Non - renewable energy Flashcards
What is non-renewable energy?
- Non renewable energy are energy sources that can’t be replenished in a timely manner and will run out. They are being used faster than they can be made.
What are fossil fuels?
- Fossil fuels are natural, finite materials formed from the remains of living organisms.
Where does coal come from?
Buried trees and plants.
Where do oil and gas come from?
Buried marine organisms and plants eg. plankton
What are the 3 fossil fuels?
Coal
Oil
Gas
What are energy resources used for?
- Transport
- Heating
- Electricity
What is oil used for?
Oil is used to make petrol/ diesel for cars.
To make plastics
What is coal used for?
Coal can be burnt on open fires to heat homes.
To make iron and steel
What is combustion?
Combustion is the burning of fuels to release energy.
Explain the energy stores and transfers involved in burning coal.
- Coal: chemical energy tranferred via heating…
- Water: Thermal energy
- Water: Kinetic energy as it moves
- Turbine: kinetic energy mechanically moves a generator
- Generator generates electricity.
What are the 4 advantages of fossil fuels?
- Reliable
- Easy to store
- High energy density
- Cheap
What are the 3 disadvantages of fossil fuels?
Non - renewable
Contribute to global warming
Can cause acid rain
What does acid rain do to the enironment?
- Lower pH of lakes: damaging equatic life.
- Lower pH of aagricultural crop: diminshing nutrients.
- Erode Limestone buildings
- Breathing difficulties/ health problems
What are methods that can reduce the environmental impact of fossil fuels?
- Reduce consumption
- Alternative fuel
- Clean emissions before released
- Carbon capture (storing carbon dioxide underground)
What are fossil fuels used for?
- Transportation
- Electricity
- Heating
What are nuclear fuels?
Nuclear fuels are a non-renewable, radioactive materials (like uranium/ plutonium) that split in nuclear reactors to release energy.
What does “finite” mean?
Finite means a limited supply of a resource.
What are “fuels”
A fuel is a source of energy.
Explain how neutrons are fired at atoms in nuclear energy
Neutrons are fired at unstable atoms.
These cause the atoms to split into smaller atoms, including neutrons.
These neutrons fire other atoms.
This is known as a chain reaction
This heats up nuclear rods, which heat up water.
What are chain reactions?
Chain reactions involve neutrons being fired at unstable nuclei to split into more neutrons that can be fired at another atom.
What are the advantages of nuclear energy?
- High energy density
- Large reserves
- No CO₂ emissions
What are the disadvantages of nuclear energy?
- Radioactivity released to surroundings(bad for environment.)
- Risk of terrorism
- Radioactive waste
- High decomissioning cost
Non - renewable !
Write the orders of start up times of non- renewable resources.
- ) gas-fired station (shortest start up time)
- ) oil-fired station
- ) coal-fired station
- ) Nuclear-fired station (longest start up time)
How does generating electricity work?
- When you burn a fuel, thermal energy of water increases.
- This heats up water, that is then converted into steam
- The steam turns the turbine and then a generator that generates electricty.
Although science can identify environmental issues that come from specific energy resources, why does the use of these continue.
- Science doesn’t have the power to overcome these issues because of political, social or economical considerations.
Why is gas better than coal?
- Burning gas releases less carbon dioxide.
- Gas - fired power stations have a short start- up time (can be switched on quickly during high- demand times)
What are ALL the energy sources used to generate?
- All used to generate electricity.
What are the different ways of using fuels in transport?
- Fuel/ diesel
OR…. - Biofuels
How does central heating work?
- You have cold water in pipes under house.
- Gas/ energy source goes on outside of pipes.
- Combustion reaction occurs, causing a fire.
- This heats up the water.
- Sent up to radiators and boilers.
What 3 things do you need to produce fire?
- Heat
- Fuel
- Oxygen
