Practice Quiz (9.1, 9.2)
At best, about how much oil can be ultimately extracted from a conventional well using primary, secondary, and tertiary production techniques?
75%
Compare natural gas to oil in terms of advantages and disadvantages.
Also oil and natural gas are used to create useful fuel products, as well as a wide variety of industrial products. Natural gas is a cleaner fuel and oil, releasing less air pollution when burned, by natural gas is order to ship and store the oil. Boil has the added disadvantage of causing severe environmental damage if spilled during shipping or extraction. Natural gas leaks are dangerous and could lead to explosions, but they also contribute up on greenhouse of gas to the atmosphere methane.
What are some of the community impacts, both good and bad, of mountaintop removal (MTR) mining in Appalachia?
An advantage of MTR to the community would be local jobs provided by the mining operation, which could boost the local economy. Disadvantages include extreme environmental damage increased risk of health problems from contaminated air and water, and decreased property values. If subsurface mining sites are closed or downsized due to competition from MTR mining, more jobs could be lost than created.
About how much of the energy in the United States is currently supplied by fossil fuels?
Around 80%
Coal can be used to generate electricity by:
Burning the call to make steam, which turns a generator that makes electricity.
What is carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and why is it done? What are the pros and cons of the process?
Carbon capture and sequestration is a process whereby industrial facilities that normally release seal 2 into the atmosphere prevent its release and instead capture historic period in one model, as the waste gases expelled, it travels through this woman that binds to seal two. The solvent in CO2 are separated, and some of the CO2 can be used by industry to carbonate beverages, etc. The remaining Celsius piped deep underground into all the oil wells, on my unminable call scenes, or deep salt formations. The process is necessary because CL two is a primary greenhouse gas, and this could decrease coal contributions to climate change. The main cons are the expense of the process and the fact that extra energy is required the process estimates range from 25 to 40% more energy to power the process.
What role do conservation and diversification of energy sources play in achieving energy security or independence?
Conservation is helpful in achieving energy security or independence because it reduces the amount of energy needed, making it easier to meet needs with availability energy sources . Diversification is also key, since this provides more energy options, reducing the need to rely on one or two energy sources to meet needs. The more sources assessed, the less each one needs to contribute to the energy supply.
Describe the process of conventional oil extraction, including primary production, secondary production, and tertiary production.
Conventional oil is found underground beneath several layers of rock and may have layers natural gas above it. A well is drilled into the oil. Initially, a small amount of oil flows freely up the pipe, because it is released from the pressure of the overlying rock; This is referred to as the primary production period to force all additional oil, wells are drilled near to the oil reservoir and water is pumped underground to increase the pressure on the red oil reservoir, allowing the oil to be pumped to the surface this is secondary production and can extract 20 to 40% of the reservoirs oil. Eventually, as the supply of oil declines, steam or carbon dioxide are pumped underground to further increased pressure. This is tourte reproduction, which may extract 50% of the oil in the reservoir.
Which of the following is an example of the United States achieving energy independence?
Depending only on domestically harvested energy sources
Explain the concept of energy return on energy investment (EROEI) and explain its significance.
EROEI is an accounting of the amount of energy needed to produce usable energy for a fuel source. The higher the ER OEI, the better more energy is produced per unit of energy expended than fuels with low EROPI. An energy source that is abundant, per requires a lot of energy to access or convert to usable energy, may produce less usable energy than one that is less abundant but easier to convert to usable energy.
What energy sources are used to produce electricity, and how do they compare in terms of EROEI?
Electricity is commonly produced by burning coal or natural gas in a nuclear reactor or with solar, wind, or hydroelectric systems. Hydroelectric has the highest EROEI, whereas nuclear has the lowest. Wind, cold, and solar have similar EROEI, but there is more variability in wind and solar some of these systems may have much higher EROEI, while others would be less efficient with lower EROEI.
Clean coal (syngas):
Eliminates the hazards associated with coal burning.
An advantage of subsurface (underground) coal mining is that it:
Employs more people than surface mining techniques.
Burning any fossil fuel generates air pollution, but natural gas is regarded as the fossil fuel that releases the most air pollution when burned.
False
Coal formed in areas where plant matter was buried in high oxygen environments that triggered accelerated decomposition.
False
Fracking uses a lot of water, but the wastewater produced is either recycled and used again or purified and pumped back into aquifers.
False
Underground deposits that have oil or natural gas are known as conventional reserves.
False
Explain the importance of fossil fuels to modern society.
Fossil fuels powered the industrial revolution that gave rise to modern society. Almost everything we do today requires fossil fuel inputs, and we cannot abandon them until we change our machinery and our infrastructure to accommodate different sources of energy.
Why is the United States so interested in extracting tight oil from shale deposits?
He has abundant supplies that can be extracted with current technology.
The formation of fossil fuels requires that buried organic matter be exposed to ________ over a long period of time.
High heat and temperatures
Why is coal mine restoration more difficult at an Appalachian MTR site than at a Wyoming strip mine?
