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Environmental Tech Ass 2 > Reliance On Fossil Fuels > Flashcards

Reliance On Fossil Fuels Flashcards

1
Q

A fossil fuel is

A

Fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earths crust with high carbon and hydrogen content

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2
Q

A renewable energy source is

A

A form of energy derived from natural resources that do not use up natural resources to harm the environment

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3
Q

4 uses of fossil fuels in modern society

A

Crude oil for production of plastics
Crude oil for production of pharmaceuticals such as penicillin
Crude oil for transport - combustion engine
Fibres such as nylon and acrylic are derived from crude oil

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4
Q

How can human reliance on plastic can be reduced.

A

Stop buying plastic bottles instead use reusable bottles
Implement paper bags instead of plastic
Increase cost of plastic bags
Completely ban plastic cups
Recycle
Purchase second hand to avoid plastic packets

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5
Q

Why is global action required to tackle fossil fuel depletion

A

Because the impacts of excessive recourse use effects the whole world

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6
Q

Why is global action required to tackle fossil fuel depletion

A

Because the impacts of excessive recourse use effects the whole world

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7
Q

Why is conservation of fossil fuels an important issue

A

They take 100s of millions of years to form
We are using them much too quickly

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8
Q

Describe the trends of fossil fuel usage since the industrial revolution

A

The use of fossil fuels has expanded rapidly since the Industrial Revolution

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9
Q

Describe the trends of fossil fuel usage since the industrial revolution

A

The use of fossil fuels has expanded rapidly since the Industrial Revolution

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10
Q

How long are these projected to last?

A

Coal will last the longest at around 114 years
Crude oil and natural gas will last around 50

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11
Q

How long are these projected to last?

A

Coal will last the longest at around 114 years
Crude oil and natural gas will last around 50

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12
Q

How long are these projected to last?

A

Coal will last the longest at around 114 years
Crude oil and natural gas will last around 50

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13
Q

How will technology influence the lifespan of fossil fuels?

A

As technology advances, new crude oil fields will continue to be discovered and they can be exploited.
However some fields may be discovered but we may not be able to exploit them due to our technology limitations

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14
Q

How will technology influence the lifespan of fossil fuels?

A

As technology advances, new crude oil fields will continue to be discovered and they can be exploited.
However some fields may be discovered but we may not be able to exploit them due to our technology limitations

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15
Q

How does the price of crude oil impact its availability?

A

If crude oil is pricy enough it means that businesses such as BP have a higher incentive to discover more fields and extract more oil.

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16
Q

Name the global scientific panel that publishes data that proves humans are causing climate change

A

The , Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

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17
Q

Name 6 points that the IPCC provide that are proof that climate change is taking place

A
  1. Hotter days and nights and more heatwaves
  2. Fewer cold days and nights and fewer frost events
  3. Increased hurricanes
  4. Higher levels of co2 in the atmosphere
  5. Polar ice caps are melting
  6. Increased sea temp
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18
Q

Another word for human induced

A

Anthropogenic

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19
Q

Another word for human induced

A

Anthropogenic

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20
Q

What are the aims of carbon trading and how does it work

A

Carbon trading is a method that aims to reduce the carbon emissions of a country by giving incentives to major polluting industries. Nations are given a certain amount of permits that they can use or sell to other countries if they do not use them

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21
Q

Give 4 advantages of carbon trading

A

Environment- carbon trading can reduce global carbon emissions therefore saving the environment
Financial incentive- companies who opt for environmentally friendly ways can sell extra permits for profit
Control- it provides the government with control over the contrived carbon emissions
Flexibility - it allows companies to enter a period of transition that suits them and their unique needs

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22
Q

Give 3 disadvantages of carbon trading

A

Complexity in the market (investors buy permits just to make money)
Economy- some businesses may not want to get involved if it effects their profitability, and small businesses would just rather pay for extra permits instead of installing environmentally friendly technology
Size of permits- countries can lie about the amount of carbon emissions they produce and therefore they get more permits to exchange for money

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23
Q

When did fossil fuel use start to increase significantly and why did this happen?

