Energy Test Study Guide 1. Briefly describe the first law of thermodynamics.energy cannot be created or destroyed it can change form 2. Give several storage forms of chemical energy. (Is sugar an example?)sugar is an example, gasoline is also an example 3. Which process converts radiant energy to chemical energy?photosynthesis 4. True/False power can be measured in units of calories per hour?false 5. Prior to the industrial revolution in the United States what was the primary energy source?wood 6. Give an example of potential and kinetic energy. (Draw a sketch with a boulder and a hill)potential is energy of position while kinetic is energy of motion 7. From which source does most of the energy for electricity in United States come from?fossil fuels much coal 8. In terms of supply and demand what happened to the source of oil in the 1950 s? (In the united states)the demand exceeded the supply we had to import 9. While the United States comprises about 5 % of the world population it consumes 25 % of the world s petroleum. 10. Which major energy source does the US consume more than it produces?oil 11. How long are world oil reserves expected to last?about 50 years 12. With China and other countries rapidly industrializing what will happen to oil prices and demand for oil.both will increase 13. Is there a relationship between the amount of oil reserves and oil crises? Explainyes, as reserves are depleted there is and oil crisis and prices spike 14. When energy is created from wind only a small percent of the energy in the wind is converted to electricity. Which law explains this?second law of thermodynamics 15. Which fossil fuel sources does the U.S. federal government subsidize?coal and oil 16. Which energy source is expected to last until about 2035 (in the US)?oil 17. The majority of this energy source is found in Russia.natural gas 18. This energy source is expected to last 300 years in the United States.coal 19. This energy source is burned in power plants to produce most of the electricity in the United States.coal 20. This energy source is composed mostly of methane.natural gas 21. Even though fossil fuels are formed through natural processes they are not considered renewable resources. Why?it takes millions of years to create these fuels. It is not considered renewable since it cannot be replaced within our lifetime. 22. Explain how fossil fuels are created.organic matter must decompose, there must also be a long period of high temperatures and high pressure 23. What are fossil fuels made of?organisms
24. What are the four types of coal? 25. Which other energy source is often found along with oil?methane 26. During coal formation anaerobic bacteria are trapped in the coal. Which compound (Found in coal) is the trapped bacteria responsible for? (It is bad and can cause acid rain)sulfur 27. What are synfuels?liquid fuels produced from non petroleum sources 28. True/False: Shale oil is a synfueltrue 29. This energy source (much is found in the western US and Canada) contains a metal called Kerogen that can be converted into a synthetic oil.oil shale 30. The most widespread and concentrated deposits are in Canada. What is the energy source?tar sands 31. What are methane hydrates?natural gas deposits trapped in ice, which formed at low temperature and high pressure 32. How do heat content and hardness change the longer coal has been forming?heat content and hardness both increase with more temperature and pressure. 33. Describe the hardness, heat content, sulfur content, and amount of reserves of bituminous coal.butiminous coal is soft, has high heat content, high sulfur content, and large supplies 34. What type of coal is the most desired?anthracite 35. True/False: Synfuels are made from petroleum 36. Which fossil fuels are found under dome like structures or under the sea floor?crude oil and natural gas 37. Which of the four types of coal is most available?butiminous 38. What is the combustible material that is purified from tar sands?bitumen 39. About three fourths of the world s oil shale deposits are found in which country?the United States of America
40. Describe the methods used to extract tar sands.tar sands are mined similar to strip mining for coal. After the tar sands are obtained from the ground steam extraction is used to obtain the oil 41. Methane is transported in a high pressure and low temperature form. The is called LNG what is LNG?liquified natural gas 42. Describe how natural gas is purified and prepared for transport.natural gas is removed from the ground and liquefied, it is also dried by removing water vapor, it can then be pumped through pipelines under pressure. Methane is liquefied under low temperatures and high pressure. 43. What is fractional distillation?method used to separate crude oil into different products (gasoline, heating oil, tar, jet fuel etc.) 44. What are the products of the crude oil refining process known as?petrochemicals 45. Are plastics a direct result of the distillation of crude oil?no 46. Even though the United States has large amounts of oil shale we are not using it. Give several reasons we are not using the oil shale.large amounts of water are needed to process the shale and the is extensive environmental damage in the mining of oil shale. 47. Can natural gas be used to run cars? Planes? Cooking?cars yes, planes no, cooking yes 48. Coal can be mined by three basic methods: strip mining, underground mining, and mountain top removal. Which method(s) would be used to obtain an underground coal seam?all can be used to get underground coal 49. Is the burning of coal associated with radionuclide pollution?no 50. What is the term for the drilling technology that allows drillers to access multiple oil deposits from one rig? Horizontal drilling 51. Define the following: a. Secondary recovery techniques methods used to extra additional oil from a well after the pressure has begun to drop (steam is often used) b. Peak production the point at which the pressure in an oil well starts to decline c. Known reserves oil resources that have been identified but not thoroughly mapped d. Proven reserves oil resources that have been mapped, measured, and shown to be economically recoverable 52. What is carbon sequestration? Where can carbon be sequestered? Sequestration is the storage of carbon so that it is not released back into the atmosphere. It can be stored in oil reservoirs, aquifers, at the bottom of the ocean, and into old oil and gas wells 53. For every six barrels of oil found 2 barrels will be extracted. 54. What is strip mining? What are some negative impacts of strip mining? Strip mining is the removal of whatever is above the coal (dirt, rocks, trees etc. often called overburden). Negative impacts are aesthetic degradation and in general making the land no longer fit for any other use. 55. Compared to other renewable energy sources solar energy is (more or less) expensive. 56. Where do utility companies usually build solar cell power plants? deserts 57. Rank the following renewable energy consumption from least to greatest biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar and wind solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, and biomass 58. What is the main advantage to using solar cells? Solar cells don t create pollution
59. Name the energy conversion that takes place when wind energy is harnessed. Mechanical energy to electrical energy 60. Why do energy companies build wind warms off shore? What is a disadvantage to off shore windfarms? They build offshore because of steady winds and open space. A disadvantage is the high cost 61. What is one of the main disadvantages of wind power? The look really ugly 62. What is the most common radioactive isotope used for fuel in nuclear power plants? U 235 63. Why are many American opposed to building new nuclear power plants? They are expensive to build, there is a declining demand for electricity, safety fears, and nuclear energy is costly compared to some other forms of energy (total cost) 64. Most nuclear power plant meltdowns have been caused by one type of failure. What type of failure is this? Cooling system failures 65. What is half life and how is it calculated? (From a graph) 66. List several examples of biofuels. Ethanol, biodiesel, E85 67. Are plants a renewable biofuel? Explain how it may or may not be. Plants are renewable as long as they are replenished as fast as we use them 68. What is biodiesel produced from? Vegetable oils 69. Does ethanol have a higher or lower octane than gasoline? higher 70. Which renewable energy source is most widely used in the United States? hydropower 71. One of the major impacts of hydropower is building dams and reservoirs. Explain what type of impacts these activities have on the environment. Impede the migration of fish, destroy habitats, divert water resources 72. Briefly explain how hydrogen power works. Hydrogen atoms are broken apart into electrons and protons. Electrons flow through a wire producing electricity, while protons combine with oxygen gas to form water 73. What is geothermal and which two countries use the most? Geothermal is using heat from the ground to provide heat or produce electricity. The United States and the Philippines use it the most.
74. How is ethanol produced from corn? Through fermentation and distillation of plant sugars.