Term
| Total energy efficiency in the US is |
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Definition
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| The primary means of electricity generation in the US is |
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Definition
| temperature/pressure range that results in the production of liquid hydrocarbons |
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Term
| The Chernobyl reactor near Kiev in the former Soviet Union became famous in April 1986 because it |
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Definition
| was the scene of a massive explosion and radiation release |
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Term
| The fuel for a fission reactor such as that at Chernobyl is |
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Definition
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Term
| Geothermal energy arises from |
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Definition
| the decay of natural radioactive isotopes in the Earth |
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Term
| Tidal power generation is a lesser known use of |
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Definition
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Term
| Large deposits of these were found in Alberta. |
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Definition
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Term
| Large deposits of these are found near the conjunction of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado |
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Definition
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Term
| This fossil fuel is composed primarily of methane |
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Definition
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Term
| This fossil fuel forms only from terrestrial organic matter |
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Definition
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Term
| This fossil fuel forms only from marine organic matter |
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Definition
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Term
| The lowest values of this fossil fuel are peat and lignite. |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: ANWR is expected to have a small amount of recoverable oil compared to places like Saudi Arabia |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: salt domes represent some of the least useful types of oil traps |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: Nuclear power is the result of differences in the binding energy of the nuclei of atoms |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: an advantage of fusion power would be that it would produce relatively little waste |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: one of the earliest uses of solar thermal energy was to generate electricity |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: High-quality solar makes use of light just as it arrives from the sun |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: Alternative energy sources like photovoltaics and wind can readily take the place of almost all applications of fossil fuels within a few years |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: Passive solar energy resources are the most abundant in northern states like Maine or Montana |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: The production of electricity from the wind has grown exponentially since 200o |
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Definition
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Term
| What benefits do photovoltaic cells provide during the middle of the day? |
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Definition
| System produces maximum amount of power, when utility prices are the highest. |
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Term
| What was one of the earliest uses of solar thermal energy? |
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Definition
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Term
| Solar water heaters supplied what percentage of the homes in Pasadena, CA in 1900? |
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Definition
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Term
| What has been the primary chemical element used in producing photovoltaic cells? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the diameter of the rotors of the turbines at the Fenner wind project in NY, and how much electricity does each turbine produce? |
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Definition
| 218 ft in diameter; produces 1.5 megawatts of electricity (~700 homes) |
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Term
| Why do the landowners of Fenner, NY support the wind project? |
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Definition
| They lease out their land based on the production of each turbine. |
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Term
| Geothermal energy provides how much of Iceland's total energy? |
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Definition
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Term
| What is the ratio of energy produced to energy used for corn as a biofuel? For sugar cane? |
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Definition
| 1.2:1 for corn, 8:1 for sugar cane |
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Term
| When did the first tidal barrage begin producing electricity? |
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Definition
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Term
| How large would a wave farm have to be to provide power for all the homes in the UK? |
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Definition
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Term
| Why was George Bissell interested in the crude oil coming to the surface in western PA? |
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Definition
| Thought it could replace whale oil. |
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Term
| How many oil refineries did Cleveland, OH have by 1865? |
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Definition
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Term
| When was Standard Oil broken up by anti-trust laws? |
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Definition
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Term
| What was the hazardous, unused byproduct from kerosene production? |
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Definition
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Term
| What was the general opinion of geologists on finding oil at Big Hill near Beaumont, TX? |
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Definition
| They dismissed the idea. Thought oil would never be found on the coast. |
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Term
| How much oil did Spindletop produce in its very first fay? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| A 2 ft wide pipeline from Houston to NY proposed during WWII as oil transportation method |
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Term
| By what year was the US unable to supply enough of its own oil from domestic sources? |
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Definition
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Term
| How did oil tanker sizes change between 1950 and 1975? |
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Definition
| 1950 ~ capacity 100,000 tons; 1975 ~ capacity 500,000 tons |
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Term
| How much did the largest (at that time) offshore oil drilling platform cost Shell? |
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Definition
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Term
| The actual or potential ability to do work. |
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Definition
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Term
| Energy possessed by something in motion |
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Definition
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Term
| Energy contained in something that might be extracted. |