A

Since the Industrial Revolution it increased in the 1760s. This is due to the increase in population of the world greatly increasing, increase in the number of goods and services offered, as companies don’t care about the negative environmental impacts their work has, they only care about profits, air travel has also a lot of carbon emissions and flights have become a lot more readily available and cheaper.

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24
Q

What type of fossil fuel was most used up until 1920 and what were its main uses?

A

Coal
Was used in heating of homes, production of electricity and powering trains by producing steam

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25
Q

What type of fossil fuel was most used up until 1920 and what were its main uses?

A

Coal
Was used in heating of homes, production of electricity and powering trains by producing steam

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26
Q

What are the different disadvantages involved with using coal

A

Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel, it has links with asthma and cancer.

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27
Q

Why did the use of fossil fuels greatly increase after ww2 in 1945

A

They increased because since ww2 the affluence of people for many people form Western Europe greatly increased leading to more cosmetics and goods and services provided. The companies supplying these do not care about the environment and only drive for profit.

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28
Q

Which 2 countries dominated the world economy 2000 years ago

A

India and china

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29
Q

Countries from which regions have dominated since the Industrial Revolution

A

North American countries, European countries and Japan

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30
Q

What nations will rise and which will fall as projected by 2050

A

Japan and European nations will fall, whereas developing nations such as India, China, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia will rise

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31
Q

How has china’s economy grown since after ww2

A

Went from being outside of the top 10 before 1980, to being 2nd in 1980, to being projected to be first by 2050

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32
Q

What is fuel security?

A

The uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price

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33
Q

State the 2 key parameters in relation to fuel security

A

Uninterrupted availability- this means that energy should always be available when required, therefore there should be no queries with the energy supply chain in regardless of the energy type

Affordable price- there is no point of having an uninterrupted supply chain of energy when it is too expensive, in recent years energy has become too expensive for low income households

34
Q

In which part of the world are the most crude oil reserves located and what are the problems surrounding this?

A

The most crude oil reserves are located in SA and Venezuela, and some in Iraq and Iran, this causes conflicts. As if these nations don’t accept trade offers from western nations then they rush loosing power to those that will

35
Q

In which part of the world are the most crude oil reserves located and what are the problems surrounding this?

A

The most crude oil reserves are located in SA and Venezuela, and some in Iraq and Iran, this causes conflicts. As if these nations don’t accept trade offers from western nations then they rush loosing power to those that will

36
Q

Name some energy forms and give a description and an example of each

A

Kinetic- movement, eg a pearsonal walking
Thermal- heat, eg a hot coffee up has more thermal energy than a cold one
Grav pot- energy possessed by a body due to its height above the ground eg dropping a penny on ground
Chemical- energy stored in the chemical bonds of a substance, eg food
Sound- energy possessed by a medium vibrating due to a disturbance, eg speaker

37
Q

What is the law on the conservation of energy

A

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, merely transferred from one form to another

38
Q

Energy in=

A

Energy out

39
Q

What exactly does heat mean and how does it differ from thermal energy

A

Heat is the name for energy in the process of energy transferring from one point to another based on the temperature difference between them. Every body has thermal energy but heating occurs when thermal energy is conveyed away (cooling) or towards (heating)

40
Q

What does the thickness of the arrows in a snake diagram represent

A

The amount of energy that is going in, that is useful and useless.

41
Q

What type of fossil fuel do the UK rely on the most heavily to produce electricity

A

Natural gas at 42%

42
Q

Which fossil fuel does the UK aim to phase out by 2025 and why?

