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| 12395138063 | Case Study: BP Deepwater Horizon | Who: British Petroleum What: An explosion caused the oil rig to fail and over 87 days 780 million L of oil was released When: 2010 Where: The Gulf of Mexico | 0 | |
| 12395179340 | Case Study: Exxon Valdez | Who: Exxon What: Oil super tanker crashed and spilled 200 million L of oil - Even more deadly than Deep Water Horizon because of proximity to the coast and the more confined location of the sound - Approximately 500,000 birds died and thousands of marine mammals - Even 25 years later, the pod of orcas there hadn't had a single calf When: 1989 Where: Off the southern coast of Alaska | 1 | |
| 12395217976 | Effects of oil spills | Oil is persistent and usually less than 10% of a spill is recovered Deadly to life: - Below the surface of the water - On the surface of the water - Washed up on the coast - Soaked into the sediment | 2 | |
| 12395254979 | Case Study: Fukushima Nuclear Plant | Who: Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) What: Massive earthquake and tsunami caused 3 nuclear reactors to fail - Radioactive material released into the pacific ocean When: 2011 Where: Fukushima Nuclear Plant | 3 | |
| 12741621081 | Worldwide patterns in energy use | 81% fossil fuel - 34% oil - 26% coal - 21% natural gas 13% renewable 6% nuclear 75 GJ per year per capita | 4 | |
| 12741636036 | Highest energy consumption comes from ______ | MDCs | 5 | |
| 12741641092 | Commercial energy source | An energy source that is bought and sold - Example: natural gas, oil | 6 | |
| 12741650649 | Subsistence energy source | An energy source gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs - Example: wood, manure | 7 | |
| 12741663375 | Energy use patterns in the US | 83% fossil fuel - 36% petroleum - 27% natural gas - 18% coal 9% renewable 8% nuclear 325 GJ per year per capita 85% domestic production | 8 | |
| 12741728313 | Regional variation in energy use | Midwestern source = coal Western and northeaster sources = nuclear, natural gas, and hydroelectric Densely populated areas use less coal because of its air pollution | 9 | |
| 12741728314 | Seasonal variation in energy use | More oil and natural gas in the winter (heating) More electricity in the summer (AC) | 10 | |
| 12741785431 | Characteristics of energy sources | Energy density Speed of activation and deactivation Amount of processing | 11 | |
| 12741789833 | Energy to mass ratio | Higher value means more energy density - More energy per unit mass | 12 | |
| 12741805858 | EROEI | Energy returned/energy invested A larger number means more efficient | 13 | |
| 12742335173 | Trends in transportation energy use | 30% of US energy use is transportation Carpooling can boost the efficiency of automobile transportation | 14 | |
| 12742434930 | Primary source | The fuels that generate energy through direct consumption Exmp: Fossil fuels | 15 | |
| 12742442630 | Secondary source | Fuels that are obtained through the consumption of primary sources Exmp: Electricity | 16 | |
| 12742449171 | Energy carrier | A form of energy that is used to move and deliver energy in a convenient way | 17 | |
| 12742492683 | US resources dedicated to electricity generation | 40% of energy use 50% of water use | 18 | |
| 12742504653 | Coal power plant | A thermal power plant that uses coal as fuel | 19 | |
| 12742507243 | Thermal power plant | Fuel releases heat to boil water into steam which turns a turbine to produce electricity | 20 | |
| 12742519852 | Electrical grid | A network of interconnected transmission lines that joins power plants together and links them with end users of electricity | 21 | |
| 12742524654 | Efficiency of electricity generation | Typical coal plant = 35% efficient Combined cycle natural gas plant = 60% efficient | 22 | |
| 12742537931 | Combined cycle natural gas power plant | Uses both exhaust gasses and steam to turn turbines | 23 | |
| 12742541363 | Power plant capacity | Maximum electrical output (a rate) Example: 500 MW | 24 | |
| 12742545197 | Capacity factor | The fraction of time that the plant is operating Most thermal power plants are 0.9 or greater | 25 | |
| 12742550485 | Cogeneration | Using fuel to generate both electricity and heat 90% efficient combined as compared to 75% for heat and 35% for electricity | 26 | |
| 12742558304 | Coal | Solid, stable fuel Formed from dead plant material hundreds of millions of years ago Creates the worst air pollution of any energy source U.S. has largest reserves in world | 27 | |
| 12742563542 | Coal advantages | Plentiful and energy dense Easy to handle/transport Needs no refining CHEAP | 28 | |
| 12742568734 | Coal disadvantages | Mining is dangerous Environmental damage from tailings left behind after mining Contains lots of impurities - Acid rain Air pollution -Releases more CO2 than oil or natural gas | 29 | |