In Wyoming, the flatland allows minors to stockpile the overburden and topsoil and replace it after the coal seam is exhausted. It can then be replaced and vegetation similar to what was removed is replatted. However, and end MTR site, there is no place to store the vast quantities of overburden soil . The very contour of the Mount is altered, because it is not visible to rebuild the mountain, even if the overburden was retrievable. In addition, the natural ecosystem was forest common aggressive, but the soil that remains will not easily support trees, and the complexity of the Boris cannot be replicated.
Explain the process of fracking. Why is fracking used for some oil and natural gas reserves and not others?
In fracking, while is bored to the level of the shale deposit containing the oil or gas, and then horizontally drilled another mile or so. Still pipe is placed in the wellbore an encased in concrete. Explosive charges are set off in the horizontal wellbore to fracture the rock formation, and then a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals pumped in under high pressure to flush out oil and gas. The fracking fluid also comes back up; If it is not reused, it must be disposed of as hazardous waste, it must be disposed of as a hazardous waste, usually via injection deep into the ground at a nearby site. Fracking is used to access deep deposits of oil and natural gas that are widely dispersed in impermeable rock formations and can be extracted with a normal oil/ gas well.
Which of the following is NOT true about coal?
It is difficult to transport.
What is the correct definition of fossil fuel proven reserves?
Known sources of fossil fuels that are both economically and technologically recoverable
Some homeowners suspect that methane-contaminated water is linked to nearby fracking wells. If this is true, which of the following is the likely source of this contamination?
Leaky pipes near groundwater supplies
Why is oil the cause of geopolitical tensions around the world?
Oil is vitally important to modern society, but not evenly distributed around the planet, so not every area can be its needs with local sources . This gives those nations that have large reservoirs political power over this coveted resource.
Which of the following is an example of reclamation?
Replanting the site of mountaintop removal with grass and pine trees
The two categories of energy, identified by their end use, that we use in modern society are ___________ and _____________ sources.
Stationary, mobile
How do subsurface and mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia compare in terms of jobs, health risks for workers, and environmental impacts on the nearby community?
Strip mining on flat ground is not as destructive because the surrounding area is not as damaged as it is in mountaintop removal. When strip mining on flat ground, the overburden can be placed nearby and retrieved after the coal seam is depleted but in MTR, overburden is dumped down the mountain into the Valley below. This permanently damages both the mountain and the Valley.
How does strip mining on flat ground compare to strip mining in mountainous areas in terms of environmental damage?
Subsurface mining employees more workers and MTR. MTR is safer for the worker, but not for the surrounding community; It does more damage to the area around the mine and leaves behind the very different ecosystem. Subsurface mining is more dangerous for the workers, impact on the surrounding community and ecosystem. Both mining methods can lead to the production of acid mine drainage as water washes through mined areas, picking up acidic compounds, but this is more of a problem with the subsurface minds, including mine shafts that are closed or no longer used.
Which unconventional oil source currently being commercially produced has the lowest EROEI and the highest carbon footprint?
Tar sands oil
Why is coal considered a finite resource?
The process of coal formation occurs on geologic time scale millions of years period this means no more coal be produced on a time scale that is relevant to our use. Therefore, the coal that currently exists is all we can depend on, making a finite resource
If oil and natural gas are formed from once-living organisms, why are they considered to be nonrenewable resources?
They are considered non renewable because we use them much faster than they are made.
Surface strip mining techniques are used when:
Thick coal seams are close to the surface in relatively flat areas.
Explain the potential risks associated with shipping tight oil.
Tight oil is very volatile and explosive, making shipping it dangerous period but train derailment of tight oil shipment resulted in a deadly explosion that leveled the town and killed 49 people. Other forms of crude oil are not as explosive and would be less likely to explode if a similar accident occurred.
Catastrophic oil spills like the Deepwater Horizon accident are rare but environmentally devastating.
True
If we paid the true costs of using fossil fuels like coal, the price of our electricity would likely go up.
True
Natural gas can be found in deposits with or without oil.
True
Which of the following areas have the largest coal reserves?
United States, Russia, and Australia
What health problems are associated with coal burning?
Water pollution of toxic substances can contribute to a wide variety of health problems, depending on the toxin. Air pollution can directly impact the respiratory system. Overall health impacts from air and water pollution include birth defects and long, hard, and kidney disease. There is also the danger of being hit by falling rocks and debris.
Distinguish between the actions a country might take when pursuing energy security versus energy independence.
When pursuing energy security, and nation would look internally and to friendly allies to provide needed energy supplies. For energy independence, however, a nation's energy would need to be generated domestically, in that nation.
Which problems associated with the traditional use of coal are not addressed by using clean coal technologies?
While clean coal burns cleaner, all the problems associated with the mining of coal remain you still have to get the coal.
Compare the environmental problems produced from extracting oil to those produced from burning oil.
environmental damage from extraction of oil is far reaching and includes habitat damage from developing the extraction site, as well as air and water pollution associated with the activities of drilling, fracking , or tar sands mining. When oil is burned, more air pollution is generated; This can contribute to water pollution as air curtains fall out of the air and enter water bodies period habitat destruction is not over when oil is burned, but rather results from water pollution, or from the air and water pollution driven loss of species that impact habitat.