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Definition
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Term
| What % of energy used in electrical production reaches consumers in the US? |
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Definition
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Term
| US total energy efficiency is (%) |
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Definition
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Term
| The most consumed energy source in the US is |
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Definition
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Term
| As societies change, what happens to energy demand? |
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Definition
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Term
| Uranium accounts for what % of total world energy usage (in terms of human societies)? |
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Definition
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Term
| Coal accounts for what % of world energy usage? |
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Definition
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Term
| What are the two major problems with energy in general? |
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Definition
| Storage and Transportation. |
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Term
| A fossil fuel which is formed from any organic matter |
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Definition
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Term
| Fossil fuels derive their energy from breaking what kind of bonds? |
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Definition
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Term
| Arrange the following fossil fuels in order of least efficient to most efficient: coal, natural gas, wood, oil |
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Definition
| wood < coal < oil < natural gas |
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Term
| A lead-acid car battery stores enough energy to lift itself this distance into the air. |
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Definition
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Term
| A gallon of gasoline stores enough energy to lift itself this distance into the air. |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: Nearly all sedimentary rocks contain SOME organic matter. |
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Definition
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Term
| Non-combustible residues of coal include fine and coarse residues, respectively called |
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Definition
| ash (fine) or clinker (coarse) |
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Term
| High clinker coals are referred to as |
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Definition
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Term
| Rank the six stages of coal by least efficient to most efficient. |
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Definition
| Peat, Soft brown lignite, Dull brown lignite, Bright brown lignite, Bitumenous, Anthracite |
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Term
| This stage of coal is characterized by visibility of original plant material and free cellulose |
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Definition
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Term
| Coal formation requires these areas adjacent to coastlines. |
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Definition
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Term
| The continual process of a sea level rising to bury swamps and dropping to reestablish them is known as a |
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Definition
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Term
| This is the geologic period when the most coal was formed. |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: Modern usage of coal is distributed individually among homes, businesses, and industries. |
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Definition
| F: Modern usage is centralized: Electricity generation |
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Term
| Modern electricity generation produces LESS of the these four pollutants but MORE of this one. |
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Definition
| Produces less ash, CO2, VOC [volatile organic compound], and SOx pollution; produces MORE NOx pollution |
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Term
| The stable sulfur species in the atmosphere. |
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Definition
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Term
| Flue gas scrubbers are efficient at removing this substance |
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Definition
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Term
| When coal is burned, high burn temperatures break N2 triple bonds allowing free N to... |
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Definition
| combine with oxygen to form NOx |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| In what year did a chemist rediscover petroleum's distillation process? |
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Definition
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Term
| Who drilled a well on Oil Creek, PA in 1859? |
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| Diagenesis: low T & P: produces |
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Definition
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Term
| Metagenesis: high T & P: produces |
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Definition
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Term
| Catagenesis: Moderate T & P: produces |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: Source rocks are generally organic-rich |
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Definition
| F. Source rocks are generally NOT organic-rich |
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Term
| T or F: Oil is lighter than water |
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Definition
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Term
| Oil that has risen to the surface; dispersed and consumed by microorganisms |
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Definition
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Term
| something that keeps the oil underground |
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Definition
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Term
| Folds and faults constitute this kind of oil trap |
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Definition
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Term
| Changes in rocks constitute this kind of oil trap |
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Definition
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Term
| What two things above and below underground oil pressurize it to create "gushers?" |
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Definition
| natural gas above, water below |
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Term
| Oil occurs within these spaces |
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Definition
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Term
| Methods of EOR: Enhanced Oil Recovery |
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Definition
| FORCE- water or gas flooding. MAKE IT FLOW: Steam, solvents, detergents. MAKE MORE PORES: explosives |
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Term
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Definition
| complex mixture of organic and inorganic components |
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Term
| Vaporize crude oil, then cool slowly; separates compounds without changing proportions |
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Definition
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Term
| breaks long Cx chains with heat or catalysts. Modern refineries can produce >50% gasoline |
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Definition
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Term
| This fraction of crude oil has the shortest Cx chains |