| 12742591775 | Petroleum | Liquid energy source Formed from ancient dead phytoplankton Less dense than rock so it rises through porous rock to a nonpermeable barrier Can be refined into: Tar Asphalt Kerosene Diesel Plastic | 30 | |
| 12742603723 | Petroleum advantages | Easily transported Fewer pollutants than coal Has a high net energy yield | 31 | |
| 12742610164 | Petroleum disadvantages | Oil spills are a huge environmental risk Has to be refined before it can be useful Still a lot of emissions released There is a limited supply Contains traces of mercury, lead, and arsenic | 32 | |
| 12742616255 | Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) | The largest wildlife refuge in US, located on Alaska's North Slope - Some people want to develop it for oil - Environmentalists want to protect fragile tundra ecosystem - Having increased human activity could greatly damage ecosystem | 33 | |
| 12756714106 | Natural gas | Found above petroleum due to lower density 95% methane Mostly for electricity and home use Can be condensed into a liquid and used for vehicles | 34 | |
| 12756731518 | Natural gas advantages | Cleanest fossil fuel available - Only emits 60% of CO2 compared to coal Can be used efficiently to heat homes Can be used in combined cycle power plants which are extremely efficient | 35 | |
| 12756737054 | Natural gas disadvantages | CH4 is a potent greenhouse gas - 25 times more efficient at trapping heat than CO2 Fracking can cause environmental problems It is hard to transport as it is in gas form - Leaks and explosions are very likely | 36 | |
| 12756744299 | Oil sands | Slow-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water, and clay Mining it is more energy-intensive than drilling for crude oil - Creates open pits | 37 | |
| 12756747212 | Bitumen | A degraded type of petroleum that forms when the deposit is not capped with nonporous rock | 38 | |
| 12756755101 | Liquid coal | Relatively expensive, less EROEI Greenhouse gas emission is TWICE that of conventionally produced oil CTL - coal to liquid | 39 | |
| 12756763707 | Energy intensity | Energy use per unit of GDP - Decreasing as we become more efficient BUT because population continues to increase, overall energy use has not decreased | 40 | |
| 12756771341 | Hubbert curve | Represents oil use and projects when oil will reach its maximum production | 41 | |
| 12756771342 | Peak oil | When half of the supply is used up The beginning of a steep decline in supply | 42 | |
| 12756777337 | Future of fossil fuels | If fossil fuel use continues at its current rate, - Oil and natural gas will be gone in 50 years - Coal will be gone in 200 years | 43 | |
| 12756787708 | Nuclear fission | A nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus which splits and releases energy (heat) | 44 | |
| 12756805151 | Energy density of uranium compared to coal | 1 g of Uranium -235 has 2-3 million times as much energy as 1 g of coal | 45 | |
| 12756843233 | Fuel rod | Cylindrical tubes that hold nuclear fuel Most uranium ore is 99% 238U, which must be enriched to at least 3% 235U to support fission | 46 | |
| 12756846039 | Control rod | A cylindrical device that is inserted between the fuel rods to absorb excess neutrons - Slows or stops the reaction | 47 | |
| 12757031102 | Nuclear advantages | Does not produce air pollution Can allow independence from fossil fuels | 48 | |
| 12757035332 | Nuclear disadvantages | Accidents are extremely damaging Dangerous radioactive waste - No real solutions for disposal Potential target for terrorist attacks Require large amounts of land for reactors, exclusion zones, enrichment facilities, etc Not enough uranium to supply world demand Too slow to scale up for demand - Require 6-12 years to build, 20 years to decommission, and must be replaced every 40-60 years | 49 | |
| 12757053318 | High-level radioactive waste | Spent fuel Doesn't produce enough heat for electricity, but still VERY radioactive | 50 | |
| 12757061515 | Low-level radioactive waste | Contaminated protective equipment, tools, etc | 51 | |
| 12757066308 | Radioactive waste types | High-level waste Low-level waste Uranium mine tailings | 52 | |
| 12757084719 | Radioactivity | Spent fuel is dangerous for 10 or more half-lives - Uranium-235 has a half-life of 704,000,000 years 1 Becquerel (Bq) = a rate of decay of one atom per second 1 curie = 37 billion decays per second | 53 | |
| 12788992325 | Radioactive waste disposal | Can't be burned, chemically disarmed, launched in space, or sunk to the bottom of the ocean - Must be stored indefinitely - Unsustainable by definition Mostly stored on site at the nuclear plant Must be submerged in water and/or concrete to prevent the escape of radioactivity | 54 | |
| 12788998860 | Nuclear fusion | Powers stars Abundant hydrogen is fused into helium To do so on earth requires temperatures 10 times hotter than the sun "Only 50 years away" - said scientists since forever | 55 |
