Transcript Document

Nonrenewable Energy Resources
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
14th Edition
Chapter 17
Key Concepts
 Available energy alternatives
 Oil resources
 Natural gas resources
 Coal resources
 Nuclear fission and fusion
Section 1: Evaluating Energy
Resources
• What types of energy do we use?
• What types of commercial energy does
the world depend on?
• What is the energy future of the United
States?
• How can we evaluate which energy
resources to use?
• What is “net energy?”
What type of energy do we use?
About 99% of the energy
that heats the earth and
our homes comes from
the sun, and the
remaining 1% comes
mostly from fossil
fuels. (old solar energy)
• Without sun -2400C
What type of energy do we use?
Sun’s Energy
• Nuclear Fusion
• 93 million miles
away
• “Average” Star
• 99% Hydrogen
Evaluating Energy Resources
Non-renewable energy:
 84% of world
commercial energy (78%
from fossil fuels, 6%
nuclear)
 Oil, coal, natural gas,
nuclear
Evaluating Energy Resources
Renewable Energy
Sources:
• 16% of world’s
commercial energy
resources.
• 10% biomass, 5%
hydro, and 1% combo
of geothermal, wind
and solar.
Commercial Energy Use By Source
2002
Important Nonrenewable Energy
Sources
Fig. 17-2 p. 351
Evaluating Energy Resources
Future Energy
Availability: the U.S.
is the world’s largest
energy user.
• In 2004, 4.6% of world
population, yet 24% of
world’s energy
consumption
Future Energy in U.S.
U.S. debate: should we
continue our
dependence on oil and
coal or shift to natural
gas, hydrogen, solar
cells, and wind.
• Political, Economic,
Energy Companies,
Societal Debate
Global Energy Consumption
U.S. Energy Consumption
Shifts in U.S. Commercial Energy Resources
Evaluating Energy Choices
1. Costs
2. Environmental Impacts
3. Availability in near
future and long term
4. Governmental
Incentives
5. National and Global
Security
6. Terrorism
What is Net Energy?
NET ENEGY: is the
amount of high-quality
usable energy available
from a resource after
subtracting out what is
needed to make it
usable.
• Second law of
thermodynamics:
some energy will be
wasted and degraded.
Net Energy Ratios For U.S.
Review Section 1
• What types of energy do we use?
• What types of commercial energy does
the world depend on?
• What is the energy future of the United
States?
• How can we evaluate which energy
resources to use?
• What is “net energy?”
Section 2: Oil Key Ideas
• What is crude oil? How does crude oil
turn into usable products?
• Where does oil come from? Who has oil?
• How is oil used?
• What are problems associated with oil
usage?
• How much longer will we have oil?
Oil Rules!!! What is crude oil?
Petroleum, or crude oil is
a thick, gooey liquid
consisting of many
combustible
hydrocarbons.
• Formed over millions of
year from decaying organic
materials buried under the
seafloor and subjected to
extreme temperatures and
pressure.
Oil Rules!!! What is crude oil?
Crude oil and natural gas often found together in
deep deposits in pores and cracks.
• Found using sophisticated equipment.
• Usually only 30-35% is extractable
• Higher prices mean more can be extracted.
Oil Rules!!! Transportation
How crude oil is
transported:
• Pipelines
• Trucks
• Oil Tankers
Refining crude oil.
Based upon their
boiling points,
components are
removed in giant
distillation
column.
In US refining
accounts for 8% of
our energy
consumption
1 barrel is
42 gallons
Oil, Who Has It?
Eleven OPEC countries
contain 78% of world’s
proven oil reserves
Oil is the world’s
largest business.
Saudi Arabia 25%
Canada 15%
Iraq 11%, UAE 9.3%
Oil, Who Has It?
U.S.:
• Uses 26%
• Produces 2.9%
• Import 60% (36% in
1973)
2003 $99 billion import
bill.
2/3 for transportation
North American Energy Resources
Fig. 17-9 p. 357
Offshore oil accounts for 1/4th of U.S. Oil
Production. 9 of 10 barrels come from the Gulf.
Oil, Who Has It?
ANWR:
Best Estimates:
• Would meet world’ energy
demands for 1-5 months
• Would meet US energy
needs for 7-24 months.
Saudi Arabia:
• Could only supply world
for about 10 years.
Oil
Petroleum (crude oil)
Recovery
Refining
Transporting
Fig. 17-8 p. 356
Today oil is trading about $58/barrel
US Oil Supply and Consumption.
Global Oil Consumption: US, China Japan
largest oil consumers.
Conventional Oil: Advantages
Relatively low cost
High net energy yield
Efficient distribution system
Conventional Oil: Disadvantages
Running out
Low prices encourage waste
Air pollution and Greenhouse gases
Water pollution
World Politics and Trade
Imbalances
Oil, What Is Left?
