Topic 4: Non-renewable Energy Flashcards
What is Work?
The application of force over a distance.
measured in Joules
What is Energy?
The capacity to do work.
What is Power?
The rate at which work is done.
measured in Watts
What is a Newton?
The force needed to accelerate 1 kg at 1 meter per second.
What percentage of the world’s commercial energy is supplied by fossil fuels?
80%
Approx. How much of Australia’s energy comes from fossil fuels?
93%
What are Australia’s largest fossil fuel exports?
- Coal
- Gas.
- Oil.
The richest countries consume how much of all commercial energy?
Nearly 80% despite only having 20% of population.
How many people consume less energy than the global average?
85%
With current reserves, how long are coal reserves estimated to last?
114-133 years at current rates of consumption.
What are the benefits/cons of open-cut mining?
- cheaper and safer than underground mining
- makes land unfit for other use
- acid drainage damages streams
What is responsible for approx. 8% atmospheric mercury’s pollution in Australia?
Coal burning.
What is fracking?
The process of extracting oil or natural gas by injecting a mix of water, gravel, or sand and chemicals under high pressure into rocks.
What is the total estimated global oil reserves? How much is proven?
4 trillion barrels.
Proven 2.4 trillion barrels.
How much more oil do tar sands and oil shales have than conventional sources?
About 10X as much oil.
What are tar sands/oil shales?
Sand and shale particles coated with bitumen (a viscous mix of long hydrocarbon chains).
How long is the global natural gas supply predicted to last?
Approx. 60 years with current consumption rates and known reserves.
What is methane hydrate?
Small individual molecules of natural gas trapped in permafrost (crystalline matrix).
Thought to hold 10,000 gigatons of carbon.
What is biogas?
Methan extracted from garbage and manure.
How many nuclear reactors are there globally?
Approx. 440.
Approx. 55 more are under construction.
How much global uranium reserves are in Australia?
47% of known reserves.
What is the most common nuclear reactor fuel?
U235
A naturally occurring Uranium isotope.
What forms a reactor core?
Enriched Uranium formed in pellets → stacked in hollow metal rods → 100 rods bundled into a fuel assembly → thousands of fuel assemblies form a reactor core
What is nuclear fission?
The process of an atom (e.g., a radioactive uranium atom) getting struck by neurons, releasing more energy and more neutrons.
This triggers a chain reaction.
How many nuclear reactors are Pressurised Nuclear Reactors (PWR)?
70%
How much radioactive waste is in the USA?
Approx. 200 million tons.
What is the operating life of nuclear reactors?
30 years.
How much radioactive waste does Australia have?
Approx. 5000m^2.
Excluding uranium mining waste, which is disposed of at mine sites.
How much more expensive would decommissioning all nuclear reactors in the USA be?
10X the cost of construction.
Between $200 billion and $1 trillion dollars.
How much waste does 1 ton of uranium fuel typically produce?
- 100 tons of tailings.
- 3.5 million litres of liquid waste.
