Nonrenewable Energy Chapter 15

Total World Energy Consumption *Fossil Fuel 78.4% Nuclear 2.6% Renewable 19% *Natural Gas *Coal *Petroleum

Worldwide Energy Use by Source  Nonrenewable energy resources (81%) Fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, coal) Nuclear energy  Renewable Energy Sources (19%): Direct solar energy Indirect solar energy (wind, hydropower, biomass)

Energy Use in the United States

Oil Sand and the Keystone XL Pipeline

OPEC Controls Most of the World’s Oil Supplies  Oil reserves – identified deposits from which conventional oil can be extracted  OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) Algeria, Angola, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela 60% of world’s crude oil reserves 75% of reserves are government controlled – private companies are bit players (Exxon/Mobil, etc.)  Oil production/flow controls rates to consumers: Higher prices for products made with petrochemicals Higher food prices Airfares higher

Fig. 15-2, p. 372 OIL AND NATURAL GAS Oil storage COAL Contour strip mining Oil drilling platform Oil well Pipeline Geothermal power plant Gas well Mined coal Pump Area strip mining Drilling tower Pipeline Impervious rock Underground coal mine Natural gas Water Oil Water is heated and brought up as dry steam or wet steam Water Coal seam Hot rock Water penetrates down through the rock Magma Natural Capital: Important Nonrenewable Energy Resources Deposits of crude oil and natural gas are trapped together under a dome deep within earth’s crust on land or under sea floor.

 Crude oil, or conventional oil, or light oil – a thick, gooey liquid that comes from the ground  Contains? Hundreds of different combustible hydrocarbons Small amounts of S, O, N  Formed? From decaying fossil remains MYA CRUDE (Conventional) OIL

 Found? Deep in the earth’s crust Under the ocean floor  Extracted? Drilling a well into deposit; pumping oil out  Products? Petrochemicals Gasoline

CRUDE (Conventional) OIL  Countries with majority reserves? Saudi Arabia Venezuela  Production in U.S.? 10%  Used by U.S.? 21%

 Oil Sand, – a mixture of water, clay, sand and bitumen  Bitumen contains? Combustible hydrocarbons High amounts of S HEAVY OIL from SAND

 Found? Beneath boreal forests of Canada  Extracted? By removing overburden of forest Surface mining  Products? Synthetic crude oil

HEAVY OIL from SAND  Countries with majority reserves? Canada Venezuela  Environmental issues with extracting? Deforestation Drain wetlands; divert streams Toxic sludge Tailings stored in ponds More oil than in Saudi Arabia

 Oil Shale – oily shale rock that contains kerogens  Kerogens contain? Combustible hydrocarbons HEAVY OIL from SHALE ROCK

 Found? Shale rock formations  Extracted? Surface mining  Products? Gasoline, heating oil Natural gas Other petrochemicals

HEAVY OIL from SHALE ROCK  Countries with majority reserves? U.S.  Environmental issues with extracting? Land disruption Large water usage Air emissions

Fig. 15-4b, p. 375

Fig. 15-4a, p. 375 Science: Refining Crude Oil Solvents Natural gas

Oil Sand and the Keystone XL Pipeline Keystone XL Pipeline

Oil Sand and the Keystone XL Pipeline  Proposed pipeline to link oil sands of Alberta, Canada to refineries in Texas  Permit denied to build the pipeline in 2012  Argument for: Reliable supply of oil close to U.S.; better than transporting by truck or rail  Argument against: Environmental costs of oil sand mining; pipeline would cross Ogallala Aquifer

Case Study: Oil and the U.S. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge  The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) Might contain oil and gas deposits Not open to oil and gas development Fragile tundra biome  Oil companies lobbying since 1980 to begin exploratory drilling Pros – reduce dependence on foreign oil Cons – may not have enough oil and gas to make a difference; fragile tundra biome

 Natural Gas – a mixture of gases, mainly methane  Contains? Combustible gases: methane, ethane, propane, butane H 2 S NATURAL GAS

 Found? Above crude oil reserves Within shale rock  Extracted? By drilling into deposit Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of shale  Products? LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) LNG (liquefied natural gas)

Natural Gas Is a Useful and Clean- Burning Fossil Fuel  Propane and butane are liquified, removed as LPG (liquified petroleum gas) and distributed in tanks to be used in rural areas that do not have access to pipeline  Remainder (mostly methane) is dried, purified, and pumped into pipelines as conventional natural gas  Conventional NG (methane) can be liquified as LNG (liquified natural gas) in refrigerated tanker ships for transport overseas Re-gasified at destination and distributed in pipelines

NATURAL GAS  Countries with majority reserves? Russia Venezuela  Production in U.S.? 20%  Used by U.S.? 21%

Video - Fracking

 Coal, or solid fossil fuel; most abundant fossil fuel  Contains? Mostly carbon Small amounts of S, N Toxic Hg COAL

 Formed? From remains of plants MYA  Found? In the earth’s crust  Extracted? Surface mining Subsurface mining

COAL  Major uses? Generate electricity Produce SNG (synthetic natural gas) Burned to make iron

COAL  Countries with majority reserves? U.S. Russia, India, China  Production in U.S.? 12%  Used by U.S.? 10%  Used by China? 50%

