Section A - Energy generation and storage Flashcards
Explain how power is generated from coal, gas and oil
Explain how power stations produce electricity (how conventional power stations work)
The fuel is burnt releasing heat energy which heats up water producing steam (at very high pressure and temperature).
The kinetic energy of the steam turns the turbine which turns the generator, producing electricity
3 types of fossil fuels
Coal
Gas
Oil
State the parts to a coal-fired power station
Coal
Boiler
Cooling Tower
Turbine
Generator
Grid system
Over how many years are fossil fuels formed
Formed over millions of years
State the parts to a kinetic pumped storage system
Lower level reservoir
High-level reservoir
Turbines and electrical generators
Name the organism each fossil fuel is formed from
Coal : Trees
Oil and Gas = Marine Organisms
majority of electricity in UK is produced by
Fossil fuels
Fossil fuels are _____
Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources - will eventually run out
Renewable resources ____
Renewable resources are naturally replenished
What is created by burning fossil fuels - what is the effect
Burning any fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide. This adds to the greenhouse effect and possible global warming
Why are fossil fuel power stations normally found near rivers or the sea
A water supply is needed for cooling, therefore fossil fuel power stations normally found near rivers or the sea
How does the UK get coal
UK imports coal from abroad
Adavntages of coal
Bigger reserves than other fossil fuels
It doesnt require any processing before burning (although it is usually crushed)
Reliable source of energy
There are still sufficient reserves of coal to last hundreds of years
Disadvantages of coal
Non-renewable
Burning coal, leads to the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is a greenhouse gas which leads to global warming
Burning coal leads to the production of sulfur dioxide, SO2, causing acid rain (which damages trees and lakes)
Waste tips, stockpiles and open pits look unsightly and hazardous
Advantages of gas
Reliable
It can be burnt directly and does not require crushing like coal
Easy to transport through pipelines
Gas power stations can be started up quickly to deal with sudden demand
(they will remain important as a replacement for less reliable sources, such as wind power on days when there is insufficient wind available for the wind turbines)
Disadvantages of gas
Non-renewable
Burning gas, leads to the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is a greenhouse gas which leads to global warming
Has to be processed before it can be used to remove water and other impurities
Shale gas extracted by pumping pressurised water and chemicals
deep into the ground is believed to cause earthquakes/seismic
shocks and damage to water courses.
Advantages of oil
Reliable
Does not need to be processed by refining from crude oil before it can be used
Disadvantages of oil
Drilling for oil can lead to pollution of marine ecosystems and
pollution, eg Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 in the Gulf of
Mexico.
Non-renewable
Burning oil, leads to the production of carbon dioxide (CO2). CO2 is a greenhouse gas which leads to global warming
Burning oil leads to the production of sulfur dioxide, SO2, causing acid rain
What are fossil fuels
Fossil fuels are a natural fuel such as coal, oil or gas, formed from the remains of living organisms
What is global warming
An increase in the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere caused by the greenhouse effect and increased levels of greenhouse gases
Give example of nuclear fuel
Examples of nuclear fuels are uranium and plutonium
Explain how nuclear stations produce electricity (how nuclear stations work)
The nuclear fission reaction produces heat energy, which then heats up the water to produce steam. The kinetic energy of the steam produced turns the turbine which turns the generator, producing electricity
Define fission
The process in which uranium atoms are split and produce heat
What happens in nuclear reactors
Uranium atoms are split to produce heat - known as fission
How much energy can be produced by fission from a relatively small amount of uranium
A vast amount of energy can be produced by this process from a relatively small amount of uranium
Advantages of nuclear
No production of polluting gases
Reliable
Disadvantages of nuclear
Non-renewable
Produces nuclear waste, which is difficult to dispose of safely
(nuclear waste is highly hazardous and can have long lasting effects on the health of humans and animals for thousands of years)
Risk of a big accident, such as Chernobyl
The cost of safely disposing of unused nuclear power stations is high
Examples of non-renewable energy resources
Coal
Gas
Oil
Nuclear
Examples of renewable energy resources
Wind
Geothermal
Hydroelectric
Tidal
Solar - Heat, Electric
Biomass (any energy obtained from plants or animals)
Waves
Give the percentage of electricity production in UK of different energy sources
Coal - 23%
Oil - <1%
Natural gas - 30%
Nuclear - 22%
Renewable - 25%
How is power generated from wind
The moving wind has kinetic energy
This energy is
transferred to the rotor (the turning part) of a wind turbine which makes the rotor spin.
