Unit 4 - Topic 8 Flashcards
Thermo-electric generating plants
Plants that burn fossil fuels to produce electricity
Non-renewable resources
Fuels that r consumed faster than they can be replaced by nature
Renewable resources
Energy sources that can be continually replaced
Biomass
Solid material form living things
How thermo-electric generator works
Heat from burning coal produces steam
High-pressure steam flows through pipes into turbine
Spinning turbine turns generator which produces energy
Steam leaves turbine, cools, condenses, and recycles through turbine
Turbogenerators
Use exhaust gases form burning fossil fuels or spin turbine coupled with electric generator
No steam, condenser, cooling tower required
GWh equals
3.6 x 10^12 J
Environmental effects of coal
Open pit mining disturbs soil and vegetation
Tailings(waste materials) produced by underground mines which accumulate near mine
Water becomes acidified and contaminated
Gases which r result of fossil fuels
Sulfur dioxide SO^2
Carbon dioxide CO^2
Electrostatic precipitators
Remove most of solid particles but can’t remove contaminating gases
Scrubbers
Anti pollution systems which remove SO^2
Spray water solution through gases
Most of gas and pollutants react with chemicals and r removed
CO^2 cons
Greenhouse gas
Too much contributes to global warming
Greenhouse gas
Help delay escape of heat from Earth’s atmosphere
Global warming
Ride in average temperatures on Earth
Natural gas vs coal
Burns much cleaner
More ppl turning to use now
Expensive
Attractive alternative
Landfill gas
Can be used as fuel for thermo-electric plants
Hydro-electric plants
Use water pressure to generate electric energy