Reliance On Fossil Fuels Flashcards
A fossil fuel is
Fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earths crust with high carbon and hydrogen content
A renewable energy source is
A form of energy derived from natural resources that do not use up natural resources to harm the environment
4 uses of fossil fuels in modern society
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
How can human reliance on plastic can be reduced.
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
Why is global action required to tackle fossil fuel depletion
Because the impacts of excessive recourse use effects the whole world
Why is global action required to tackle fossil fuel depletion
Because the impacts of excessive recourse use effects the whole world
Why is conservation of fossil fuels an important issue
They take 100s of millions of years to form
We are using them much too quickly
Describe the trends of fossil fuel usage since the industrial revolution
The use of fossil fuels has expanded rapidly since the Industrial Revolution
Describe the trends of fossil fuel usage since the industrial revolution
The use of fossil fuels has expanded rapidly since the Industrial Revolution
How long are these projected to last?
Coal will last the longest at around 114 years
Crude oil and natural gas will last around 50
How long are these projected to last?
Coal will last the longest at around 114 years
Crude oil and natural gas will last around 50
How long are these projected to last?
Coal will last the longest at around 114 years
Crude oil and natural gas will last around 50
How will technology influence the lifespan of fossil fuels?
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
How will technology influence the lifespan of fossil fuels?
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
How does the price of crude oil impact its availability?
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.
Name the global scientific panel that publishes data that proves humans are causing climate change
The , Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Name 6 points that the IPCC provide that are proof that climate change is taking place
- Hotter days and nights and more heatwaves
- Fewer cold days and nights and fewer frost events
- Increased hurricanes
- Higher levels of co2 in the atmosphere
- Polar ice caps are melting
- Increased sea temp
Another word for human induced
Anthropogenic
Another word for human induced
Anthropogenic
What are the aims of carbon trading and how does it work
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
Give 4 advantages of carbon trading
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
Give 3 disadvantages of carbon trading
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
When did fossil fuel use start to increase significantly and why did this happen?
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.
What type of fossil fuel was most used up until 1920 and what were its main uses?
Coal
Was used in heating of homes, production of electricity and powering trains by producing steam
What type of fossil fuel was most used up until 1920 and what were its main uses?
Coal
Was used in heating of homes, production of electricity and powering trains by producing steam
What are the different disadvantages involved with using coal
Coal is the most polluting fossil fuel, it has links with asthma and cancer.
Why did the use of fossil fuels greatly increase after ww2 in 1945
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.
Which 2 countries dominated the world economy 2000 years ago
India and china
Countries from which regions have dominated since the Industrial Revolution
North American countries, European countries and Japan
What nations will rise and which will fall as projected by 2050
Japan and European nations will fall, whereas developing nations such as India, China, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia will rise
How has china’s economy grown since after ww2
Went from being outside of the top 10 before 1980, to being 2nd in 1980, to being projected to be first by 2050
What is fuel security?
The uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price
State the 2 key parameters in relation to fuel security
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
In which part of the world are the most crude oil reserves located and what are the problems surrounding this?
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
In which part of the world are the most crude oil reserves located and what are the problems surrounding this?
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
Name some energy forms and give a description and an example of each
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
What is the law on the conservation of energy
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, merely transferred from one form to another
Energy in=
Energy out
What exactly does heat mean and how does it differ from thermal energy
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)
What does the thickness of the arrows in a snake diagram represent
The amount of energy that is going in, that is useful and useless.
What type of fossil fuel do the UK rely on the most heavily to produce electricity
Natural gas at 42%
Which fossil fuel does the UK aim to phase out by 2025 and why?
Coal is to be phased out by 2025 Because of its highly polluting nature and to aid the carbon reduction targets (Ambrose 2019)
State and describe the 4 stages in the production of electricity in a fossil fuel power plant
- The fossil fuel is combusted in a furnace to release the thermal energy it contains
- 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
- 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.
- 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
State and describe the 4 stages in the production of electricity in a fossil fuel power plant
- The fossil fuel is combusted in a furnace to release the thermal energy it contains
- 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
- 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.
- 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
State a disadvantage of the cooling towers used in traditional power plants
They loose a considerable amount of energy as they eject it into the atmosphere
State the efficiency’s of a conventional power plant
30 - 40%
Definition of a direct energy source
“ these renewable energies take energy from a renewable such as the wind and the waves and can convert it into electrical energy directly”
Definition of a indirect energy source
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
Describe the traditional means by which electricity has been supplied across the national grid
Power plants run in one direction to the end user from various different fuels
Why are the traditional means by which electricity has been supplied across the national grid not fit for the present and future
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
How does a smart grid work?
It uses advanced technologies to monitor and manage the transport of electricity from the generation source to meet the varying needs of consumers
What are the benefits of a smart grid
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
What is an interconnector
It is an electrical cable joining 2 nations together that allows them to share energy
Describe the characteristics of 2 interconnectors that exist between the Irish SEM grid and GB
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
State the economic benefits of a SMART GRID with nations in Europe interconnected
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
State the environmental benefits of a SMART grid with European nations interconnected
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
What does CHP stand for and what is another name for it
It stands for combined heat and power, another name for it is cogeneration
What are some disadvantages of traditional power plants and their efficiencies
They only have an efficiency of 40%
What is the difference between traditional power plants and CHP power plants
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
What is microgeneration
The small scale generation of heat and power
What are micro electricity technologies with eg.