A

Coal is to be phased out by 2025 Because of its highly polluting nature and to aid the carbon reduction targets (Ambrose 2019)

43
Q

State and describe the 4 stages in the production of electricity in a fossil fuel power plant

A
  1. The fossil fuel is combusted in a furnace to release the thermal energy it contains
  2. The thermal energy produced by the combustion of the fossil fuel is then used to increase the temperature of the water in the furnace to produce steam at 100*C. Then the steam is ejected out of the furnace to the steam turbine
  3. The night velocity steam particles cause the turbine to spin as the water molecules are colliding with the fins of the steam turbine, causing it to turn. The more the particles collide the more the temperature of the steam decreases as after each collision they have less energy. When the steam reaches a lower temperature but is still hot, it is sent to the cooling towers.
  4. The hot steam then enters the cooling towers where it looses substantial energy so it turns back into water, this is then recirculated back to the furnace where the process repeats itself
44
Q

State and describe the 4 stages in the production of electricity in a fossil fuel power plant

A
  1. The fossil fuel is combusted in a furnace to release the thermal energy it contains
  2. The thermal energy produced by the combustion of the fossil fuel is then used to increase the temperature of the water in the furnace to produce steam at 100*C. Then the steam is ejected out of the furnace to the steam turbine
  3. The night velocity steam particles cause the turbine to spin as the water molecules are colliding with the fins of the steam turbine, causing it to turn. The more the particles collide the more the temperature of the steam decreases as after each collision they have less energy. When the steam reaches a lower temperature but is still hot, it is sent to the cooling towers.
  4. The hot steam then enters the cooling towers where it looses substantial energy so it turns back into water, this is then recirculated back to the furnace where the process repeats itself
45
Q

State a disadvantage of the cooling towers used in traditional power plants

A

They loose a considerable amount of energy as they eject it into the atmosphere

46
Q

State the efficiency’s of a conventional power plant

A

30 - 40%

47
Q

Definition of a direct energy source

A

“ these renewable energies take energy from a renewable such as the wind and the waves and can convert it into electrical energy directly”

48
Q

Definition of a indirect energy source

A

These take energy from a renewable source such as the sun using a physical characteristic of the material being used and convert this into electrical energy.
Examples include solar PV and biomass

49
Q

Describe the traditional means by which electricity has been supplied across the national grid

A

Power plants run in one direction to the end user from various different fuels

50
Q

Why are the traditional means by which electricity has been supplied across the national grid not fit for the present and future

A

Because due to the fact that now most energy production is via renewables, these renewable energy generators are intermittent, such as days where there is no wind or sun for turbines and solar PV systems.
The conventional flow of electricity in one direction is no longer satisfactory as any household has the capacity to install a micro generation wind turbine and a solar PV system, so everyone can export excess power to the national grid

51
Q

How does a smart grid work?

A

It uses advanced technologies to monitor and manage the transport of electricity from the generation source to meet the varying needs of consumers

52
Q

What are the benefits of a smart grid

A

Maximises renewables- Smart grids maximises a nations proportion of renewables by providing electricity for a nation. This increases a nations fuel security as there less reliant on fossil fuels
Minimises fossil fuels- since it provides electricity for a nation produced by renewables this means that fossil fuels will be used less which helps nations reach their carbon reduction targets.
Controlled electricity demand- electricity providers can change prices in peak times so people will not use electricity as much therefore reducing too much demand

53
Q

What is an interconnector

A

It is an electrical cable joining 2 nations together that allows them to share energy

54
Q

Describe the characteristics of 2 interconnectors that exist between the Irish SEM grid and GB

A

The Moyle interconnector runs from Antrim to Scotland and is capable of transferring 500MW of power
The EirGrid connector links county Meath to wales and is capable of transferring 500MW of power

55
Q

State the economic benefits of a SMART GRID with nations in Europe interconnected

A

It allows nations to import energy to others this will drive down costs for consumers as they can avoid paying extra for peak times
Fuel security increased massively and the EU member states will be less reliant on fossil fuel prices in years ahead

56
Q

State the environmental benefits of a SMART grid with European nations interconnected

A

Electrical energy from renewables will be transferred to other nations in peak times to avoid them having to pay for extra energy from fossil fuels, this means less fossil fuels will be used therefore decreasing greenhouse gases
Connections to Norway mean that renewable energy can be stored by means of pumped hydro, they can then be used by the EU nations connected together which decreases fossil fuels

57
Q

What does CHP stand for and what is another name for it

A

It stands for combined heat and power, another name for it is cogeneration

58
Q

What are some disadvantages of traditional power plants and their efficiencies

A

They only have an efficiency of 40%

59
Q

What is the difference between traditional power plants and CHP power plants

A

CHP power plants have an efficiency that exceeds 80%
CHP power plants are located near the end user so transmission losses are reduced
CHP uses the lost thermal energy (steam) in the cooling towers which is sent to heat homes instead

60
Q

What is microgeneration

A

The small scale generation of heat and power

61
Q

What are micro electricity technologies with eg.

