Energy Flashcards

Covers general energy, fossil fuels, nuclear energy, renewable energy

688829726	potential energy	Energy that is stored and held in readiness
688829727	kinetic energy	the energy an object has due to its motion
688829728	radiant energy	energy contained in light rays or any other form of radiation
688829729	conduction	the direct transfer of heat from one substance to another substance that it is touching
688829730	convection	the transfer of heat through a fluid (liquid or gas) caused by molecular motion
688829731	energy quality	A measure of an energy's source's ability to do useful work.
688829732	First law of thermodynamics	The principle of conservation of energy. Energy can be transferred and transformed, but it cannot be created or destroyed.
688829733	Second law of thermodynamics	States that with each successive energy transfer or transformation in a system, less energy is available to do work.
688829734	seam	a stratum of ore or coal thick enough to be mined with profit
688829735	exploratory well	area drilled and sampled to determine if a fossil fuel reserve exists there
688829736	proven reserve	The amount of a resource remaining in discovered deposits.
688829737	crude oil	petroleum as it comes out of the ground and before it has been refined or processed into useful products
688829738	shale oil	oil extracted from oil shale by heating
688829739	tar sand	rock or sand layers that contain oil
688829740	petroleum	an oily, dark-colored, flammable liquid found in the earth, consisting mainly of a mixture of various hydrocarbons.
688829741	anthracite	a hard natural coal that burns slowly and gives intense heat
688829742	bituminous coal	The most common form of coal; produces a high amount of heat and is used extensively by electric power plants.
688829743	subbituminous coal	A grade of coal, intermediate between lignite and bituminous, that has a relatively low heat value and sulfur content.
688829744	lignite	intermediate between peat and bituminous coal; produces little heat
688829745	underground mining	involves the sinking of shafts to reach underground deposoits. In this type of mining, networks of tunnels are dug or blasted and humans enter these tunnels in order to manually retrieve the coal.
688829746	strip mining	proccess in which rock and soil are stripped from earths surface to expose the underlying materials to be mined
688829747	overburden	the surface soil that must be moved away to get at coal seams and mineral deposits
688829748	subsidence	the settling or sinking of a surface as a result of the loss of support from underlying materials, such as coal or water
688829749	fly ash	a waste product produced by the burning of coal.
688829750	vampire appliance	appliances that consume electricity, even when they are off; these are usually things that are still plugged into electricity and come on immediately (TVs, computers, etc.)
688829751	acid mine drainage	Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dangerous dissolved materials such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams.
688829752	fission	the splitting of atoms which releases tremendous amounts of energy and is used to start the chain reaction of an atomic explosion
688829753	nuclear fission	a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei with the simultaneous release of energy
688829754	breeder reactor	Nuclear fission reactor that produces more nuclear fuel than it consumes by converting nonfissionable uranium-238 into fissionable plutonium-239.
688829755	half-life	the time required for one half of the atoms of a radioisotope to emit radiation an decay products
688829756	fuel rod	a uranium rod that undergoes fission in a nuclear reactor
688829757	NIMBY	"refers to the idea that, while people may be aware of the necessity of some unpleasant realities, such as prisons, landfills, or chemical plants, they insist theses place be located away from where they live"- NOT IN MY BACK YARD
688829758	gasohol	a gasoline substitute consisting of 90% gasoline and 10% grain alcohol from corn
688829759	biodiesel	A diesel-equivalent, processed fuel derived from biological sources (such as vegetable oils), that can be used in unmodified diesel-engine vehicles.
688829760	hydroelectric power	electricity generated by flowing water
688829761	fish ladder	a series of ascending pools providing a passage for salmon to swim upstream past a dam
688829762	passive collection	Systems that do not make use of any externally powered, moving parts, such as circulation pumps, to move heated water or air.
688829763	active collection	A type of system that uses circulating pumps and fans to collect and distribute heat.
688829764	photovoltaic cells	Cells, usually made of specially-treated silicon, that transfer solar energy from the sun to electrical energy
688829765	nacelle	the base of a windmill
688829766	turbine	A machine for producing power in which a wheel or rotor is made to revolve by a fast-moving flow of water, steam, gas, or air.
688829767	wind farm	a power plant that uses wind turbines to generate electricity
688829768	geothermal energy	energy derived from the heat in the interior of the earth
688829769	hydrogen cell	a cell that generates electricity from a controlled reaction between hydrogen and oxygen
688829770	CAFE standards	Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards enacted into law in 1975, established fuel efficiency standards for passenger cars and light trucks. The fuel economy ratings for a manufacturer's entire line of passenger cars must currently average at least 27.5 mpg for the manufacturer to comply with the standard.