground deposits, composed of a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur
crude oil
liquid petroleum removed from the ground
natural gas
a fossil fuel that is formed from decayed organic material transformed by high temperatures and pressures over millions of years into bubbles of methane gas; highly flammableprimarily consistingof methane and ethane
fission
a nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts, releasing additional neutrons and energy in the form of heat
fuel rods
a cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor
radioactive waste
nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity
renewable
in energy management, an energy source that is either potentially renewable or nondepletable
biofuels
liquid fuels created from processed or refined biomass
carbon neutral
an activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations
net removal
the process of removing more than is replaced by growth, typically used when referring to carbon
ethanol
alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2
biodiesel
a diesel substitute produced by extracting and chemically altering oil from plants