Quizzes

Question 1

Global climate change has caused a change in worldwide temperature over the last 100 years of about ____ degrees C.

Answer 1

1

Question 2

Processes contributing to an increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere include:

Answer 2

respiration, combustion, decomposition

Question 3

Barry Commoner developed “Four Laws” for Earth’s ecology. What are they?

Answer 3

Everything is connected to everything else.
Everything must go somewhere.
Nature knows best.
There is no such thing as a free lunch.

Question 4

Present emissions of carbon per year are approximately:

Answer 4

8 GtC

Question 5

If nuclear power accounts for one wedge in carbon displacement, the increase in nuclear output from 2004 to 2054 would have to be a factor of:

Answer 5

2-3

Question 6

If wind power accounts for one wedge of carbon displacement, the increase in wind power output from 2004 -2054 would have to be by a factor of:

Answer 6

40

Question 7

One “wedge” is equal to:

Look at the units! this is not per year but for the entire 50 year period

Answer 7

25 GtC

Question 8

One Quad is equal to:

Answer 8

10^15 BTU = 1 quadrillion BTU
10^18 joules
the amount of heat needed to raise the temp of 10^15 pounds of water by one degree F
1.055 EJ

Question 9

units of energy include:

Answer 9

Joule
Calorie
kw*hr
electron volt

Question 10

potential to kinetic

Answer 10

mgh = 1/2mv^2

Question 11

crustal thermal exergy is mainly the result of:

Answer 11

solid earth tides
photosynthesis
nuclear fission of uranium

Question 12

In the US, approximately 100 quads of energy are consumer each year. What percent of this energy is imported?

Answer 12

30%

Question 13

The major source for global primary energy consumption is:

Answer 13

crude oil

Question 14

Which country generates the highest proportion of its electricity from nuclear power?

Answer 14

France

Question 15

The highest proportion of primary energy goes towards:

Answer 15

Production of electrical energy

Question 16

Which of the following contribute a higher proportion to electrical energy than their share is towards primary energy consumption?

Answer 16

coal and nuclear

Question 17

What is the power that 1 square meter receives from the sun outside earth’s atmosphere?

Answer 17

1.5 kW

Question 18

Of each kW-hr of primary energy produced, the following percentage of energy is lost as unused energy:

Answer 18

2/3

Question 19

The energy or heat per time that the gulf stream transports is equivalent to the output of:

Answer 19

1.5 million nuclear power plants

Question 20

The world’s oil production of 70,000,000 barrels per day would fill Michigan Stadium up in about:

Answer 20

a little over an hour

Question 21

Which of the following has the lowest energy content?

Answer 21

Lignite

Question 22

Petroleum reserves are expected to last how many years at present levels of consumption?

Answer 22

less than 100

about 45

Question 23

Methane:

Answer 23

CH4
GHG
exists in very low concentrations in the atmosphere

Question 24

Ghawar is:

Answer 24

an oil field in saudi arabia

Question 25

Which of the following cannot be an oil trap?

Answer 25

Syncline

Question 26

What is the chemical formula for octane?

Answer 26

C8H18

Question 27

The precursor for oil is:

Answer 27

plankton

Question 28

What is the type of rock called that forms when plankton sinks to the bottom of the ocean and gets buried?

Answer 28

Shale

Question 29

What is the sequence of products that form as you go down in ocean sediment?

Answer 29

shale kerosene oil natural gas

Question 30

What is the purpose of oil refining?

Answer 30

to separate different fractions that will then be used for different purposes

Question 31

Nuclear power accounts for what percent of primary energy consumption in the world?

