Energy Unit Preview

Question 1

Acid Rain

Answer 1

precipitation with a low pH; usually caused by man-made emissions that react with water
molecules in the atmosphere

Question 2

Active solar heating system

Answer 2

a solar water or space-heating system that moves heated air or water using pumps or fans

Question 3

Biodiesel

Answer 3

an alternative fuel that can be made from any fat, grease, or vegetable oil; can be used in any
diesel engine with few or no modications; although biodiesel does not contain petroleum, it
can be blended with diesel at any level or used in its pure form

Question 4

Biofuels

Answer 4

liquid fuels and blending components produced from biomass (plant) feedstock, used primarily for transportation

Question 5

Biogas

Answer 5

a gas produced by the breakdown of organic matter

Question 6

Coal

Answer 6

a fossil fuel formed by the breakdown of plant material millions to hundreds of millions of years ago; four types exist, but energy production focuses on sub-bituminous and bituminous because of available amounts

Question 7

Cooling tower

Answer 7

structure used at thermal power plants to remove heat from the plant and extract it into the
surrounding atmosphere

Question 8

Fish ladder

Answer 8

installations at dams that allow fish to travel upstream, over the dam, to spawn

Question 9

Fossil fuels

Answer 9

fuels (coal, oil, natural gas, etc.) that result from the compression of ancient plant and animal life formed over hundreds of millions of years

Question 10

Generator

Answer 10

a device that turns mechanical or motion energy into electrical energy; the motion energy is
sometimes provided by an engine or turbine

Question 11

liquefied natural gas (LNG)

Answer 11

natural gas that has been converted to a liquid by cooling it to temperatures below -260°C;
when cooled to become LNG, natural gas’ volume is reduced 600 times

Question 12

Methane

Answer 12

a colorless, flammable, odorless hydrocarbon gas (CH4), which is the major component of natural gas; it is also an important source of hydrogen in various industrial processes; methane
is a greenhouse gas

Question 13

Natural Gas

Answer 13

an odorless, colorless, tasteless, non-toxic, clean-burning fossil fuel; usually found in fossil fuel
deposits and used as a fuel

Question 14

nitrogen oxide (NOx)

Answer 14

a greenhouse gas and pollutant produced during combustion

Question 15

nonrenewable

Answer 15

fuels that cannot be easily made or replenished; we can use up nonrenewable fuels; oil, natural
gas, and coal are examples of nonrenewable fuels

Question 16

petroleum / crude oil / oil

Answer 16

a black, liquid fossil fuel found deep in the Earth; the raw material that petroleum products are made from; gasoline and most plastics are made from oil

Question 17

Overburden

Answer 17

soil, rock, and earth materials that are removed in order to mine for materials at the surface of the Earth

Question 18

Ozone

Answer 18

also known as trioxygen, this unstable gas is created when chemicals from human activities in the atmosphere react with sunlight; an ozone layer, however, in the atmosphere protects plants and animals from ultraviolet light (UV) exposure

Question 19

Renewable

Answer 19

fuels that can be easily made or replenished; we can never use up renewable fuels; types of
renewable fuels are hydropower (water), solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass

Question 20

Reserves

Answer 20

natural resources that are technically and economically recoverable

Question 21

Scrubber

Answer 21

air pollution control device that power plants use to remove particulate matter and gases from their emissions

Question 22

Surface Mining

Answer 22

takes place within a few hundred feet of the surface; earth above or around the coal (overburden) is removed to expose the coal bed, which is then mined with surface excavation equipment

Question 23

Turbine

Answer 23

a device with blades, which is turned by a force, such as that of wind, water, or high pressure
steam; the mechanical (motion) energy of the spinning turbine is converted into electricity by
a generator

Question 24

underground (deep) mining

Answer 24

coal mining that takes place several hundred feet below the surface of the Earth; workers and coal enter and exit through a vertical shaft

Question 25

Carbon Monoxide

Answer 25

A colorless, odorless gas that is formed during incomplete combustion of most materials.

Question 26

Fracking

Answer 26

Short for hydraulic fracturing, a method of oil and gas extraction that uses high-pressure fluids to force open existing cracks in rocks deep underground.

Question 27

Cogeneration

Answer 27

The use of a fuel to both generate electricity and deliver heat to a building or industrial process.