APES UNIT 6 Energy Test Questions and Answers | Exams Environmental Science

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APES UNIT 6 Energy Test Questions and Answers

Renewable energy - -resource that is restored

faster than it is consumed

Nonrenewable energy - -resource that is consumed

faster than restored

Fossil fuels - --Combustible deposits in earth's

crust, composed of the remnants (fossils) of prehistoric

organisms that existed millions or years ago.

-Coal, oil (Petroleum), and natural gas are three types or

fossil fuels.

-Are hydrocarbons that consist of hydrogen and carbon

molecules bonded together

Burning of fossil fuels - -1. Fuel source provides

heat

2. Water functions as moderator to capture heat

3. Water heats up enough to be converted to steam

4. Steam used to rotate a steam turbine

5. Steam turbine connected to generator causes

generator to spin producing electricity

6. Condensate water from the environment used to cool

steam back into liquid water

Coal - --A black, combustible solid composed

mainly of carbon, water, and trace elements found in

Earth's crust; formed from ancient plants that lived millions

of years ago.

Process of coal formation - -comes from dead

organisms on land(trees from the carboniferous era)

Subsurface mining - --The extraction or mineral and

energy resources from deep underground deposits

Strip mining - --A method of surface mining in which

trenches are dug to scrape the coal from the ground and

excess soil is deposited in a parallel spoil bank (another

trench)

Peat - -from any dead organic material

Lignite - -from any dead organic material that is

older and exposed to more heat

Bituminous - -from any dead organic material that is

older and exposed to even more heat

Anthracite - -very dark, lots or carbon

Natural gas - --A mixture of energy-rich gaseous

hydrocarbons (primarily methane) that occurs often with oil

deposits, in Earth's crust.

Process of natural gas formation - -- main

constituent of natural gas is CH4(methane)

- fastest growing fossil fuel

- no oxygen must be present

Hydraulic fracturing - -the use of water and

chemicals to release natural gas and oil trapped between

soil layers

Oil - --A thick, yellow to black, flammable

hydrocarbon mixture found in Earth's crust; formed from

the remains of ancient microscopic aquatic organisms

Fractional distillation - -separating chemical

compounds by their boiling point by heating them to a

temperature at which one or more fractions of the

compound will vaporize

Oil extraction - -1. Once an oil reserve is discovered

oil companies perform exploratory drilling

2. Primary extraction

3. Secondary extraction

4. Crude oil is refined by fractional distillation

Peak oil - --Also known as "Hubbert's Peak", after

the U.S. geologist who first developed the concept; it is the

point at which global oil production has reached a

maximum rate

Other uses of oil - -- plastics

- cosmetics

-clothes

- electronics

- kitchen appliance

- detergens

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Renewable energy - - resource that is restored faster than it is consumed Nonrenewable energy - - resource that is consumed faster than restored Fossil fuels - --Combustible deposits in earth's crust, composed of the remnants (fossils) of prehistoric organisms that existed millions or years ago.

Coal, oil (Petroleum), and natural gas are three types or fossil fuels.
Are hydrocarbons that consist of hydrogen and carbon molecules bonded together Burning of fossil fuels - - 1. Fuel source provides heat

Water functions as moderator to capture heat
Water heats up enough to be converted to steam
Steam used to rotate a steam turbine
Steam turbine connected to generator causes generator to spin producing electricity
Condensate water from the environment used to cool steam back into liquid water Coal - --A black, combustible solid composed mainly of carbon, water, and trace elements found in Earth's crust; formed from ancient plants that lived millions of years ago. Process of coal formation - - comes from dead organisms on land(trees from the carboniferous era) Subsurface mining - --The extraction or mineral and energy resources from deep underground deposits Strip mining - --A method of surface mining in which trenches are dug to scrape the coal from the ground and excess soil is deposited in a parallel spoil bank (another trench) Peat - - from any dead organic material Lignite - - from any dead organic material that is older and exposed to more heat Bituminous - - from any dead organic material that is older and exposed to even more heat Anthracite - - very dark, lots or carbon Natural gas - --A mixture of energy-rich gaseous hydrocarbons (primarily methane) that occurs often with oil deposits, in Earth's crust. Process of natural gas formation - -- main constituent of natural gas is CH4(methane)
- fastest growing fossil fuel
- no oxygen must be present Hydraulic fracturing - - the use of water and chemicals to release natural gas and oil trapped between soil layers Oil - --A thick, yellow to black, flammable hydrocarbon mixture found in Earth's crust; formed from the remains of ancient microscopic aquatic organisms Fractional distillation - - separating chemical compounds by their boiling point by heating them to a temperature at which one or more fractions of the compound will vaporize Oil extraction - - 1. Once an oil reserve is discovered oil companies perform exploratory drilling
1. Primary extraction
2. Secondary extraction
3. Crude oil is refined by fractional distillation Peak oil - --Also known as "Hubbert's Peak", after the U.S. geologist who first developed the concept; it is the point at which global oil production has reached a maximum rate Other uses of oil - -- plastics
- cosmetics
- clothes
- electronics
- kitchen appliance
- detergens

nonstick coating on pots and pans
tires Oil sands(tar sands) - - soil containing large amounts of oil Oil shale - - extracting the oil source rock and then melt it. not easily extracted, expensive to extract Environmental impacts of fossil fuels - - 1. Cause pollution:

