Chapter 9: Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Energy

Strip mining

A coal extraction technique in which overburden is removed from a long strop of land, exposing a coal steam -once the coal is removed, material from an adjacent strop is used to fill the excavation

Nuclear Energy

A form of energy released when the nucleus of an atom breaks apart (nuclear fission), or when the nuclei of two atoms fuse (nuclear fusion)

Primary Energy

A form of energy that requires only extraction or capture for use Ex. Coal, crude oil, wind (grew by 44% between 1998 and 2014)

Petroleum (crude oil)

A mixture of hydrocarbons contained in sedimentary rocks of marine origin; developed from the accumulated remains of algae on the sea floor over millions of years -most familiar form known as gasoline

Enrichment

A nuclear proces in which uranium-235 is separated from less valuable uranium-238

Acid Mine drainage

A problematic result of strip mining, in which surface flow of groundwater turns acidic as it percolates through mine wastes (tailings)

Nuclear Fission

A process in which the bonds holding the protons and neutrons that make up the nucleus of an atom are broken, resulting in the release of a large quantity of energy

Nuclear Fusion

A process in which the nuclei of two atoms fuse to form a new type of atom, releasing large amounts of energy -provides the fuel of stars (including our sun) and is the basis for one type of atomic weapon -doesn't require uranium or other rare radioactive materials -Only requires hydrogen

reclamation

A process that restores an ecosystem to its natural structure and functioning prior to mining or to an economically usable state

Moderator

A substance (most commonly pressurized water) used in a nuclear reactor to reduce the speed at which neutrons travel

Kerogen

A waxy substance found in shale and other sedimentary rocks that yields oil when heated -occurs during an intermediate stage of petroleum formation (with increasing heat and temperature applied over the course of millions of years, kerogen was converted to crude oil)

Fracking (hydraulic fracturing)

An extraction technique that involved drilling horizontally into a rock formation and pumping in a mixture of fluids and sands to fracture it, thus creating a path through which natural gas or oil can flow out

Mountaintop removal mining

An extremely destructive coal mining proactive that involves clear cutting of the forests on a mountain and adjacent stream valleys -miners then use explosive to break up the rock overlying the coal deposit, depositing it in the adjacent valleys, which are buried as the coal is exposed *Appalachian Mountains*

Hydrocarbon

An organic molecule made up of carbon and hydrogen only -the simplest hydrocarbon is methane (CH4) the main component of natural gas -This is what crude oil is a mixture of

Fly ash

By-product of coal burning, stored in open ponds and landfills -Approx. 140 million tons of this and other waste are produced from coal burning in the US every year

Internal Combustion Engine

Engine in which combustion directly drives a set of pistons or turbines hooked up to a crank arm -Ex. most commonly used in cars, boats, and jet airplanes

Gas turbine engine

Engine that burns natural gas, sending a hot, high-pressure stream of gas through a turbine connected to an electrical generator

Fossil Fuels

Fossilized organic material, mainly the remains of ancient photosynthetic organisms that converted the Sun's radiant energy into chemical energy -Ex. coal, oil, natural gas

10.3 barrels (433 billion gallons)

How many barrels does the wildlife Refuge in Alaska (the largest protected wilderness in the US) have of oil

70

How many coal-ash pollution sites around the country did the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) list?

15 countries

How many countries control more than 90% of the world's known oil reserves

3 countries -Russia -Iran -Qatar

How many countries control over 50% of the town reserves of natural gas?

900,000 hectares (2.2 million acres)

How many hectares of mined lands have been restored in the US

Coal

Sedimentary or metamorphic rock high in carbon and energy content formed over millions of years under conditions of high pressure and temperature -Classified into four grades: Lignite sub-bituminous coal bituminous coal anthracite *most commonly used to generate electricity*

Nonrenewable energy

Sources of energy, including coal, petroleum, natural gas, and nuclear fuels, that are not renewable on timescales meaningful to human lifetimes and that can be depleted with continued

Renewable energy

Sources of energy, including solar, wind, hydrologic, geothermal, and biomass, that can be replenished in a relatively short period of time -Use does not deplete renewable energy sources

Overburden

The layer of rock overlying a mineral deposit -Ex. coal

Fuel Rods

Tube containing small pellets of uranium-235 used as an energy source in nuclear reactors

Fossil fuels -In the form of coal, oil, and natural gas

What are the most commonly used sources of nonrenewable energy

1. potentially reduces drinking water supplies 2. the chemicals in the fracking fluids could contaminate drinking water

What are the two main concerns with fracking

any source of heat sufficient to convert liquid water to steam

What can be used to generate electricity

Oil

What can be used to power internal combustion engines (found in cars and portable power generators)

-no new coal sites could be located in wetlands or in earthquake-prone areas -coal ash ponds had to be lined to prevent groundwater contamination

What drafting regulations did the EPA put enact to reign in coal power plant pollution after the Kingston spill

1/4

What fraction of energy used in the US is natural gas accounted for

90%

What percent of coal mined in the US is used in coal-fired electrical power stations

12% -even though it's the world's largest oil producer

What percent of global oil production does the US account for

93% (Coal reserves in the US exceed all others)

What percent of the world's known coal reserves occur in Northern Eurasia, Asia Pacific, and North America?

AP1000

What will be the first new nuclear power plant built in the US since 1996

Uranium (it's a nonrenewable resource)

Which fuel is used in today's nuclear power plants

-US, China, and European Union -over 53% of the world's total

Who are the three largest consumers of energy on earth and how much of the world's energy do they use?

boom

a barrier used to contain oil slicks and prevent them from entering sensitive coastal areas

dispersant

a chemical used in oil spill cleanup that thins and dissolves the thick crude

skimmer

a device used to collect spilled oil from the water's surface

Bitumen

a flammable, highly viscous or semisolid mixture of hydrocarbons -tar sands

Combined cycle power plant

power plant that combine a gas turbine engine with a steam power plant -can increase the efficiency of power generation from 35% to 60%

the combustion of fossil fuels -especially coal and natural gas

what is the most common source of the heat that is sufficient to convert liquid water to steam