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Environmental > Chapter 12+13 > Flashcards

Chapter 12+13 Flashcards

(78 cards)

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1
Q

nonrenewable

A

an energy source with a finite suppl, primarily fossil fuels and nuclear fuels

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2
Q

Fossil fuels

A

a fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago

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3
Q

Nuclear fuels

A

fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy

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4
Q

Commercial energy source

A

an energy source that is bought and sold

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5
Q

Subsistence energy source

A

energy sources gathered by individuals for their own immediate use

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6
Q

What does EROI stand for?

A

Energy return on energy investment

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7
Q

How is EROI found?

A

Energy obtained from fuel
__________________________
Energy invested to obtain fuel

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8
Q

energy carrier

A

something that can move and deliver energy in a convenient, usable form to end users

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9
Q

turbine

A

a device with blades that can be turned by water, wind, steam, or exhaust gas from combustion that turns a generator in an electricity-producing plant

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10
Q

electrical grid

A

a network of interconnected transmission lines that joins power plants together and links them with end users of electricity

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11
Q

combined cycle

A

a power plant that uses both exhaust gases and steam turbines to generate electricity

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12
Q

capacity

A

the maximum electrical output

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13
Q

capacity factor

A

the fraction of time a power plant operates in a year

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14
Q

cogeneration

A

the use of a single fuel to generate electricity and to produce heat

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15
Q

coal

A

solid fuel from primarily from the remains of plants preserved 280 million to 360 million years ago

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16
Q

Pros of coal

A

Found in abundance

Effective energy source

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17
Q

Cons of coal

A

Harmful waste

Greenhouse gases

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18
Q

Petroleum

A

a fossil fuel that occurs underground, composed of a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur

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19
Q

Crude oil

A

liquid petroleum removed from the ground

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20
Q

Pro of petroleum

A

Easily extracted

Easily transported

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21
Q

Cons of petroleum

A

Spills into water

causes pollution

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22
Q

Pros of natural gas

A

Clean

Reliable

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23
Q

Cons of natural gas

A

Produces CO2
Flammable
Expensive

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24
Q

Oil sands

A

slow-flowing vicious deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water, and clay

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25
Bitumen
a degraded petroleum that forms when petroleum migrates to the surface of earth and is modified by bacteria; tar
26
CTL
Coal to liquid
27
energy intensity
the energy per unit of gross domestic product
28
Hubbert Curve
bell shaped curve representing oil use and and project both when world oil production will reach a maximum and when we will run out of oil
29
peak oil
the point at which half the total known oil supply is used up
30
fission
a nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts, releasing additional neutrons and energy into the form of heat
31
fuel rods
a cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel within a nuclear reactor
32
control rods
a cylindrical device inserted between the fuel rods in a nuclear reactor to absorb excess neutrons and slow or stop the fission reaction
33
radioactive waste
nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity
34
becquerel (Bq)
unit that measure that rate at which a sample of radioactive material decays
35
curie
a unit of measure for radiation
36
nuclear fission
a reaction that occurs when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce a heavier nuclei
37
potentially renewable
an energy source that can be regenerated indefinitely as long as it is not overharvested
38
nondepletable
an energy source that cannot be used up
39
energy conservation
the implementation of methods to use less energy
40
tiered rate system
a billing system used by some electric companies in which customers pay higher rates as their use goes up
41
peak demand
the greatest quantity of energy used at any one time
42
passive solar design
construction designed to take advantage of solar radiation without active technology
43
thermal inertia
the ability of a material to maintain its temperature
44
modern carbon
carbon in biomass that was recently in the atmosphere
45
fossil carbon
carbon in fossil fuel
46
carbon neutral
an activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentration
47
net removal
the process of removing more than is replaced by growth, typically used when referring to carbon
48
ethanol
alcohol made by converting starches and sugars from plant material into alcohol and CO2
49
biodiesel
a diesel substitute produced by extracting and chemically altering oil from plants
50
flex fuel vehicle
a vehicle that runs on either gasoline or ethanol
51
run-of-the-river
hydroelectricity generation in which water is retained behind a low dam or no dam
52
water impoundment
the storage of water in a reservoir behind a dam
53
tidal energy
energy that comes from the movement of water driven by the gravitational pull of the moon
54
siltation
the accumulation of sediments, primarily slit, on the bottom of a reservoir
55
active solar energy
energy captured from sunlight with intermediate technologies
56
photovoltaic solar cell
a system of capturing energy from sunlight and converting it directly into electricity
57
geothermal energy
heat energy that comes from the natural decay of elements deep within the earth
58
Pros of geothermal
No pollution | installed anywhere
59
Cons of geothermal
produces hydrogen sulfide | expensive
60
ground source heat pumps
a technology that transfers heat from the ground into a building
61
wind energy
energy generated from the kinetic energy of moving air
62
wind turbine
a turbine that converts wind energy into electricity
63
Pros of wind
Clean | Wind is free
64
Cons of Wind
Turbines are loud/ruin view | Kills birds
65
fuel cell
an electrical-chemical device that converts fuel, such as hydrogen, into an electrical current
66
electrolysis
the application of an electrical current to water molecules to split them into hydrogen and oxygen
67
Pros of propane
clean burning | made in the US
68
Cons of propane
Large tanks expensive hard to detect leaks
69
Pros of nuclear power (uranium)
No pollution | Little environmental impact
70
Cons of nuclear power (uranium)
Radioactive material | displacement of residents
71
Pros of biomass
versatile | reduces sulfur
72
Cons of biomass
Air pollution | CO2
73
Pros of solar energy
Efficient sun is free less maintenance
74
Cons of solar energy
expensive equipment | location dependent
75
Pros of hydropower
Constant rate of electricity long lasting energy can be stored
76
Cons of hydropower
Expensive flooding geological damage
77
Pros of hydrogen
3x as much energy as natural gas | no emission
78
Cons of hydrogen
High maintenance Dangerous Expensive

Environmental (2 decks)

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