CHAPTER 9 - Nonrenewable Energy Sources

Define reserves

- a known deposit that can be economically extracted using current technology, under certain economic conditions

1. how Coal is made

1. Coal 300 million years ago, plant material began collecting underwater, initiating decay, forming a spongy mass of organic material. Pressure and heat over time transformed the organic matter into coal.

Understand the basics of a nuclear plant

1. Control rods made of a non-fissionable material (boron, graphite) are lowered into the reactor to absorb neutrons and control the rate of fission. The two most common are uranium-235 and plutonium-239

2. A moderator is a substance that absorbs energy, which slows neutrons, enabling them to split the nuclei of other atoms more effectively.

3. Water and graphite are the most commonly used. Coolant, usually water, manages the heat produced

Define uranium

A heavy, naturally occurring, radioactive element

Be able to describe tidal power

As water flows from a higher level to a lower level, it can be used to spin an electricity-generating turbine. Since tidal changes of roughly 16 feet are needed to produce practical amounts of power, suitable sites are limited. A new style, submerged turbine tidal generator is being developed in the Philippines

Know the major kinds of renewable energy sources.

Biomass conversion Hydroelectric power Solar energy Wind energy Geothermal energy Tidal power

How Oil and Natural gas are made

Both probably originated from microscopic marine organisms that accumulated on the ocean floor and were covered by sediments

Fuelwood

Due to intense population growth, an estimated 1.3 billion people cannot get enough fuelwood, or are using it faster than rate of regeneration. It is a source of air pollution and particulate matter.

Chernobyl is a small city in Ukraine, north of Kiev. It is the site of the world's largest nuclear accident, which occurred April 26, 1986.

Experiments were being conducted in a reactor. Operators violated six important safety rules. They shut off all automatic warning systems, automatic shutdown systems, and the emergency core cooling system for the reactor.

Anthracite

Has the highest carbon content, and is relatively rare. It is used primarily in heating buildings and for specialty uses.

Lignite

High moisture, low energy, crumbly, least desirable form

The Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania experienced a partial core meltdown on March 28, 1979.

It began with pump and valve malfunction, but operator error compounded the problem. The containment structure prevented the release of radioactive materials from the core, but radioactive steam was vented into the atmosphere. The crippled reactor was defused in 1990 at a cost of about $1 billion. Placed in monitored storage until its companion reactor reaches the end of its useful life.

natural gas transport and issue

It is hard to transport , but new transportation methods are being developed. Liquefaction at -126o F (1/600 volume of gas) The public is concerned about the safety of LNG loading facilities so they are located offshore. It is the least environmentally damaging fossil fuel. It causes almost no air pollution just odor problems and danger of fire exposer

Bituminous

Low moisture, high carbon content Used in power plants and other industry such as steel making. Most widely used because it is easiest to mine and the most abundant, supplying 20% of the world's energy requirements.

Sub-bituminous

Lower moisture, higher carbon than lignite. Used as fuel for power plants.

Crop residues and animal wastes:

Materials left over following the harvest of a crop (e.g., straw and stalks) can be used as biomass fuel. Animal dung is dried and burned or processed in anaerobic digesters to provide a burnable gas.

coal issue

Mining creates dust pollution. Burning coal releases pollutants (carbon and sulfur). Sulfur leads to acid mine drainage Mercury is released into the air when coal is burned. Increased amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide are implicated in global warming. Also cause land distrubance and acid mine drainage

What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, and be able to give examples of each

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Define nuclear chain reaction.

Nuclear chain reaction, splitting nuclei release neutrons, which themselves strike more nuclei, in turn releasing, even more, neutrons.

Define radiation

Nuclear disintegration releases energy from the nucleus

oil issues

Oil Spills Accidental spills only account for about 1/3 of oil pollution resulting from shipping. 60% comes from routine shipping operations.

Renewable energy

Renewable energy sources replenish themselves or are continuously present as a feature of the environment. Solar, geothermal, tidal, etc.

Fukushima Dai-ichi

The Fukushima nuclear power plant was damaged on March 11, 2011, following a magnitude nine earthquake and tsunami. Heat exchangers were damaged, power to the site was cut off, and the diesel generators designed to provide power in an emergency were flooded and stopped operating. Explosions, fires, and leaks in the cooling system released radiation into the atmosphere and sea water

2. Solid waste

The burning of solid waste only makes economic sense when the cost of waste disposal is taken into account. Using municipal waste as a source of energy: Reduces landfill volume. Requires large volume and dependable supply, and must be sorted. Produces air pollution, including pollutants not found in other forms of biomass.

Define radioactive.

The nuclei of certain atoms are unstable and spontaneously decompose. These isotopes are half-life

Know the four types of biomass, how they are used, which ones are in greatest demand, and which are becoming more scarce.

There are several sources of biomass energy: Fuelwood Municipal and industrial wastes Agricultural crop residues and animal wastes Energy plantations Biomass is still the predominant form of energy used by people in less-developed countries. It accounts for 10% of world energy use.

Be able to describe issues (both health and environmental) related to nuclear plants

When alpha or beta particles or gamma radiation interact with atoms, ions are formed. Therefore, it is known as ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation affects DNA and can cause mutations and produces radiation and the waste products

Define resources

a naturally occurring substance of use to humans that can potentially be extracted using current technology

how coal is transported

by trains or ship

2. Beta radiation

consists of electrons from the nucleus. It can be stopped by a layer of clothing, glass, or aluminum

1. Alpha radiation

consists of moving particles composed of two neutrons and two protons. It can be stopped by the outer layer of skin

A nuclear reactor

is a device that permits a controlled fission chain reaction

3. Gamma radiation

is a form of electromagnetic radiation. It can pass through your body, several centimeters of lead, or a meter of concrete.

Define nuclear power.

it is from uranium that is obtained by mining and is a non-renewable source

Define nuclear fission

massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy

Define underground mining

minimizes surface disturbance, but is costly and dangerous. is a vertical shaft that allows togo underground to mine

Be familiar with the occurrences of nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukushima Dai-ichi.

net side

Know the four different types of coal, their description, and how they are used.

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Know the list of fossil fuels and how they are formed, Be able to describe issues (both health and environmental) related to the use of fossil fuels. how it is shipped

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Be able to describe acid mine drainage.

occurs when the combination action of oxygen, water, and certain bacteria causes the sulfur in coal to form sulfuric acid and is seep out of the vein of the coal even before coal is mined

Nonrenewable energy

sources are those whose resources are being used faster than can be replenished. Fossil Fuels ( supply 80% of world's commercial energy) Coal Nuclear Power Oil Natural gas

Define surface mining

strip mining involves removing the material location on top of a vein of coal called overburned

. Energy plantations:

sugar beets, sugar cane, corn, grains, kelp, and palm oil Two factors determine whether a crop is suitable for energy use: Good energy crops have a very high yield of dry material per unit of land. The amount of energy that can be produced from a biomass crop must be more than the amount of energy required to grow a crop.

Know the three types of radiation, the damage they can cause, and what we can do to protect ourselves from them.

the three major types are

Define biomass.

the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume

oil tranpsort

though pipes and oil tankers

what are the two most common are uranium

uranium-235 and plutonium-239