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APES > XV - Nonrenewable Energy Resources > Flashcards

XV - Nonrenewable Energy Resources Flashcards

1
Q

Commercial energy in less developed countries

A

41% renewable

59% nonrenewable

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2
Q

Commercial energy in more developed countries

A

10% renewable

90% nonrenewable

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3
Q

Renewable energy sources

A

Biomass
Hydropower
Geothermal power
Solar power

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4
Q

Nonrenewable energy sources

A

Nuclear power
Natural gas
Coal
Oil

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5
Q

Energy consumption in the US

A

Largest user/waster of commercial energy
84% fossil fuel
7% nuclear energy
9% renewable

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6
Q

Energy consumption shift in the US

A

Since the early 1800s, the sources of commercial
energy used in the United States have shifted from
wood to coal to a mix of oil, coal, natural gas, & nuclear

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7
Q

Evaluating Energy Resources

A 
Available energy source
Cost
Env'tal impact
Net energy yield
Sustainability
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8
Q

Net energy

A

the total useful energy available from a
resource over its lifetime minus the amount of energy
used, automatically wasted, & unnecessarily wasted to
find, process, & transport it

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9
Q

Net energy ratio

A

ratio of useful energy
produced to the useful energy used to produce it;
the higher the ratio the greater the net energy yield

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10
Q

Net energy ratios for space heating

A 
passive solar 5.8
Natural gas 4.9
oil 4.5
Active solar 1.9
coal gasification 1.5
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11
Q

Petroleum or

crude oil

A 
complex liquid
mixture of
hydrocarbons, with
small amounts of
sulfur, oxygen, &
nitrogen impurities
produced by the
decomposition of
deeply buried
organic matter from
plants & animals
(fossil fuel)
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12
Q

Where is crude oil generally found?

A

In sedimentary rock layers with oil dispersed in pores and cracks of rock formation

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13
Q

Primary oil recovery

A

drilling a well &
pumping oil that flows by gravity into the bottom of
the well

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14
Q

Secondary oil recovery

A

injecting water in
nearby wells to force remaining heavy oil to the
surface

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15
Q

Tertiary or Enhanced Oil Recovery

A

using steam or CO2 gas to force still more oil into the well

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16
Q

Refining of crude oil involves
separating components based
on their

A

boiling point

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17
Q

Gasoline & aviation fuel

A

most volatile components

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18
Q

Heating oil

A

less volatile, but still

burns readily

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19
Q

Diesel oil

A

less volatile, and is a
common fuel for trucks, buses, &
heavy machinery

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20
Q

Grease, wax, & asphalt

A

the least
volatile, most dense materials
separated

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21
Q

Petrochemicals

A 
derived from oil are
used for synthesizing industrial
organic chemicals, pesticides,
plastics, synthetic fibers, paints,
medicines, & many other products.
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22
Q

Thirteen countries that make up the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) have 67%
of the world’s reserves of oil

A

Algeria, Ecuador, Gabon, Indonesia,
Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
United Arab Emirates, & Venezuela

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23
Q

Oil in the US

A

U.S. has only
2.3% of the world’s oil
reserves, but uses
nearly 30% of the oil

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24
Q

What is oil mainly used for in the US?

A

65% of oil in the U.S.
is used for
transportation

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25
Q

Why does the US import oil?

A

Little new oil & natural
gas are expected to
be found in the U.S.

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26
Q

Crude oil prices

A 
When the
price is
adjusted for
inflation, oil
has remained
cheap since
1975
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27
Q

How Long Will Oil Supplies Last?

A

Oil supplies will be 80% depleted within 35–84

years, depending on the consumption rate

28
Q

Synthetic crude oil

A

produced from oil shale (involving grinding large

quantities of rock) or from tar sand (shown below)

29
Q

Characteristics of synthetic crude oil

A

quality is
lower, environmental impact higher, & energy yield lower than for oil from
conventional sources.

30
Q

Pros of oil

A

• Oil is still cheap;
• Economy is set up around use of oil;
• Many useful products can be readily synthesized from
oil

31
Q

Cons of oil

A

• Supply is limited & will be depleted within 35–84
years;
• Pollution & environmental degradation result from
extraction, processing, transport, & use

32
Q

Conventional natural gas

A

trapped above oil

deposits

33
Q

Unconventional

natural gas

A

found in coal
beds, tight sands,
& dissolved in
deep hot water.

34
Q

Natural gas

A

fossil fuel, produced by
decomposition of deeply buried organic matter
from plants & animals

35
Q

Liquefied petroleum gas

A

propane & butane gases removed from natural gas

36
Q

Characteristics of natural gas

A

Natural gas is a mixture of 50–90% methane (CH4), with
smaller amounts of ethane (C2H6), propane (C3H8), &
butane (C4H10), and the toxic gas hydrogen sulfide (H2S)
typically transported in pipelines from oil fields to users

37
Q

Natural gas sources

A

Russia and Kazakhstan have almost 40% of the
world’s natural gas supply
Other countries with large reserves: Iran (15%),
Qatar (5%), Saudi Arabia (4%), Algeria (4%), United
States (3%), Nigeria (3%), Venezuela (3%)

38
Q

Natural gas sources in US

A

90–95% of natural gas used in the U.S. is domestic & the remaining 5–10% is from Canada (estimated
411,00 km = 255,00 miles of pipeline).