A

Small devices capable of producing electricity, such as Solar PV and wind

62
Q

What are micro heat technologies with eg.

A

Small devices capable of producing heat such as solar thermal, ground source heat pumps, and biomass

63
Q

2 of the main benefits of home or community micro generation of electricity

A

Reduced energy costs- heat and electricity can both be generated in the same process at the point of use
Reduced need of fossil fuels - no need to take energy from the grid which is made from fossil fuels

64
Q

2 of the main benefits of home or community micro generation of electricity

A

Reduced energy costs- homes won’t need to purchase electricity from the national grid this will save them money
Enhanced security of supply- they require less energy from the national grid so they are less vulnerable to energy price hikes

65
Q

Revise over LO4+5

A

Read

66
Q

What role do the following play in a heat pump
Expansion valve-
Compressor-
Condenser-
Evaporator-

A

Expansion valve- allows the gaseous part of the refrigerant to expand
Compressor- compresses the gas, which increases the pressure and the temperature of the gas
Condenser- transfers thermal energy to the water being circulated through the heat exchanger
Evaporator - takes in the refrigerant at a colder temp than the air outside

67
Q

Will a heat pump operate properly if the refrigerant is pumped from the evaporator straight to the condenser

A

No Because the heat pump needs the compressor to increase the temperature of the gas

68
Q

Correct order of (evaporator,expansion valve, compressor, condenser.)

A

Evaporator -compressor -condenser -expansion valve.

69
Q

Name and equation for COP

A

Coefficient of performance = heat produced by heat pump / energy consumed by heat pump

70
Q

Read over l06ch8

A
71
Q

State some differences between HAWT and VAWT

A

HAWT requires a consistent wind direction whereas VAWT can have any
HAWT requires high wind speeds whereas VAWT can have any
HAWT is noisy and has lots of vibration, VAWT is quiet and produces little vibrations
HAWT has a high RPM opposite for VAWT

72
Q

Read over Lo2 ch7

A
73
Q

State the equation for the energy available for a wind turbine at different wind speeds

A

1/2 m x v^2

74
Q

Why can 100% of the winds energy never be extracted by a wind turbine - Betz law

A

If all the energy coming from the wind movement through a turbine were extracted as useful energy the wind speed afterwards would go to 0

75
Q

State the theoretical max limit of energy that can be extracted by a wind turbine, who established this?.
Can a turbine actually extract this?

A

59.3% established by Betz
Turbines can’t extract this due to energy losses in the wind turbine system

76
Q

How much % of wind into energy can a well designed wind turbine convert vs a poorly designed model

A

45% for a good one
25 for a poor one

77
Q

What does Rotar Collected Energy stand for

A

The exact amount of energy extracted from the wind turbine at
(Note that the wind turbine can only convert a small percentage of this into electrical energy)

78
Q

If a turbine has an efficiency of 65%, what is its COP

A

COP= 0.65

79
Q

What is the equation for direct proportionality

A

C= K N
K= a constant
So whatever operation you perform on C you can do to N

80
Q

State equation 1 then explain the relationship between power output and swept area of a HAWT

A

P out = 1/2 p A v^3 COP

You can get power output from the swept area if you, multiply the swept area by the density of the air (p), then multiply it by the velocity cubed, then multiply it by COP. then just multiply by 0.5x

81
Q

What formula do you use to calculate the rotar swept area for different diameters

A

A=pie x r^2

Environmental Tech Ass 2 (1 decks)

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