Chapter 12 Vocab

Question 1

fossil fuel

Answer 1

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

Question 2

nonrenewable energy resource

Answer 2

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

Question 3

nuclear fuel

Answer 3

fuel derived from radioactive materials that give off energy

Question 4

commercial energy source

Answer 4

an energy source that is bought and sold

Question 5

subsistence energy source

Answer 5

an energy source gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs

Question 6

energy carrier

Answer 6

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

Question 7

turbine

Answer 7

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

Question 8

electrical grid

Answer 8

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

Question 9

combined cycle

Answer 9

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

Question 10

capacity

Answer 10

the max. electrical output (in reference to an electricity-generating plant)

Question 11

capacity factor

Answer 11

the fraction of time a power plant operates in a year

Question 12

cogeneration

Answer 12

the use of fuel to generate electricity and produce heat. (also known as “combined heat and power”)

Question 13

coal

Answer 13

a solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials preserved 280-360 million years ago

Question 14

petroleum

Answer 14

a fossil fuel that occurs in underground deposits, composed of liquid mix of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur

Question 15

crude oil

Answer 15

liquid petroleum removed from the ground (heat it to make diff. substances ex: gassoline, asphalt, butane)

Question 16

oil stands

Answer 16

slow-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed w/ sand, water, and clay

Question 17

bitumen

Answer 17

a degraded petroleum that forms when petroleum migrates to the surface of Earth and is modified by bacteria

Question 18

CTL

Answer 18

the process of converting solid coal into liquid fuel

Question 19

energy intensity

Answer 19

the energy used per unit of gross domestic product

Question 20

Hubert curve

Answer 20

A bell-shaped curve representing oil use and projecting both when world oil production will reach a max. and when the world will run out of oil

Question 21

peak oil

Answer 21

the point at which half of the total oil supply is used

Question 22

fission

Answer 22

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 in the form of heat

Question 23

fuel rod

Answer 23

a cylindrical tube that encloses nuclear fuel with a nuclear reactor

Question 24

control rod

Answer 24

a cylindrical device inserted b/t the fuel rods in a nuclear reactor to absorb excess neutrons and slow or stop the fission reaction

Question 25

radioactive waste

Answer 25

nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat to be useful in a power plant but continues to emit radioactivity

Question 26

becquerel (Bq)

Answer 26

unit that measures the rate at which a sample of radioactive material decays; 1Bq= decay of 1 atom or nucleus per second

Question 27

curie

Answer 27

unit of measure for radiation; 1Curie= 37billion decays per second

Question 28

nuclear fusion

Answer 28

a reaction that occurs when lighter nuclei are forces together to produce heavier nuclei