39
Q

Pros of Natural Gas

A

• cheaper than oil;
• reserves are more abundant than oil: 65–80 years for
U.S., 125 years for world at current consumption
rates;
• easy to transport over land by pipeline;
• burns hotter, cleaner, & produces less carbon dioxide
than other fossil fuels

40
Q

Cons of Natural Gas

A

• transport overseas requires conversion to liquid
natural gas (LNG), pressurized & highly flammable;
• pollution & environmental degradation result from
extraction, processing, transport, & use (though less
than other fossil fuels)

41
Q

Coal is composed of …

A

mostly carbon, with smaller amounts of water, sulfur &
trace amounts of radioactive
materials

42
Q

Coal is typically extracted by

A

strip mining or
underground
coal mining

43
Q

Coal

A

fossil fuel, produced from the buried remains of

swamp plants that died during the Carboniferous period (geologic era ending 286 million years ago)

44
Q

Stages in coal formation

A

Peat
Lignite
Bituminous Coal
Anthracite Coal

45
Q

Peat

A

Not a coal
Partially decayed plant matter in swamps & bods
Low heat content

46
Q

Lignite

A

Brown coal
Low heat content
Low sulfur content
Limited supplies in most areas

47
Q

Bituminous coal

A

Soft coal
Extensively used as fuel due to high heat content & large supplies
High sulfur content

48
Q

Anthracite

A

Hard coal
Highly desirable fuel because high heat content & low sulfur content
Supplies are limited

49
Q

Coal sources

A

About 66% of the world’s proven coal reserves and

85% of the estimated undiscovered deposits are in the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China.

50
Q

What percentage of commercial electricity is based on coal?

A

Coal provides about 25% of the world’s commercial

electricity (22% in U.S.)

51
Q

What percentage of global electricity is generated by goal?

A

Used to generate 64% of world’s electricity (57% in

U.S.)

52
Q

Synfuels

A

Coal can be converted into gaseous & liquid fuels

Low net energy yield

53
Q

Coal pros

A

• most abundant fossil fuel;
• U.S. has major reserves, will last 300 years at current
consumption rates;
• high net energy yield

54
Q

Coal cons

A

• dirtiest fossil fuel, in terms of air pollution & carbon
dioxide released;
• major environmental degradation that result from
extraction, processing, transport, & use;
• burning coal is major threat to human health ––
estimated to kill or cause chronic respiratory disease
for large numbers of people.

55
Q

Nuclear fission

A

nuclear change in which certain
unstable isotopes of high mass numbers split into lighter
nuclei & release energy in the process

56
Q

Nuclear fission reactors

A

produce electricity from
heat released by the fission of atoms such as
uranium–235 & plutonium–239

57
Q

Nuclear chain reaction

A

multiple fissions resulting from
a positive feedback loop in which each fission releases
neutrons that cause more fissions to occur

58
Q

Controlled fission steps

A

I - bringing fissionable atoms to critical mass
II - converting enriched uranium into fuel pellets which are then stacked into fuel rods, grouped into fuel assemblies, and lowered into reactor
III - controlling rate of fission by absorbing excess neutrons with control rods & surrounding the reaction core with coolant

59
Q

Number 2 Three Mile island explosion (1979)

near Harrisburg, PA

A

• 50,000 people evacuated & another 50,000 fled area;
• unknown amounts of radioactive materials were
released;
• partial cleanup & payment of damage claims cost $1.2
billion so far;
• 1997 concluded that increased cancer rates were
caused by released radiation

60
Q

Ukraine Chernobyl explosion (1986)

A

•In 1998 the Ukrainian health ministry reported 3,576
deaths. However, Greenpeace estimates a total
death toll of about 32,000;
•about 400,000 people were forced to leave their
homes;
•according to a UN report, some 160,000 sq
kilometers (62,00 sq miles) remain contaminated;
•over half a million people were exposed to dangerous
levels of radioactivity;
•the cost of the incident is estimated in excess of $358
billion.

61
Q

Nuclear Energy use in the US

A

Eventually phasing out
• U.S. currently only gets about 7% of energy from
nuclear power;
• no new power plants ordered since 1978; of 105
commercial nuclear power plants in U.S., 40%
expected to be retired by 2015 & all by 2030

62
Q

Nuclear Energy use in France

A

• France gets about 78% of its energy from nuclear

power plants, & views nuclear energy as essential for their future

63
Q

What contributed to the phasing out of nuclear energy?

A

• crippled by high & uncertain construction & operating
costs, billion dollar overruns;
• frequent malfunctions;
• false assurances and cover–ups by government &
industry officials;
• overproduction of energy in some areas;
• poor management;
• lack of public acceptance

64
Q

Nuclear power pros

A
  • U.S. has major reserves of uranium;
  • lower mining impacts than coal;
  • no carbon dioxide emission;
  • no air pollution/acid-forming emissions;
  • lower quantity of solid wastes
65
Q

Nuclear power cons

A

• cost high & recently rising;
• possible major release of radioactive contaminants;
• mining & processing impacts;
• radioactive wastes: short–term containment of short–lived
isotopes (now water–filled tanks); transport & long–term
containment of long–lived isotopes;
• thermal pollution

APES (26 decks)

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