ENST-105 Exam #3

What is the Mass Number?

# of Protons + # of Neutrons

What pollutants does burning Oil release?

- CO2 Production: Global Warming (43% of Global Carbon Emissions from transportation use) - NOx results in Acid Rain & Smog - Carbon Monoxide - Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Smog, a mix of stuff

How do Coal-Powered Electricity Plants work?

1) We ship coal and put it in a giant furnace that produces heat 2) The heat boils water, which creates steam 3) The steam makes the turbine spin and produce electricity - Natural Gas, Nuclear Plants, Wind, Solar, and Water all work the same way.

What is the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill? What happened?

11 million gallons of of crude oil spilled into Alaska's Prince William Sound. Was the biggest oil spill in US history until Deepwater Horizon Spill happened in 2010.

___/___ of proven natural gas reserves are in Russia & Middle East

2/3

US has ___% of the world's coal supply

25%

What fuel does do nuclear power plants use to start the chain reaction?

3% enriched U-235

Coal is responsible for ___% of global CO2 emissions

40%

Subsurface Mining accounts for ___% of mining used, while Surface Mining accounts for ___% of mining used

40%; 60%

Currently, nonrenewable fossil fuels supply over ___% of the world's commercial energy needs

80%

Per capita, energy use is still __x higher in developing countries. ______ & ______ are the biggest/capita consumers of energy

8; US & Canada

What is Bitumen?

A viscous mix of long chain hydrocarbons -> Thick oil

What is Kerogen?

A waxy mixture of hydrocarbons in oil shale

What does the SMCRA 1977 regulate?

Act states that mining companies must restore land after it has been surfaced mined. They also have to monitor the nearby streams to look for acid mine drainage. However, the new landscape isn't anything like the original ecosystem that was there

What is a Fission Chain Reaction?

An atom is split into 2 atoms of different elements

Coal releases particulates such as _____ & _____

Ash & Soot

______ ______ has the total energy highest consumption. But the ______ has the highest/capita use

Asia Pacific; USA

The _____ number NEVER changes

Atomic

The _____ number defines what the atom is and its place on the table. If this number changes, the atom is no longer that element.

Atomic

What is an Isotope?

Atoms of the same element with different # of neutrons (& mass #), but the # protons remain the same

What are some health consequences to Subsurface Mining?

Black Lung Disease & Cancer

What is Biomass Combustion Energy?

Burning of wood, peat moss, and dung, was used in the pre-industrial age, and about half of people in developing countries still use biomass combustion to heat homes/cook food. Renewable but still needs to be used sustainably.

What is CCS (Carbon Sequestration)?

Carbon Capture & Storage; Puts CO2 emissions into a solid or liquid form and then burry it underground. Now ready for current use.

Natural Gas is viewed as the cleanest fossil fuel because it only releases _____

Carbon Dioxide

Coal is a solid fossil fuel that formed from woody plant remains buried during the Coal Age, also called the _______ _______.

Carboniferous Period

What are VOCs?

Chemical compounds that form toxic fumes

After wood had its use during the Industrial Revolution, during the 1800s-1940s, what was now the main source of fuel?

Coal

_____ is the dirtiest fossil fuel out of the three.

Coal

______ releases more CO2/unit heat energy than any of the other fossil fuels

Coal

______ ______ is the main source of Mercury pollution. Mercury is persistant, bioaccumulates, and biomagnifies in the environment.

Coal Burning

_____ _____ are when seams of coal catch on fire that burn underground. They are hard to put out and can burn for hundreds of years. This can happen with both subsurface and surface mining. They also release a lot of CO2 and other toxic chemicals.

Coal Fires

______ contributse to acid rain where the rainwater is polluted and now acidic.

Coal pollutants

What makes coal attractive to use over wood and other energy sources?

Coal produces more energy/lbs than burning wood & is also cheap, abundant, but very dirty

Fossil Fuels include what three nonrenewable resources?

Coal, Oil, & Natural Gas

______ also releases Radioactive Material that releases ___x more than a nuclear plant

Coal; 100x

Inudstrial Revolution primarily used _____ as the main energy source, while modern day, we use ______.

Coal; Crude Oil/Petroleum

What is Spent Fuel. What is the issue with spent fuel?

Concentrated U-235 that isn't enough to fuel the centrifuge, so needs to be removed and stored somewhere. Highly deadly, radioactive, also has plutonium. We need to find long term storage for it because it's so radioactive and deadly.