Fig , p. 383 Increasing moisture content Increasing heat and carbon content Peat (not a coal) Lignite (brown coal) Bituminous (soft coal) Anthracite (hard coal) HEAT PRESSURE Partially decayed plant matter in swamps and bogs Low heat content Low heat, sulfur content Extensively used as fuel High heat, sulfur content Large supplies High heat, low sulfur content Supplies are limited Stepped Art Stages in Coal Formation Over Millions of Years World’s most abundant fossil fuel pollutant

Fig , p. 383 Increasing moisture content Increasing heat and carbon content Peat (not a coal) Lignite (brown coal) Bituminous (soft coal) Anthracite (hard coal) HEAT PRESSURE Partially decayed plant matter in swamps and bogs Low heat content Low heat, sulfur content Extensively used as fuel High heat, sulfur content Large supplies High heat, low sulfur content Supplies are limited Stepped Art Stages in Coal Formation Over Millions of Years World’s most abundant fossil fuel pollutant SNG – Synthetic Natural Gas – coal converted to gas Synthetic Gasoline – coal converted to liquid fuel

Nearly one-half the electricity generated in the United States comes from coal-fired power plants.

Fig , p. 383 Waste heat Coal bunker Turbine Cooling tower transfers waste heat to atmosphere Generator Cooling loop Stack Pulverizing mill Condenser Filter Boiler Toxic ash disposal Coal Burning Power Plant 1.Water boils 2.Steam turns turbine 3.Electricity generated

Nuclear Fission

NUCLEAR ENERGY  Reaction? Controlled nuclear fission reaction  Elements? Uranium  Found? Earth’s crust

NUCLEAR ENERGY  Extracted? Surface mining Subsurface mining  Processed? Uranium enriched to increase concentration of fissionable U 235 Packed into pellets in fuel rods and grouped as fuel assemblies

NUCLEAR ENERGY  Majority of reserves? Kazakhstan Canada Australia  World’s electricity produced? 16%  Expected by 2025? 12%

NUCLEAR ENERGY  Major problems? Radioactive waste Radiation leak Safety concerns

Fig , p. 389 Fuel assemblies Decommissioning of reactor Enrichment of UF 6 Reactor Fuel fabrication (conversion of enriched UF 6 to UO to UO 2 and fabrication of fuel assemblies) Temporary storage of spent fuel assemblies underwater or in dry casks Conversion of U 3 O 8 to UF 6 Uranium-235 as UF 6 Plutonium-239 as PuO 2 Spent fuel reprocessing Low-level radiation with long half-life Geologic disposal of moderate- and high-level radioactive wastes Open fuel cycle today Recycling of nuclear fuel The Nuclear Fuel Cycle

How Does a Nuclear Fission Reactor Work?  Fuel assemblies placed in core of reactor  Control rods in core absorb neutrons to regulate the rate of fission  Coolant (H 2 O) circulates through core to remove heat (prevent meltdown)  Containment shell – thick, steel-reinforced concrete walls - surround the core for protection  Water-filled pools or dry casks for storage of radioactive spent fuel rod assemblies

After 3 or 4 Years in a Reactor, Spent Fuel Rods Are Removed and Stored in Water

Fig , p. 387 Small amounts of radioactive gases Uranium fuel input (reactor core) Control rods Containment shell Waste heat Heat exchanger Steam Turbine Generator Hot coolant Useful electrical energy 25%–30% Hot water output Pump Coolant Pump Moderator Cool water input Waste heat Shielding Pressure vessel Coolant passage WaterCondenser Periodic removal and storage of radioactive wastes and spent fuel assemblies Periodic removal and storage of radioactive liquid wastes Water source (river, lake, ocean) Light-Water-Moderated and –Cooled Nuclear Power Plant with Water Reactor 1.Water boils 2.Steam turns turbine 3.Electricity generated

What Is the Nuclear Fuel Cycle? 1.Mine the uranium 2.Process the uranium to make the fuel 3.Use it in the reactor 4.Safely store the radioactive waste 5.Decommission the reactor

Case Study: Worst Commercial Nuclear Power Plant Accident in the U.S.  Three Mile Island (TMI) – near Harrisburg, PA (1979) Nuclear reactor lost coolant Partial uncovering/melting of core Unknown amounts of radioactivity escaped No human casualties Cost $1.2 billion for clean-up, lawsuits Led to improved safety regulations in the U.S.

Case Study: Worst Nuclear Power Plant Accident in the World  Chernobyl-Ukraine (1986)  Explosions caused reactor roof to blow off  Partial meltdown/fire for 10 days  Huge radioactive cloud spread over many countries  350,000 people left their homes  Impacted human health, water supply, and agriculture

FUKUSHIMA: Worse than Chernobyl?  Fukushima (Japan) Daiichi Nuclear Plant (2011)  One reactor melted down after massive earthquake and tsunami.  Fuel rods lost surrounding coolant for 4 ½ hours.  Radiation leaked into surrounding ocean water.  Increased risk of cancer (thyroid, breast, leukemia).

Will Nuclear Fusion Save Us?  Nuclear fusion is nuclear change in which two isotopes of light elements (H) are forced together at extremely high temperatures until they fuse to form a heavier nucleus, releasing energy in the process  Still in the laboratory phase after 50 years of research and $34 billion dollars  2006: U.S., China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and European Union Will build a large-scale experimental nuclear fusion reactor by 2040