Small devices capable of producing electricity, such as Solar PV and wind
What are micro heat technologies with eg.
Small devices capable of producing heat such as solar thermal, ground source heat pumps, and biomass
2 of the main benefits of home or community micro generation of electricity
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
2 of the main benefits of home or community micro generation of electricity
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
Revise over LO4+5
Read
What role do the following play in a heat pump
Expansion valve-
Compressor-
Condenser-
Evaporator-
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
Will a heat pump operate properly if the refrigerant is pumped from the evaporator straight to the condenser
No Because the heat pump needs the compressor to increase the temperature of the gas
Correct order of (evaporator,expansion valve, compressor, condenser.)
Evaporator -compressor -condenser -expansion valve.
Name and equation for COP
Coefficient of performance = heat produced by heat pump / energy consumed by heat pump
Read over l06ch8
State some differences between HAWT and VAWT
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
Read over Lo2 ch7
State the equation for the energy available for a wind turbine at different wind speeds
1/2 m x v^2
Why can 100% of the winds energy never be extracted by a wind turbine - Betz law
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
State the theoretical max limit of energy that can be extracted by a wind turbine, who established this?.
Can a turbine actually extract this?
59.3% established by Betz
Turbines can’t extract this due to energy losses in the wind turbine system
How much % of wind into energy can a well designed wind turbine convert vs a poorly designed model
45% for a good one
25 for a poor one
What does Rotar Collected Energy stand for
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)
If a turbine has an efficiency of 65%, what is its COP
COP= 0.65
What is the equation for direct proportionality
C= K N
K= a constant
So whatever operation you perform on C you can do to N
State equation 1 then explain the relationship between power output and swept area of a HAWT
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
What formula do you use to calculate the rotar swept area for different diameters
A=pie x r^2
When wind speed is doubled, Power Output increases by a factor of -
When wind speed is trebled, Power Output increases by a factor of -
When wind speed is quadrupled, Power Output increases by a factor of -
When wind speed is doubled, Power Output increases by a factor of - 8
When wind speed is trebled, Power Output increases by a factor of - 27
When wind speed is quadrupled, Power Output increases by a factor of - 64
When wind speed is divided by 2, power output is multiplied by -
When wind speed is divided by 3, power output is multiplied by -
When wind speed is divided by 2, power output is multiplied by 1/8
When wind speed is divided by 3, power output is multiplied by - 27
How is power output linked to blade diameter
P out = d^2
Also P out = r^2
When the diameter is doubled, the power output increases by a factor of four
How does air density influence power output of a wind turbine
P symbol = air density
P out = k p
P out = p
what is the definition of biomass
A general term for material derived form plants or animal manure
State the 4 types of biomass
- Organic materials
- Wood
- Agricultural crops
- Municipal wastes
Identify the crops that are commercially grown to produce biomass
Willow
poplar
miscanthus,
maize,
sugar cane
Describe the debate that surrounds farmers growing crops for energy (biomass)
Farmers switching from growing food crops to biomass crops can lead to significant food shortages as the availability of food crops decreases, this will raise food prices significantly
What are advantages biomass has over coal
Biomass has lower carbon emissions as when they are growing they take c02 from the atmosphere in.
Biomass carbon emissions are much lower than coal
Why can fossil fuels be better than biomass
Fossil fuels are more efficient than biomass
State the typical % of energy from combustion that is obtained from biomass
90%
Outline the process of gasification in relation to biomass
- Combustion of the solid fuel, leaves char behind (char is mainly pure carbon)
- Char is gasified to produce syngas
State the main process used to obtain energy from biomass
Combustion
What are the uses of syngas as a fuel source
- Used as a lubricant
- Used as fuel for combustion engines
- Production of methanol
Describe the process of anerobic digestion
Bacteria break down organic material into sugars and into various organic acids which are further decomposed to produce biogas
What is the definition of anaerobic digestion
Digestion in which oxygen isn’t present
State 2 types of gas present in biogas
Co2 and methane
Name the main product of anaerobic digestion and state it’s use
Biogas, can be captured and used to produce heat, fuel combustion engines and used for electricity production.
State 3 advantages of using anerobic digesters
- waste is treated and reduces greenhouse gas emissions including the potent methane
- AD tanks can be located close to the waste source. This can reduce transportation requirements in getting waste to the AD tanks.
- Biogas can be produced from AD tanks, which can be used for heating, combustion engines and electricity production.
State 3 disadvantage of using anaerobic digesters
- Requires a steady supply of consistent feedstock
- The quality and relative concentrations of the biogas will vary, this may result in the gas needing cleaned before being used for internal combustion engines
- The process is slower in colder conditions
