Chapter 17 Energy: Introduction to Energy and Nonrenewable Energy Sources

Energy Basics What is energy? the ability to do work What are some forms of energy? chemical, electrical, mechanical, nuclear, light, heat What do we use energy for? transportation, heating, cooking, industry

Energy Basics What is the difference between nonrenewable and renewable sources of energy? Once we use up nonrenewable, we can’t get any more What are examples of nonrenewable? oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear What are examples of renewable? solar, wind, water, biomass, oceans

Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation What is the difference? Energy efficiency – the amount of useful energy produced compared to the amount wasted as heat (2nd Law of Thermodynamics); built into the device or system, unavoidable waste Examples of levels of energy efficiency: human body: 20-25% incandescent lightbulb: 5% internal combustion engine: steam turbine: 45% Energy conservation – making an effort to reduce the amount of energy used, some waste can be avoided – Examples? Why should we try to increase both?

Use of energy resources in the U.S. U.S. has 4.6% of world population; uses 24% of the world’s energy 5

Nonrenewable energy resources removed from the earth’s crust include: oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 6

Fossil Fuels: Oil, Natural Gas, Coal Fossil fuels originated from the decay of living organisms millions of years ago, and account for about 80% of the energy generated in the U.S. www.lander.edu/rlayland/Chem%20103/chap_12.ppt 7

Oil Deposits of crude oil often are trapped within the earth's crust and can be extracted by drilling a well Crude oil: complex liquid mixture of hydrocarbons, with small amounts of S, O, N impurities Example: the Deepwater Horizon was drilling to get oil 8

Oil Crude oil is transported to a refinery where distillation produces petrochemicals One example: TransAlaska Pipeline 9

Oil refinery – notice the tall towers….

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Oil refineries in the southern U.S.

Info for Oil: Risk of spills Infrastructure already in place 13 www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 13

Natural Gas – another fossil fuel Mixture of gases 50–90% Methane (CH4) Ethane (C2H6) Propane (C3H8) Butane (C4H10) Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 14

Sources of Natural Gas Russia & Kazakhstan - almost 40% of world's supply. Iran (15%), Qatar (5%), Saudi Arabia (4%), Algeria (4%), United States (3%), Nigeria (3%), Venezuela (3%); 90–95% of natural gas in U.S. domestic (~411,000 km = 255,000 miles of pipeline). www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 15

What do we use natural gas for? Produce electricity Heat homes (inside homes, water heater) Industry (heat for warmth and producing things) Vehicles Cooking

Hydraulic Fracturing or Fracking Technique used to get gas out from underground – pump water into spaces to increase pressure

Video on fracking http://8020vision.com/2011/04/17/congress-releases-report-on-toxic-chemicals-used-in-fracking/

Fracking can cause groundwater contamination and earthquakes www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 19

Coal: the first fossil fuel used Long history of use Can be burned directly to produce a lot of heat in a stove, train engine or factory The dirtiest type of fossil fuel Relatively cheap and abundant

Coal Mining Strip mining – very destructive Underground mining, including longwall mining – can be dangerous to the miners Video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylkdUuNOJzw&feature=related

Ranks of Coal Lignite: A brownish-black coal of low quality; energy content is less than 4000 BTU/lb Subbituminous: dull black; energy content is 8,300 BTU/lb Bituminous: most common coal is dense and black (often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material); energy content about 10,500 Btu/lb Anthracite: a hard, black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal; energy content of about 14,000 Btu/lb www.uvawise.edu/philosophy/Hist%20295/ Powerpoint%5CCoal.ppt 23

Acid Mine Drainage The impact of mine drainage on a lake after receiving effluent from an abandoned tailings impoundment for over 50 years 24

Relatively fresh tailings in an impoundment. http://www.earth.uwaterloo.ca/services/whaton/s06_amd.html The same tailings impoundment after 7 years of sulfide oxidation. The white spots in Figures A and B are gulls. 25

Cutting edge research: Clean Coal Technology (CCT) Involves carbon capture and storage, washing coal to remove pollutants, use of devices to purify air as it leaves the plant, convert solid coal to a gas (cleaner, more efficient) Video clips: http://www.cleancoalusa.org/

Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal Pros Most abundant fossil fuel Major U.S. reserves – contributes to energy independence 300 yrs. at current consumption rates High net energy yield Cons Dirtiest fuel (produces particulate matter, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide) Mining causes major environmental degradation Major threat to health © Brooks/Cole Publishing Company / ITP www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 27

Nuclear Energy In a conventional nuclear power plant, a controlled nuclear fission chain reaction heats water to… produce high-pressure steam that… turns turbines which… generate electricity 28

Nuclear Energy Nuclear fission – splitting of an atom Once an atom splits, neutrons cause other atoms to split – a chain reaction occurs In a nuclear power plant, the chain reaction is kept under control (using control rods), and the heat is used to generate electricity Most common fuel used is uranium – a nonrenewable heavy metal that comes from underground www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 29

Controlled Nuclear Fission Reaction cstl-cst.semo.edu/bornstein/BS105/ Energy%20Use%20-%203.ppt 30

www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 31

Radioactivity Types Sources of natural radiation Alpha particles consist of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, and therefore are positively charged Beta particles are negatively charged (electrons) Gamma rays have no mass or charge, but are a form of electromagnetic radiation (similar to X-rays) Sources of natural radiation Soil Rocks Air Water Cosmic rays www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 32

Relative Doses from Radiation Sources Unit for measuring radiation dose: millisievert (mSv) cstl-cst.semo.edu/bornstein/BS105/ Energy%20Use%20-%203.ppt 33

Effects of Radiation Genetic damages: from mutations that alter genes Genetic defects can become apparent in the next generation Somatic damages: to tissue, such as burns, miscarriages & cancers www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 34

www.geology.fau.edu/course_info/fall02/ EVR3019/Nuclear_Waste.ppt 35

Radioactive Waste 1. Low-level radiation (Gives of low amount of radiation) Sources: nuclear power plants, hospitals & universities 1940 – 1970 most was dumped into the ocean Today deposit into landfills 2. High-level radiation (Gives of large amount of radiation) Fuel rods from nuclear power plants Half-time of Plutonium 239 is 24000 years Safe method of storage is difficult – may be stored in pools, or dry casks on land www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 36

Yucca Mountain Was going to be the nation’s repository for nuclear waste – this plan has been canceled www.geology.fau.edu/course_info/fall02/ EVR3019/Nuclear_Waste.ppt 37

Nuclear Power Plants in U.S. cstl-cst.semo.edu/bornstein/BS105/ Energy%20Use%20-%203.ppt 38

Three Mile Island March 29, 1979, a reactor near Harrisburg, PA lost coolant water because of mechanical and human errors and suffered a partial meltdown 50,000 people evacuated & another 50,000 fled area Unknown amounts of radioactive materials released Partial cleanup & damages cost $1.2 billion Released radiation increased cancer rates. www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 39

Chernobyl April 26, 1986, reactor explosion (Ukraine) flung radioactive debris into atmosphere Health ministry reported 3,576 deaths Green Peace estimates32,000 deaths; About 400,000 people were forced to leave their homes ~160,000 sq km (62,00 sq mi) contaminated > Half million people exposed to dangerous levels of radioactivity Cost of incident > $358 billion www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 40

Effects of Chernobyl nuclear disaster 41

Fukushima disaster – Japan, March 2011 before Earthquake, followed by tsunami – subsequent loss of power to cool reactors, plus fire at plant

Use of Nuclear Energy U.S. phasing out - ??? Some countries (France, Japan) investing increasingly U.S. currently ~7% of energy nuclear No new U.S. power plants ordered since 1978 40% of 105 commercial nuclear power expected to be retired by 2015 and all by 2030 North Korea is getting new plants from the US France 78% energy nuclear www.bio.miami.edu/beck/esc101/Chapter14&15.ppt 43

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Comparison of Supplies of Nonrenewable Energy Sources: Mineral resources garnero101.asu.edu/glg101/Lectures/L37.ppt 45