Chapter 16 Energy

passive solar energy

. In a house with southern exposure in the northern hemisphere, use of overhangs that block in summer but allow the sunlight in winter to warm up the building is an example of ancient temple architecture photovoltaics power tower systems poor building design passive solar energy active solar energy

alpha, beta, and gamma particles

. What kinds of emissions come from the decay of a radioactive element?

meltdown

A nuclear accident in which the nuclear fuel becomes so hot that it forms a molten mass that breaches the containment structures of the reactor and contaminates the outside environment with radioactivity

30%

Approximate efficiency of an average coal-fired power plant? 1% 5% 10% 30% 50% 95% 100%

northern hemisphere

As a result of the Chernobyl accident, over what region were measurable amounts of radiation detected?

2nd law of thermodynamics

As energy is converted, its quality is lowered (usually to heat) and its ability to do work decreases. As energy is converted, entropy increases. Energy cannot be recycled within a system.

watt

Basic unit of power, which is the rate at which energy is used

high level waste

Commercial and military spent nuclear fuel, nuclear weapons material Highly toxic

thermal pollution

Compared to a coal-fired power plant that produces the same amount of energy, a nuclear power plant generates more lint Republicans Democrats CO2 SO2 fly ash particulates thermal pollution

allowance trading

EPA grants tradable allowances for polluting to utilities that burn coal. (One allowance is good for up to 1 ton of sulfur dioxide emissions per year)

19 lbs

Each gallon of gas you burn in your car produces _____ of CO2 in the atmosphere

examples of kinetic energy (motion)

Electrical (e- moving) Mechanical (wind, waterfalls) Heat (molecules, atoms)

1st law of thermodynamics

Energy can not be created or destroyed (it can be converted or transferred)

heat flow

Energy is transferred from one object to another as the result of a temperature difference

nuclear uranium

Energy source that occurs naturally in bedrock and leads to the formation of radon?

oil

Energy source whose currently proven global reserves are expected to be largely exhausted within the next 50-90 years?

examples of potential energy (stored)

Gravitational (water behind a dam, car at the top of a hill) Chemical (gasoline in a car's fuel tank, food you eat) Nuclear (in the nuclei of atoms) Elastic

Steam turns a turbine, which is connected to a generator (coil of wire within a magnetic field) then generates electricity

How is electricity made from nuclear fission?

Some isotopes decay in hours or even minutes, but others decay very slowly.

How long does nuclear waste last? (Give examples for a range for different radioactive materials found in nuclear waste)

transuranic waste

Human-made radioactive elements heavier than uranium Contaminated industrial trash Plutonium has a 250,000 year half life Buried in salt mines in Carlsbad, New Mexico

chemical bond

In ecosystems energy can be stored in the form of______ energy.

NO

Is nuclear power generation a significant producer of CO2 and other global warming gases?

Intense radiation is lethal and kills organisms directly Mutations (teratogenic effects) Cancer

List 3 environmental effects of radiation

Increased cancer rates Mutations Acute - nausea, vomiting, hair loss, diarrhea, hemorrhage, death

List 3 human health effects of radiation

low level nuclear waste

Low quantities of radioactivity Not presenting a significant environmental hazard if properly handled. Waste from chemical processing, slightly contaminated equipment, etc. Has been buried in near surface burial, but has caused contamination of groundwater

on site (nuclear reactor sites)

Most high level radioactive waste is currently stored where?

advantages to nuclear energy

No air pollutants No CO2 Potentially a large energy source Fusion (breeder reactors) would be inexhaustible

yucca mountain

ONLY SITE being considered for disposal of high level nuclear waste.

combustion reaction

Occurs when a chemical bond is broken

nuclear reaction

Occurs when the nucleus of an atom is broken apart

radioactive isotope

One of two or more species of the same chemical element (having the same number of protons in the nucleus, but differing in the number of neutrons) capable of changing spontaneously into another element by the emission of charged particles from its nucleus.

disadvantages to nuclear energy

Radioactive waste disposal (long half-life) Expensive, and takes a lot of time to get going Liability Unpopular Thermal pollution Reactor safety

Boiling points of the components

Refining of crude oil is accomplished primarily by taking advantage of differences in what property of the components?

primary production

Simply pumping the oil from the wells Recovers only 25%

large tidal range

So, what one factor, more than others, determines the suitability of tidal power for a coastal site? the size of the waves sediment supply and transport the frequency of tides large tidal range size and frequency of storm events

secondary or enhanced recovery

Steam, water, or chemicals (CO2, N2) injected into the oil reservoir to push the oil towards the wells, where it can be more easily recovered 2. Up to 60% recovery

how coal is made

Terrestrial and wetland vegetation Buried in sedimentary rock about 300 million years ago during the carboniferous period Peat intense heat and pressure coal

half life

The average time it takes for ½ the amount of a substance to disappear (or transform to another isotope)

radiation

The process in which energy is emitted as particles or waves

high tides, low tides, and or rising and falling tides

Tidal power systems are designed to generate electricity during:

Curie (Ci) Becquerel (Bq)

Two units that measure the activity or radioactive decay, which is the transformation (disintegration) rate of a radioactive substance:

rad and gray

Units that measure this energy are

Oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear

What are the Energy sources that are not renewable?

the core contains always just the right amount of fuel for optimal energy production

What are the primary advantages of a pebble-bed reactor?