Answer 31

6%

Question 32

Uranium hexaflouride:

Answer 32

a gas used in the enrichment of Uranium

Question 33

Most of the radioactivity from the nuclear fuel cycle is located in:

Answer 33

the used/spent nuclear fuel

Question 34

The location of a geologic repository for used nuclear fuel used to be:

Answer 34

yucca mountain

Question 35

U-235 has:

Answer 35

92 protons, 143 neutrons

Question 36

in order to get a nuclear chain reaction started, we have to:

Answer 36

bombard U-235 with neutrons

Question 37

The conversion of Np-239 to Pu-239 is due to:

Answer 37

beta decay

Question 38

Which of the following is incorrect about the oxidation state of U?

Answer 38

the radioactivity of U depends on its charge/oxidation state

Question 39

Nuclear power:

Answer 39

works best to cover a constant base of electrical energy produces an approximate output of 1000MW produces about 1/6 of electrical energy worldwide a little over 100 power plants in the US

Question 40

Cooling a power plant and providing steam for the turbines:

Answer 40

uses a humongous amount of water and the main problem is that the water gets heated up to much

Question 41

A hybrid car uses which two engines?

Answer 41

combustion and electric

Question 42

Co2 sequestration is primarily:

Answer 42

removal of CO2 from exhaust gases emitted by combustion of fossil fuels

Question 43

Hydroelectric power is:

Answer 43

comparably cheap

Question 44

renewable resources for energy (not counting hydroelectric) account for what percentage of primary energy consumption in the US?

Answer 44

1%

Question 45

What are the biggest concern about wind turbines?

Answer 45

eerie noise, not pretty

Question 46

Which of the following is true about tidal power plants?

Answer 46

they can be installed anywhere the difference between low and high tide is more than 5 meters

Question 47

electric cars may not be the ultimate solution because:

Answer 47

a lot of energy is lost during transfer of power and while charging the batteries

Question 48

how many wind turbines can produce as much power as a nuclear power plant?

Answer 48

1000-1500

Question 49

What do we get out of hydrofracking shale rock?

Answer 49

gas

Question 50

What is the location of the Marcellus Shale?

Answer 50

``` New York Pennsylvania West Virginia Ohio Maryland ```

Question 51

Was the marcellus shale covered by ocean or was it terrestrial in the Devonian? What about Michigan?

Answer 51

both oceanic

Question 52

Which steps of typical oil production are we short-cutting by tapping into shale?

Answer 52

reservoir rock and trapping

Question 53

What is the estimated energy value of the Marcellus shale compared to known oil reserves in the world?

Answer 53

twice the reserves from Saudi Arabia

Question 54

what is a proppant?

Answer 54

a sand injected into the fracture generated to keep them open and permeable for gas production

Question 55

The approximate amount of water used to operate one decent-sized hydrofracking well is:

Answer 55

3 million gallons of water or about 22.5m^3, 74ft^3

Question 56

What chemicals are added to fracking water?

Answer 56

proppant, antifriction agents, antimicrobial agents

Question 57

Which process may compromise the advantage of shale gas as a "better fossil fuel" in terms of greenhouse gas emissions?

Answer 57

The release of stray methane because it is stronger than GHG and Co2

Question 58

What are problems with the water returned from the well?

Answer 58

Salty, may be too salty to be reinjected, May have dissolved significant amount of radioactive elements such as uranium and radium

Question 59

Which is true about coal and power plants?

Answer 59

the relative percentage of coal use is higher for electricity than for transportation, this is true because coal is more difficult to use for transportation

Question 60

which of the following has the lowest energy content?

Answer 60

lignite

Question 61

The country with the most coal reserves in the world is:

Answer 61

the United States

Question 62

most of the coal in the United States:

Answer 62

is extracted from surface mining is from deposits west of the Mississippi is bituminous is used to generate electricity

Question 63

which is true about coal in the western united states?

Answer 63

extracted mainly by surface mining

Question 64

What does coal release when burned?

Answer 64

fly ash chromium mercury arsenic

Question 65

What is the country with the highest coal production in the world?

Answer 65

China

Question 66

Acid mine drainage is the result of the formation of acid solutions due to the oxidation of:

Answer 66

iron sulfide