The rotor tuns a generator which makes electricity
Where are the best places to put wind turbines
The best places to put wind turbines are on the coast, offshore, on a hilltop, or between hills or mountains, so that the wind supply is reliable
How big do the wind turbines have to be to make much electricity
To make much electricity, wind turbines have to be very big
How power is generated from solar
We can get energy from it in three different ways
1) We can use it directly in heating
Solar panels can be used to trap the heat from the sun and transfer it into water. The water can then be used for heating
2) We can change it to electricity
To do this Solar Cells can be used
These make electricity when bright light shines on them
They do not make much electricity, so lots of them are needed if much electricity is wanted
3) We can grow plants (Biomass)
We can burn the plants
If we grow a plant called sugar cane we can ferment it to make alcohol which we can use as fuel (especially for cars)
How power is generated from tidal
The tides are movements of very large amounts of water.
We can get some of the energy out of the tides by building a barrage
As the tides change, the water level on each side of the barrage is different
The water is made to flow through turbines which drive generators to make electricity.
How is power generated from hydro-electric
Rain falls high on mountains and forms streams and rivers
When the water is high up on the hill, they have potential energy.
If dams are built to hold back the water this energy can be stored. When the water is released it falls.
This changes the waters potential energy to kinetic energy.
The kinetic energy of the water is used to turn a turbine which turns a generator and makes electricity
How is power generated from biomass
Grow plants so that they can be burnt or use decaying plants or animal materials to produce heat.
What is biomass
Biomass is growing plants so that they can be burnt, or using decaying plant or animal materials to produce heat
Define renewable energy -
Energy from a source that is not depleted when used such as wind or soal power
what is hydroelectricity
The process which uses a dam to block a river in a valley and channels water through turbines that are used to turn generators for producing electricity
Advantage of wind
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
Disadvantage of wind
Requires many large turbines
Unsightly and noisy
Not reliable, the wind does not always blow
Advantages of hydro-electric (falling water)
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
Reliable in wet areas
Pumped storage systems allow storage of energy
Can be started up quickly to deal with sudden demand
Disadvantages of hydro-electric
Only works in wet and hilly areas
Flooding of an area affects the local ecology
Advantages of waves
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
Disadvantages of waves
Can be a hazard to boats
Not reliable
Advantages of tides
Renewable
The energy source is free
Reliable, tides always occur twice a dat
Disadvantages of tides
Only a few river estuaries are suitable
Building a barrage affects the local ecology
Advantages of solar
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
Reliable in hot countries, in the daytime
Disadvantages of solar
Only suitable for small amounts of electricity or requires a large number of cells
Unreliable in less sunny countries
Advantages of geothermal
Renewable
The energy source is free
No production of polluting gases
Disadvantages of geothermal
Only economically viable in very few places
Drilling through large depth of rock is difficult and expensive.
define biofuel
A biofuel is any fuel taken from living or recently living organisms
Adv of biofuel
Renewable - it is a biological source either regrows (vegetation) or is continually produced (sewage and rubbish)
Carbon-neutral - in theory the carbon that the living organism takes in from the atmosphere as carbon dioxide can balance the amount that is released when the biofuel is burnt
Fairly reliable, crops take a relatively short time to grow and different crops can be grown all year round.
Examples of energy storage systems
Pumped storage systems (kinetic pumped storage system)
flywheels, clockwork, capacitors and rechargeable batteries
What are these examples of:
Pumped storage systems (kinetic pumped storage system)
flywheels, clockwork, capacitors and rechargeable batteries
Examples of devices used to store energy for use at a later time
how do kinetic pumped storage systems work
A hydroelectric dam system is used with two reservoirs - one at a low level, and one up a mountain
Rain falls high on high-level reservoirs
When the water is high up on the hill, it has potential energy.