Political sentiment Uncertainty/concern: reactor safety radioactive nuclear waste Liability

What are the primary reasons that no commercial nuclear reactors have been built in the U.S. in many years?

They transform waste or low grade uranium into fissionable material

What do breeder reactors do?

biomass

What is an Energy source whose use is a direct cause of deforestation?

Coal

What is the Energy source primarily responsible for acid rain in the northeast United States ?

To absorb neutrons and thus regulate the rate of fission (and the amount of energy generated)

What is the function of the control rods?

700 millionyrs

What is the half life of uranium 235

fossil fuels

What is the main source of energy for developed countries?

current technology is insufficient

What is the primary reason that fusion is not used to produce any electricity

water "moderates" or slows down neutrons emitted by radioactive decay

What role does water serve within the core of most commercial nuclear reactors?

coal

Which energy source supplies the majority of electrical power generation in the U.S.?

natural gas

Which fossil fuel energy source emits fewer pollutants ?

The United States

Which of the following has the largest proven reserves of coal? South America Japan New Zealand Southern Europe The United States Australia Indonesia Africa

High R Value

Which provides better insulation to increase the energy efficiency in a house? low R-value high R-value

absorbed dose

a physical quantity, which represents the energy imparted by radiation onto an absorbing material.

strip mining

a surface mining process in which the overlying layer of soil and rock is stripped off to reach the coal.

dose equivalent

an expression of dose in terms of its biological effect. DE takes account of the fact that, for a given absorbed dose, such as 1 Gray, a radiation of one type and/or energy may give rise to a greater biological effect than a radiation of another type and/or energy.

joule

basic unit of energy

fossil fuels

coal, oil, and natural gas are examples of

peat

decayed plant material

oil shale

fine-grained sedimentary rock containing organic matter

uses for coal

fuel for generating electricity in power plants coke which is used to make steel synfuel to produce liquid fuels such as gasoline

uses for petrolleum

fuel for transportation: gasoline, diesel, jet fuel fuel for generating electricity in power plants cleaning solvents plastics: bakelite, rayon, cellophane, nylon, PVC, Teflon, polyethylene, Velcro, silly putty, Styrofoam (polystyrene), surfboards, etc. asphalt for pavement paraffin wax for candles and cosmetics organic (carbon-based) agricultural products: fertilizers, pesticides (like DDT), herbicides photographic film

low quality energy

is disorganized or dispersed and has little ability to do work. Example: heat in the ocean. All of the heat in the ocean is probably greater than all the heat available in all of the oil deposits on Earth, but because energy in the ocean is so dispersed, it isn't very useful for performing work. (Like a $1000 gift card, but every time you use it a fee is charged)

radioactive decay (radioactivity)

is the property of some atoms that causes them to spontaneously give off energy as particles or rays.

examples of radiant energy

light, heat

fissionable

meaning that it starts a nuclear reaction and keeps it going.

surface mining

open pit mining

high quality energy

organized or concentrated and can perform useful work. Examples are sunlight, electricity, coal, oil, gasoline, nuclei of uranium 235

tar sands

sedimentary rocks impregnated with tar oil, asphalt, or bitumen

british themal units ( BTU)

the basic unit of energy in the English system. Like measuring distance using inches.

fusion

the joining together of two molecules of hydrogen (H) to form helium (He)

conduction

transfer of energy from particle to particle; needs direct contact

convection

transfer of energy via currents: air or water

coal bed methane

trapped in coal beds (on surface of organic matter in coal)

cogeneration

use the bi-products of energy generation, like waste heat (as in steam) from an industrial process or the use of steam from electric power generation as a source of heat.

U-238 U-235 U-234

what are the 3 isotopes of uranium

sievert and rems

what are the units to measuring dose equivalent?

ionizing radiation

what do radioactive ions emit when they decay?

5730 years

what is the half life of carbon 14?

1.25 billion years

what is the half life of potassium 40?

4.5 billion years

what is the half life of uranium 238

2 protons, 2 neutrons, paper

what makes up alpha particles and what can they be shielded by?

an electron, block of wood, sheet of aluminum

what makes up beta particles and what can they be shielded by?

high energy radiation, thick concrete wall, lead

what makes up gamma particles and what can they be shielded by?

fission

when a large atom splits into 2 smaller ones

U- 235

whet type of uranium do nuclear power plants use?

US russia china

which three countires have the greatest reserves of fossil fuels?

methane hydrates

white, ice-like compound made up of methane gas molecules trapped in ice cages. Beneath and on seafloor with high pressures and low temperatures (and in permafrost areas) Large potential energy source Very deep and beyond current drilling technologies