Drive climate change
Acid drainage from coal(all) mining/acid mine runoff):
Infrastructure of oil drilling: ecosystems/biomes are destroyed when building pipelines and machines that support drilling leakage of pipeline: point source pollution Oil supply and demand - - as supply goes up and demand goes down the cost goes down Carbon tax - - tax on companies/corporations based on how much carbon they produce Ways to conserve energy - - 1. strengthen the laws on fuel efficiency standards on automobiles
incentives for reducing energy consumption or switching to renewable resources How can an individual reduce their own energy consumption? - -- turn off light/TV/computer/heater/AC when leaving a room

ride a bicycle to destination
use public transportation(mass transit)
use energy star complaint appliances
use LED of fluorescent(CFL) lightbulbs
unplug appliances when not in use Nuclear fission description - - 1. split uranium by sending in an extra neutron

the splitting releases energy in the form of heat
heat is trapped in water which converts to steam Nuclear fusion - --The joining of two lightweight atomic nuclei into a single, heavier nucleus, accompanied by the release of a large amount of energy Three Mile Island - -- 1979 in Pennsylvania
- worst nuclear power plant incident in the U.S
- caused by a combination of mechanical failure and human error
- fuel began to melt releasing radiation into the atmosphere
- one of the reactors was forced to shutdown permanently
- created a fear of nuclear energy Chernobyl - -- 1986 in the Ukraine (former Soviet Union)
- worst nuclear power plant incident in the world
- caused by a combination of poor reactor design, human -
- error, and turned off safety systems
- the nuclear reactor melted down and exploded sending -- tons of radioactive particles into the atmosphere Dilemmas of nuclear fission power - - 1. high cost
1. if mishandled can be dangerous
2. radioactive waste disposal Radioactive waste disposal - - life span is 1,000's of years. disposal is in the ground Biomass - --Plant material, including undigested fiber in animal waste, used as fuel Benefits of biomass - - 1. can be renewable
3. can be carbon neutral
- carbon input = carbon output
1. Sources of energy are from crops
- Examples: corn, switch grass Drawbacks of biomass - - 1. Use of fertilizers which can runoff
- refer to earlier notes
1. Irrigation of crops causes soil to wash away(erosion)
- thus they can't farm anymore
1. Requires use of fossil fuels for farming machines
- produces pollution Benefits of hydroelectricity - - 1. no air pollution
1. no greenhouse gases
2. can be renewable

Benefits to hydrogen fuel cell energy - -- renewable

no air pollution
produces no solid waste
no greenhouse gases Drawbacks to hydrogen fuel cell energy - -- expensive
not efficient Energy Efficiency - --Using less energy to accomplish a task, as, for example with new technology Energy Conservation - --Using less energy, as, for example, by reducing energy use and waste zero-net-energy buildings - --Buildings that produce as much or more energy than they use Cogeneration - --The production of two useful forms of energy from the same fuel Electricity - --the flow of electrons in a wire, is a very versatile form of energy and can be generated from nearly any source Generator - --A bundle of wires spins with a magnet to generate an electric current Surface Mining Reclamation Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) - --An act requiring coal companies to restore areas after mining and allows for inspections and prohibits mining on sensitive areas (National Parks, wildlife refuges, wild and scenic rivers, and sites on the national register of historic places Acid mine Drainage - --Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dissolved minerals such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams Mountaintop Removal - --The removal or the entire summit of a mountain to reach a coal seam, is very environmentally destructive and can change the entire land distribution for an area Fluidized-bed combustion - --A clean-coal technology in which crushed coal is mixed with limestone to neutralize the acidic sulfur compounds produced during combustion. Major oil spills - --Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
- Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Oil Pollution Act - --establishes liability for damages to natural resources from a catastrophic oil spill, including a trust fund to pay for cleanup of companies that cannot afford to pay (oil is taxed to provide money for the trust) Tidal Energy - --A form of renewable energy that relies on the ebb and flow of the tides to generate electricity Radioactive Decay - --the emission of energetic particles or rays from unstable atomic nuclei; includes positively charged alpha particles, negatively charged beta particles, and high energy, electromagnetic gamma particles Nuclear Fuel Cycle - --The processes involved in producing the fuel used in nuclear reacts and disposing of radioactive (Nuclear) wastes Enrichment - --The process by which uranium ore is refined after mining to increase the concentration of fissionable U- 235 Nuclear Reactor - --A device that initiates and maintains an controlled nuclear fission chain reaction to produce energy for electricity Low-level radioactive wastes - --Radioactive solids, liquids, or gases that give off small amounts of ionizing radiation High-level radioactive wastes - --Radioactive solids, liquids, or gases that give off large amounts or ionizing radiation

Yucca Mountain - --the only candidate for U.S. deep geologic storage of high-level nuclear waste Fuel Assemblies - --Areas with 150 fuel rods, there are about 150-250 fuel assemblies per nuclear reactor Fuel Rods - --closed tubes about 4m long containing uranium fuel pellets Nuclear Waste Policy Act - --Required the first site of nuclear waste storage to be operational by 1998, but was postponed to 2012 and 2017 Second law of thermodynamics - - When an energy transformation occurs some energy is lost as heat to the environment

APES UNIT 6 Energy Test Questions and Answers, Exams of Environmental Science

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