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Definition
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Term
| Fraction of crude oil with the longest Cx chains. |
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Definition
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Term
| About what portion of the approx. 600 sedimentary basins worldwide have economic quantities of petroleum and/or natural gas? |
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Definition
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Term
| OPEC formed in 1959 and changed the royalty structure from 50:50 to |
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Definition
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Term
| Geophysicist responsible in part for peak oil theory |
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Definition
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Term
| Natural gas usage saw a major expansion in usage in the US northeast following the |
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Definition
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Term
| Petroleum that has gotten very close to the surface |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: tar sands and heavy oils are extremely difficult to extract |
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Definition
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Term
| any fine-grained rock containing kerogen |
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Definition
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Term
| Two problems with oil shale |
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Definition
| Requires large volumes of water to process, and its deposits are in a dry area A N D rock expands upon heating creating waste which occupies more space than mined rock |
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Term
| T or F: Nuclear energy is fundamentally different from and basically identical to fossil fuel electricity. |
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Definition
| T; the E is produced differently but both are used to boil water and turn turbines. |
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Term
| Breaks down heavy atoms producing lighter, more stable atoms and excess neutrons |
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Definition
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Term
| Two fissionable Uranium isotopes as listed in the notes. |
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Definition
| U-233 and U-235 (bombs and reactors) |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
| In the reactor anatomy, this element is in fuel assemblies surrounded by coolant/moderator |
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Definition
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Term
| Three problems with nuclear fission |
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Definition
1. Highly radioactive waste.
2. Stringent operation conditions.
3. Expensive. |
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Term
| Untrained workers mixed up to 7x the licensed amount of Uranium and nitric acid mixture, 47 homes within 350 meters had to evacuate |
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Definition
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Term
| Mistaken valve settings and valve leaks cause parts of a system to boil dry, operators mistakenly believe the system has TOO MUCH coolant, and leave core uncovered for several hours and partially melts releasing significant amount of radiation |
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Definition
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Term
| Test of emergency cooling system planned; went haywire; operators fail to shut reactor down; hydrogen gas exploded in core, releases 400x more radioactive fallout than the bombing at Hiroshima -> evacuation and resettlement of 336000 people |
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Definition
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Term
| Non fissionable U-238 can be turned into fissionable __, but only at the cost of using bomb-grade uranium, special reactors, and that fact that __ substance doesn't require enrichment for use in bombs |
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Definition
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Term
| Puts together light atoms, producing heavier, more stable atoms and excess neutrons |
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Definition
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Term
| In 2005, what % of total US energy production was renewable? |
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Definition
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Term
| Three examples of simple direct passive solar energy |
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Definition
| south facing windows, white shingles, strategic landscaping |
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Term
| Three disadvantages of a solar hot water heater |
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Definition
| expensive to install, backup system required, works best when/where needed least |
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Term
| What are three limitations of curved-mirror designed solar plants which focus light, like a magnifying glass? |
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Definition
| Energy produced only during daylight, very low output during cloudy periods, some collected energy lost |
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Term
| Absorb light, produce electric current |
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Definition
|
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Term
| Photovoltaic cells are made with compounds and elements such as |
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Definition
| silicon, Se/Te compounds, and amorphous materials |
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Term
| Processes which absorb light and produce chemical bonds |
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Definition
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Term
| Three examples of indirect solar energy |
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Definition
| wind, hydroelectric, ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) |
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Term
| Wind distribution is a function of: |
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Definition
| latitude, land masses, climate, and weather |
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Term
| T or F: power generation costs of wind energy have decreased 20% since the 1980s |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: Small wind turbines are more efficient. |
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Definition
| F. Large turbines more efficient (double the diameter = quadruple the power) |
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Term
| The maximized theoretical efficiency for wind as a source of energy is |
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Definition
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Term
| The most efficient means of generating electricity |
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Definition
|
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Term
| Makes use of water stratification using a heat transfer fluid like ammonia |
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Definition
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Term
| Derived from radioactive decay |
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Definition
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Term
| Hottest geothermal fields are |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: Geothermal fields are not rare. |
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Definition
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Term
| T or F: Hot, dry rock is low efficiency. |
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Definition
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Term
| Central problem for alternative energy |
|
Definition
| none of them fits well into existing infrastructure |
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