Unit 4 - Topic 8

Question 1

Thermo-electric generating plants

Answer 1

Plants that burn fossil fuels to produce electricity

Question 2

Non-renewable resources

Answer 2

Fuels that r consumed faster than they can be replaced by nature

Question 3

Renewable resources

Answer 3

Energy sources that can be continually replaced

Question 4

Biomass

Answer 4

Solid material form living things

Question 5

How thermo-electric generator works

Answer 5

Heat from burning coal produces steam
High-pressure steam flows through pipes into turbine
Spinning turbine turns generator which produces energy
Steam leaves turbine, cools, condenses, and recycles through turbine

Question 6

Turbogenerators

Answer 6

Use exhaust gases form burning fossil fuels or spin turbine coupled with electric generator
No steam, condenser, cooling tower required

Question 7

GWh equals

Answer 7

3.6 x 10^12 J

Question 8

Environmental effects of coal

Answer 8

Open pit mining disturbs soil and vegetation
Tailings(waste materials) produced by underground mines which accumulate near mine
Water becomes acidified and contaminated

Question 9

Gases which r result of fossil fuels

Answer 9

Sulfur dioxide SO^2

Carbon dioxide CO^2

Question 10

Electrostatic precipitators

Answer 10

Remove most of solid particles but can’t remove contaminating gases

Question 11

Scrubbers

Answer 11

Anti pollution systems which remove SO^2
Spray water solution through gases
Most of gas and pollutants react with chemicals and r removed

Question 12

CO^2 cons

Answer 12

Greenhouse gas

Too much contributes to global warming

Question 13

Greenhouse gas

Answer 13

Help delay escape of heat from Earth’s atmosphere

Question 14

Global warming

Answer 14

Ride in average temperatures on Earth

Question 15

Natural gas vs coal

Answer 15

Burns much cleaner
More ppl turning to use now
Expensive
Attractive alternative

Question 16

Landfill gas

Answer 16

Can be used as fuel for thermo-electric plants

Question 17

Hydro-electric plants

Answer 17

Use water pressure to generate electric energy

Question 18

Internal working of hydro-electric

Answer 18

Large dams cause water level to rise high above power plant in dam
As water depth increase, water pressure becomes very large
Penstock directs water into turbine
High-pressure water turns turbines which turn electric generators
Energy of water stored in reservoir turned into electric energy
High-voltage power lines carry electricity over to cities, towns, farms

Question 19

Penstock

Answer 19

Channel which direct water from bottom of reservoir to turbine

Question 20

Hydro-electric plants pros

Answer 20

No smokestacks
Nor radioactive materials used
Appear clean

Question 21

Hydro-electric plant cons

Answer 21

Flood many acres of valuable land
Ppl and industries displaced
Vegetation decays
Some fish species die while other forms of life like algae take over

Question 22

Thermonuclear electric generation

Answer 22

Using energy released in nuclear fission to generate electricity

Question 23

Nuclear fission

Answer 23

Process where uranium split into smaller atoms, releasing energy

Question 24

Nuclear fission diagram explanation

Answer 24

Fission reactions produce a lot of energy
Energy carried away from reactor core by coolant
Pipes carry coolant through water which produces steam
Steam turns turbine which turns generator
Steam leaving turbine cooled, condensed, recycled
Waste heat released into environment

Question 25

Fission pros and cons

Answer 25

Don’t release soot, gases causing acid rain, or greenhouse gases Spent reactor fuel highly radioactive for thousands of yrs Can damage living tissues Reactors become slightly radioactive after yrs of use (Difficult and expensive to decommission)

Question 26

Nuclear fusion

Answer 26

Joins very small atoms to form larger atom | Huge amounts of energy released

Question 27

Problem w/ fusion

Answer 27

Scientists produced controlled reactions experimentally, but only for secs Developing tech for fusion i expensive and extremely difficult

Question 28

Thermal pollution

Answer 28

When warm water returned directly to lake or river from which it is taken Increase water temp

Question 29

Thermal pollution problem

Answer 29

Organisms adapted to one temp won’t thrive in another | Organisms not usually found there will begin to replace original species

Question 30

How ppl reducing thermal pollution

Answer 30

Large generating plants have cooling ponds or towers | Waste water returns to temp of surrounding before released

Question 31

Cogeneration systems

Answer 31

Produce electricity and salons supply thermal energy, such as hot water or steam Can be used for industrial or commercial heating

Question 32

Cogeneration plant pros

Answer 32

Reduce amount of energy wasted Reduce dependence of large industrial power users on AB power grid Reduced demand makes it easier to meet electricity needs of rest of provinces consumers

Question 33

Distribution of electric power problems

Answer 33

Insulating chemicals called PCBs persist, bioconcentrate, and can cause health problems if released when aging transformers replaced

Question 34

Windmills

Answer 34

Wind energy used to turn wind turbines which charge storage batteries pump water into reservoir for generating hydro-electric energy split molecules into hydrogen and oxygen gas for fuel for fuel cells

Question 35

Alternative energy sources pro

Answer 35

Environmentally friendly (“Green Energy”)

Question 36

Windmills cons

Answer 36

Need windspeed exceeding 11 km/h

Question 37

Solar energy cons

Answer 37

Need sunlight Don’t operate on cloudy days Solar cells are expensive and fragile 15 % efficient

Question 38

Solar Energy

Answer 38

Solar cells can produce electric energy Or Sunlight can be used to heat liquid which flows back to generating station where boils to steam and drives steam turbine and electric generator

Question 39

Solar Energy backup

Answer 39

Include storage batteries to supply electricity at night or in cloudy conditions Batteries recharged in sunny conditions

Question 40

Ocean tides

Answer 40

As water trapped in basin flows out, water pressure turns turbine blades turning electric generator

Question 41

Ocean tides cons

Answer 41

Only few shorelines around world have sufficiently high tides and appropriate shape for trapping tidal waters

Question 42

Geothermal energy

Answer 42

Ground water flows down from surface and absorbs thermal energy and rises as hot springs and geysers Steam produced. An be used to rate turbines and turn electric generators Condensed steam pumped underground to reduce pollution

Question 43

Geothermal cons

Answer 43

Only certain places have proper geological characteristics to use Iceland is one country ideally suited for