What is the nucleus in an atom?

Contains the protons and neutrons

The MIddle East is known to have more ______ oil reserves

Conventional

What are the drawbacks of Hydraulic Fracturing?

Dangerous for groundwater and air pollution. Exempt from Safe Drinking Water Act as well. Not great for human health.

During the Coal Age, carbon dioxide ______ during this age because lots of photosynthesis was occurring. This brought temperatures ______. The Rise of Dinosaurs followed.

Decreased; down

Why is energy use increasing?

Demographic Transition (3-->4) & Population Growth

What is Diesel Fuel? Is it dirtier or cleaner than other options?

Diesel fuel is heavier, less refined, dirtier when burned, and releases more pollutants such as SOx and NOx.

All living and nonliving things are composed of _____

Elements

What is Nonrenewable Energy?

Energy sources that are finite and cannot be quickly nor easily replenished

What is Renewable Energy?

Energy sources that can continously be replenished

What is Combustion Energy?

Energy when you burn something

What does Nuclear Energy use to provide the heat source for energy?

Fission Chain Reactions

How are Oil and Natural Gas formed?

From the pressure-cooked remains of plankton that lived 100-500 million years ago

Over 92% of coal burned in the US is used for ______ ______.

Generating Electricity

What are Slurry Ponds?

Hold the wastewater from washing coal, creates so much toxic sludge. They build a pond with a dam, but that dam can sometimes break.

What is Half-Life?

In years, the average time it takes for 1/2 of the radioisotope to decay. Atoms decay at different rates. Once it decays, it is safe to be around and stable

During the Coal Age, oxygen______ during this age because little cellular respiration was occurring.

Increased

Globally, commerical energy use is ______ as the human population increases and developing countries (India & China) modernize

Increasing

In the late 1800s, what 3 things were discovered that allowed oil to take off and push for automobiles and planes?

Internal Combustion Engines, Oil Drilling, & Oil Refinery

What are some environment consequences of Subsurface Mining?

Land Subsidence & Coal Fires (which can also occur during surface mining too)

Molecules at the top of the tower are more or less refined? Are they at room temperature?

Liquids at room temperature are highly refined, at the top of the tower, and cleaner when burned.

Coal has pockets of ______ that were produced during the decomposition process. Mining releases this and can be highly explosive, this is also odorless.

Methane

Natural Gas is essentially _____

Methane

Although natural gas is seen as the cleaner fossil fuel, it is mainly methane. What is the issue with methane and greenhouse gases?

Methane is the second GHG emitter and is 20-70x MORE potent GHG than CO2. So if too much methane leaks from natural gas combustions, environmental benefits are lost

The _____ _____ countries has 50% of worldwide oil reserves

Middle Eastern (Persian Gulf)

Although subsurface mining is less damaging to the environment, it is more/less dangerous for workers.

More dangerous, workers face risks of black lung disease and cancer

Nuclear Energy doesn't use combustion, therefore, does it emit any GHG or CO2?

NO, which is a benefit of Nuclear Energy, no pollutants are released.

Explain which molecules are at the top of the oil refining tower and which are at the bottom? What is the problem with molecules at the bottom?

Natural Gas and Gasoline are highly refined and at the top of the tower. Whereas Asphault, Lubricants and Diesel are at the bottom. These oils are less refined than regular gas and have more pollutants because it's part of what's left at the bottom. It's heavier and dirtier when burned, also releases more particulates, SOx, and NOx.

Do Electrons have a positive or negative charge? What is its mass?

Negative; mass = 0

Do Neutrons have a positive or negative charge? What is its mass?

No Charge! Mass = 1

Nuclear Energy is a ______ source

Nonrenewable

What is Extreme Drilling?

Oil companies are drilling in increasingly remote and risky places such as deepwater ocean drilling and possibility of drilling in the Arctic

What is a Control Rod in a Nuclear Power Plant?

On/Off switch and absorbs the neutrons to shut down the reaction

Crude Oil is also known as _____

Petroleum

What is the issue with Carbon Monoxide?

Poisonous gas released from combusting oil that is odorless but deadly

Do Protons have a positive or negative charge? What is its mass?

Positive, mass =1

During the ______ ______ age, agricultural societies were based on human and animal muscle power, wind, water, & biomass as energy sources. These were relatively renewable energy sources.

