8th Grade Science Energy Fossil Fuels 8th Grade Science Energy

Warm-Up Q) What issues are you facing today right now in NC concerning fossil fuels? 

Goal I will learn about the environmental consequences of obtaining, managing, and using fossil fuels?

What are Fossil Fuels? Fossil fuels = the transformed remains of ancient jungles, swamps, plants, animals and other once living organisms. Video: http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4252941.htm

What is fracking and why are people so upset? Biggest NC Concern = FRACKING What is fracking and why are people so upset? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uti2niW2BRA

Natural Gas “Fracking” Using chemicals to extract Natural Gas.

Fracking Pros Cons Can contaminate drinking water Destroys environment Continued to using a nonrenewable source Costly Uses a lot of drinking water, which is limited Release of greenhouse gases when burned Fracking process takes a lot of energy to use Provides jobs for people Provides access to needed energy source Profitable

Fossil Fuels 2 Main Problems Obtaining fossil fuels has been of great importance to our country for a long time. Westward expansion – follow oil Mineral rights Helped us create the technology we have today 2 Main Problems Supply is limited (NONRENEWABLE) Obtaining and using them causes environmental problems

Hazards in Obtaining Fossil Fuels Coal – Very harmful and polluting to the earth Strip mines = Giant pits are dug for the extraction process, and once there is no more coal left to be found, most are left empty. Wildlife is being harmed and the natural wonders that have been shaped over thousands of years are being destroyed. If this continues, the future of America is bleak.

Strip Mines

Obtaining oil We dig for oil on land AND under the sand in the ocean. Both are very dangerous Land Can disrupt animal migration routs and destroy natural landscape. Leaks can kill animals on land Ocean Oil leaks pollute water and kill fish.

BP Oil Spill in the Golf of Mexico On April 20, 2010 a new well had just been drilled. Suddenly, some natural gas and oil accidentally escaped from the well and gushed to the surface. Then, right beneath the drilling platform, it exploded in a huge fireball. The damaged platform sank and pulled the pipe leading from the well down with it. The broken pipe leaked oil into the Gulf for more than 80 days. The leaking pipe has finally been capped, but no one is yet sure if it will hold. Why is this a problem? Endangered animal life Endangered plant life Water and air pollution (dangerous fumes) Endangered human life (touching oil, breathing fumes) Loss of jobs (fishermen and other coast dependent jobs)

BP Oil Spill

How was the leak cleaned up? Any ideas? Skimming Burning Chemical dispersants Separating by machine.

What happened? Why couldn't the oil leak be stopped quickly? There's a giant shut-off valve on the oil well, called a “blowout preventer.” It was designed to cut off the flow of oil in case of an accident like this. But for some reason, it didn’t work. (No one is sure exactly why yet.) Workers tried to use robots to repair the valve, but that didn't work either. Since then, workers have tried other ways of stopping or slowing the leak. Finally, on July 15, they managed to put a huge cap on the pipe sticking up from the well. That has stopped the leak, but no one is sure how long the cap will hold. Meanwhile, workers are drilling two more oil wells (called relief wells) to try to cut off the oil supply to the capped well. If they succeed, they finally will have "killed" the well and stopped the leak for good. But it will probably take until sometime in August for the first relief well to reach the capped well.

How it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeXG8K5_UvU

Transforming Fossil Fuels to Usable Energy Coal: We burn Coal to heat water and produce STEAM The coal is burned to produce enough steam to turn large turbines. This burning process releases a poisonous cocktail of gases into the environment. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and small airborne particles of coal venture into the air we breathe and into our water supply. There are estimates that a single coal plant generates enough carbon dioxide alone to equate to the same effect as cutting down 161 million trees. Chronic bronchitis and asthma have been scientifically proven as side effects of residents that live close or downwind from a power plant.

In very large cities, the burning of fossil fuels causes air quality to be so poor that people wear surgical masks to avoid breathing in the particulates (soot, ash, smoke) and chemicals in the unhealthy air. This is mostly caused by the high volume of cars, buses, and other modes of transportation. Gasoline is made from petroleum (crude oil). Coal- and oil-burning power plants and other factories and industries also contribute to this serious problem. How would you feel if this were your reality every day?

Natural Gas

Transporting Fossil Fuels To transport fossil fuels…we need to use fossil fuels…

Advantages Cheap to obtain use and transport Easy to use Efficient, very energy dense

The Law of Conservation of Energy 1. Coal has a huge amount of chemical energy stored in it (from the ancient plant material it’s made of…mostly carbon). 2. When coal is burned, chemical energy is changed to thermal energy (heat). 3. When the thermal energy heats the water in the pipes, the water changes to steam. Steam, under pressure, turns a turbine. SO, thermal energy is changed to mechanical energy. 4. The turbine operates an electricity generator, SO, mechanical energy is changed into electrical energy. 5. Electrical energy is transported to your home along power lines and allows for all kinds of functions in your home. ****Energy, like matter, cannot be created or destroyed, but can change form.