Valves in the system stop the water flowing from the high-level reservoir to the low-level reservoir and stores the potential energy.
When electricity is needed, the valves are opened, allowing water to flow from the high-level reservoir to the low-level reservoir, through turbines
As the water falls its potential energy is being changed to kinetic energy
The kinetic energy of the water is used to turn a turbine which turns a generator and makes electricity
When are kinetic pumped storage systems used & why
Are a good way of dealing with sudden high demand for electricity.
Used for dealing with sudden high demand for electricity. This is because in moments of high demand, the electrical power supply system might not be able to cope with the demand, so an additional fast-acting top-up is needed.
Explain why it is important for the pumped storage system to instantly release electricity when it is at high demand
This is because in moments of high demand, the electrical power supply system (E.G. nuclear, coal and gas power stations) might not be able to cope with the demand, so it is important this additional storage system releases electricity instantly so that a power cut is avoided
Advantages of kinetic pumped storage systems
Pumped storage system instantly releases electricity into the system
Helps avoid the need for power cuts
Disadvantages of kinetic pumped storage systems
Electricity/power output cannot be sustained for long (only long enough for the other power stations to catch up with demand and avoid the need for power cuts)
What is happened to excess electricity (in terms of kinetic pumped storage system)
The excess electricity is used to pump the water back up to the top reservoir (at night), ready for sudden peaks in demand the next day
https://bam.files.bbci.co.uk/bam/live/content/zkjywty/small
What are capacitors and batterie examples of
Capacitors and batteries are examples of types of electrical energy storage
What are capacitors and batterie examples of
Capacitors and batteries are examples of electrical energy storage
What is a capacitor
A non-chemical method of storing electricity (most popular non-chemical method of storing electricity)
What do capacitors consist of
Capacitors consist of two plates of opposite polarity
What happens when the capacitor is charged
When the capacitor is charged, the positive charges migrate to one plate and the negative to the other
Why are supercapacitors used in electric vehicles
Supercapacitors are used in electric vehicles because they can be recharged many more times than batteries -
makes them suitable for use in regenerative braking systems where the energy used to slow the vehicle is stored and used to drive the motor
Two types of battery
Primary (single use)
Secondary (rechargeable)
What is a battery
Batteries are electrochemical cells that convert chemical energy into electricity.
Give an example where batteries are useful
Batteries are extremely useful when we need electrical power in locations where mains electricity would be difficult or even impossible to access - such as moving cars
Examples of primary types of battery
Alkaline batteries
Zinc-carbon batteries
Where can alkaline batteries be used
Alkaline batteries can be found in electronic devices such as torches, clocks and children’s toys.
Clocks
Difference between alkaline batteries and rechargeable batteries
Rechargeable batteries are more expensive to purchase than alkaline batteries
- but are cheaper to use as they can be recharged many times
Discuss the environmental impact of rechargeable batteries
Positive environmental impact as less waste goes to landfill and fewer materials and processes are used in the manufacture of more batteries.
Discuss environmental impact for regular batteries
Safe disposal is essential as the batteries contain harmful chemicals and metals that must not be allowed to contaminate groundwater supplies
What is the typical size of a alkaline battery and rechargeable battery
1.5 volts per cell - battery
1.2 volts
need more rechargeable batteries than single use batteries to power a fixed volt device
(in a 12 volt device you would need 10 rechargeable batteries , but only eight single use batteries)
Types of batteries (in use)
Large lead-acid batteries for cars, trucks, sometime submarines
Miniature batteries - such as those used in hearing aids
What do all fuels create when burnt
All fuels create pollution when burnt
Can storage systems generate power
Storage systems cannot generate power
Uses of storage systems
Useful for when extra supply is needed quickly, or if it is not possible to connect to a supply
Examples of finite resources
Coal, Gas, Oil
what do renewable sources do
Renewable sources reduce the risk of pollution