Pre-Industrial

What is the process of Oil Refining?

Process separates hydrocarbons based on size and bioling point in distillation towers. Lower boiling points are cleaner because they get more refined. Natural Gas purely contains methane and nothing else, which is why it's clean to burn.

The _____ _____ leads to air pollutation and is energy intensive

Refinery Process

Subsufrace Mining uses a technique called ______ & ______ to mine the coal

Room & Pillar

Coal releases acid deposition such as ______ & ______

SOx (sulfur oxide) & NOx (nitrogen oxide) that creates sulfuric and nitrogen acid

What are Tar Sands?

Sands composed of sand + shale particulates coated with bitumen, a viscous mix of long chain hydrocarbons. Energy Intensive & Expensive

What are Oil Shales?

Sedimentary rock rich in Kerogen, contains pockets of oil and gas. Not as popular as the other unconventional oil source, tar sands. Produces 2x as much CO2/unit of energy as conventional oil. Fracking.

What is Reprocessing?

Separating the components of spent fuel from plutonium to the rest

What is Decommissioning/Mothballing?

Shutting down a nuclear power plant because it's too fragile now. Adds to expenses

Nitrogen Oxide especially contributes to ______ a classification of air pollution and a result of oil combustion.

Smog

Burning coal releases additional toxic chemicals called ______ which contribute to air pollution and are a big problem

Soot

During the Industrial Revolution (late 1700's), what was invented? What energy source did it primarily use?

Steam Engine was invented, which burned wood as fuel to create steam that drove energy

What two methods does Surface Mining use?

Strip Mines & Moutain Top Removal

Venezuela and Canada are known to have _____ _____ that are more unconventional sources of oil

Tar Sands

What is Hydraulic Fracturing?

The fracking for "tight oil and gas" in shale deposits. Inside these shale deposits are pockets of oil and natural gas that are tightly in there and must be pressurized to break the rocks apart.

What is the Atomic Number?

The number of Protons of the element.

What is Enrichment?

The process of concentrating U-235 using Centrifuge Technology

What are Petrochemicals? What are examples?

The raw material (OIL) for plastics, paint, medicines, synthetic fibers (nylon), pesticides, fertilizers, and industrial chemicals. When prices of oil goes up, so does everything else!

What is an Atom?

The smallest possible unit of an element

What is signficicant about these countries?: USA, Russia, China, India, Australia, Germany, & South Africa

They have the most coal reserves

What are Containment Buildings?

Thick and super strong, keeps radiation safe; accidental meltdowns are contained

While nuclear energy, coal, natural gas, and even renewables are used for electricity, oil is primarily used for ______.

Transportation

T/F Fracking is allowed because these oil companies are excluded in the Safe Drinking Water Act

True

What is U-235 equaution when it undergoes a fission chain reaction?

U-235 à X + Y + Several Neutrons + HEAT

What is the one benefit of Hydraulic Fracturing?

US reliance on petroleum imports have declined greatly due to the increase in domestic supply mostly because of fracking. The US is now a net exporter of oil.

What are Radioisotopes?

Unstable isotopes that will decay spontaneously and release a form of energy called radiation (C-14 will shed its neutron and become C-13 which is stable)

______ is used in nuclear power plants, it's heavy and dense.

Uranium

Why is water necessary for fission chain reactions to take place? What other function does water serve in a nuclear power plant?

Water makes the neutrons fly at the right speed for reaction to take place. Water is also a coolant to remove some heat from reaction

Surface Mining contributes to ______ pollution. And is allowed to still occur because mining waste is called "______ ______" that isn't technically considered a pollutant.

Water; "Fill Material"

What is the idea around a "bridge fuel?"

We can use natural gas or even nuclear energy that's less damaging to the environment as we switch to alternatives

What are neutral atoms?

Where # of Electrons = # of Protons

What is the electron shell in an atom?

Where electrons circle around the nucleus

What is the Deepwater Horizon Spill? (aka BP Oil Spill)

Where they drilled a mile down in the ocean, explosion on a rig spilled 5 billion barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and took over 4 months to plug, largest accidental marine oil spill

In subsurface mining, Coal Seams are where the.... And Pillar are the...

Woody plant concentrations are; Pillars are the coal left behind so the mine doesn't collapse. 50% is left behind.