Physics - Generating electricity Flashcards

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1
Q

What is biomass energy

A

Biomass energy is generated from decaying plant or animal waste

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2
Q

What are the advantages of biomass and wood

A

cheap
sustainable
They absorb the same amount of CO2 from the atmosphere while growing as they release when they are burned.

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3
Q

What are the disadvantages of biomass and wood

A

give off atmospheric pollutants, greenhouse gasses released, trees absorb CO2 but it’s released when burned

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4
Q

What are the advantages of wind energy

A

renewable energy source, no fuel costs, no polluting gasses produced

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5
Q

What are disadvantages of wind energy

A

wind farms noisy, unreliable, manufacture of wind farms is costly, no wind = no electricity

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6
Q

What is tidal power

A

Water from estuaries getting forced through gaps in a tidal barrage to make use of kinetic energy. Electricity generators in the barrage are driven by water rushing through tubes.

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7
Q

What is hydroelectric power

A

A dam is built across a river valley. Water high up behind the dam gains gravitational potential energy. This is transferred into kinetic energy as the water rushes through the tubes inside the damn. Electric generators inside get driven by the moving water.

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8
Q

What are the advantages of water energy

A

renewable, no fuel costs, no polluting gasses produced, reliable, easily switched on (tidal and hydroelectric)

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9
Q

What are the disadvantages of water energy

A

hydroelectric dams flood farmland and push people from homes, tidal barrages destroy habitats, rotting vegetation underwater releases greenhouse gasses

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10
Q

What are solar cells

A

solar cells are devices that convert light energy directly into electrical energy.

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11
Q

How do solar panels work

A

Cold water is pumped up to the solar panel. Then it heats up and is transferred to a storage tank. A pump pushes cold water from the storage tank through pipes in the solar panel. The water is heated by heat energy from the Sun and returns to the tank.

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12
Q

What are the advantages of solar energy

A

renewable, no fuel costs, no polluting gasses produced

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13
Q

What are the disadvantages of solar energy

A

expensive, inefficient, don’t work at night

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14
Q

What are fossil fuels

A

They were formed from the remains of living organisms millions of years ago and they release heat energy when they are burned. They have chemical energy stored within them.

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15
Q

What are some examples of fossil fuels

A

coal, oil, natural gasses

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16
Q

What are the advantages of fossil fuels

A

cheap, obtainable, much of our infrastructure is designed to run using fossil fuels.

17
Q

What are the disadvantages of fossil fuels

A

non-renewable, release sulphur dioxide gas when they burn, contributes to acid rain, release carbon dioxide when burned, adds to the greenhouse effect and global warming

18
Q

What are the main nuclear fuels

A

The main nuclear fuels are uranium and plutonium.

19
Q

How does nuclear power work?

A

heat is used to change water into steam in the boiler
the steam drives the turbine (heat to kinetic energy)
this drives the generator to produce electricity – kinetic to electrical energy

20
Q

What are the advantages of nuclear power

A

don’t produce carbon dioxide or sulphur dioxide, reliable sources of energy, 1 kilogram of nuclear fuel produces millions of times more energy than 1 kilogram of coal

21
Q

What are the disadvantages of nuclear power

A

non-renewable, huge risk if accident occurs,

22
Q

What is the order of start-up time for different fuels

A

gas-fired station (shortest start-up time)
oil-fired station
coal-fired station
nuclear power station (longest start-up time)

23
Q

How do conventional power stations work?

A

The fuel is burned to boil water to make steam
The steam makes a turbine spin
The spinning turbine turns a generator which produces electricity
The electricity goes to the transformers to produce the correct voltage

24
Q

What are the features of the national grid

A

power station-step up transformer-high voltage transition lines-step down transformer-consumers

25
Q

How do wind turbines work?

A

Wind turbines use the wind to directly drive turbines. They have huge blades mounted on a tall tower. The blades are connected to a nacelle, or housing, which contains gears linked to a generator. As the wind blows, it transfers some of its kinetic energy to the blades, which turn and drive the generator.

26
Q

What does a fuse look like?

A

Rectangle with line through it.

27
Q

What does a battery/cell look like?

A

big vertical line - space - small vertical line

28
Q

What does a lamp look like?

A

Circle with cross in middle

29
Q

What does a resistor look like?

A

Rectangle with no line going through it.

30
Q

What does a light dependent resistor look like?

A

Rectangle in a circle with two arrows pointing into the circle.

31
Q

What does a thermistor look like?

A

Rectangle with diagonal line going through and flat bit at the the bottom. _/

32
Q

What does a variable resistor look like?

A

Rectangle with diagonal arrow going through it.

33
Q

What does a diode look like?

A

circle with a triangle pointing at a vertical line inside it.

34
Q

What does a LED look like?

A

circle with a triangle pointing at a vertical line inside it and two arrows pointing out of the circle.

35
Q

What does an a.c power supply look like?

A

–o ~ o–

36
Q

What does a d.c power supply look like?

A

–o o– with +and- above circles.

37
Q

What does a variable d.c power supply look like?

A

–o / o– (/ is an arrow) with + and - above circles.