Most energy expert believe
there are about 1,050
billion barrels left.
Peak Production This
Decade
Rising Demand,
Dwindling Supply =
Higher Prices
Oil, What Is Left?
Ways of extending oil
supplies:
• Increase CAFÉ
• Find new reserves
• Taxing
• Conservation
• Increased use of other
sources.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Controversy: Trade-offs
Would create jobs
Oil resources are uncertain
Uncertain environmental impacts
Drilling controversies
Oil Shale and Tar Sands
Oil shale
Tar sand
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Per Unit of Energy
Oil Review
• What is crude oil? How does crude oil
turn into usable products?
• Where does oil come from? Who has oil?
• How is oil used?
• What are problems associated with oil
usage?
• How much longer will we have oil?
Natural Gas Key Ideas
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What is natural gas? Where is it found?
How is natural gas used?
Who has the world's natural gas supplies?
What is the future for natural gas?
What is natural gas?
Mainly methane CH4
Also
• Ethane C2H6
• Propane C3H8
• Butane C4H10
Formed like oil from buried
animals and plants millions
of years ago.
Where is it found?
Deposits usually found above oil deposits.
In past was seen as unwanted waste and burnt
off.
Who has natural gas?
Russia (31%) and Iran
(15%) have almost ½
of world’s reserves.
Reserves could last 62125 years worldwide.
Geologist expect to find
more.
U.S. Natural Gas
U.S. supplies should
last 55-80 years
depending upon
demand.
Supplies have been
declining for years.
Canada???
How is it used?
• 53% of heat in U.S.
homes
• 16% of electricity and
growing quickly
• Hot water heaters
• Can be used in vehicles
Advantages of Gas
• Cleaner burning than coal
or oil.
• Emits far fewer CO2 per
energy units
• More efficient energy
producer and plants are
cheaper to build
What is gases future?
• Conventional and
Unconventional
sources may last up
to 200 years.
• Prices bound to rise
• Best transition fuel
into solar etc.?
What is LNG?
• At low temperatures
natural gas can be
shipped around the
world as liquid natural
gas.
• Requires very low
temperatures and
building special
infrastructure.
Natural Gas
Natural Gas Review
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What is natural gas? Where is it found?
How is natural gas used?
Who has the world's natural gas supplies?
What is the future for natural gas?
Old King Coal Key Ideas
• History of coal use.
• What is coal? How is it extracted from
the ground?
• How is coal used? How long will it last?
• What are advantages and disadvantages
of using coal?
History of Old King Coal
After firewood, coal was
the major source of
energy.
End of 1800s coal is the
worlds dominant fuel.
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Steam Engines
Heating
Cooking
Industry
History of Old King Coal
By 1920s, coal provided
80% of US energy.
Powered the industrial
revolution
Caused a great deal of air
pollution.
What is coal?
Coal is a solid fuel
formed in several stages
from remains of buried
plants and animals.
Consists mostly of carbon
and trace amounts of
sulfur, mercury and
radioactive materials.
What is coal?
Anthracite is the most
desirable form of coal
(98% carbon)
Takes longer to form
More expensive.
Coal Formation and Types
How is coal extracted?
Surface Mining:
• Area Strip Mining
• Contour Strip Mining
• Mountaintop Removal
Underground Mining
Large environmental impact from different mining techniques.
How is coal used?
Coal provides 51% of
current U.S.
electricity. (62%
worldwide)
Used to make ¾ of
worlds steel.
A typical 1,000 Megawatt
power plant uses 8,000
tons of coal every
day…1 mile long train
worth of coal every day.
How is coal used?
91% of coal in U.S. is
used for power
production.
Not useful for
transportation energy
needs.
Where in the world is coal found?
U.S. has 1/4th of the world
proven reserves. (16%
Russia, 12% China)
U.S. and China are 2
largest users.
U.S. is able to export
about 4% a year.
Where is the coal?
How long will coal last?
According to USGS…
U.S. reserves could last
300 years at current rate
of consumption…or 64
years if consumption
grows by 4% a year.
World’s most abundant
fossil fuel.
U.S. Energy Projections
Coal Advantages
• Most abundant fossil
fuel.
• High “Net Energy”
• Relatively inexpensive.
• U.S. has plenty of it for
a while.
• Power Plants relatively
cheap to build.
Coal Disadvantages
• High environmental
impact (air, water, land,
acid rain)
• Global Warming, high
CO2 emissions
• Toxic Mercury and
radioactivity
• Dangerous to mine
Coal: Trade-offs
“Clean Coal
Technology???”
Coal Review
 Stages of coal formation
 Primarily strip-mined
 Used mostly for generating electricity
 Enough coal for about 1000 years
 High environmental impact
 Coal gasification and liquefaction
Coal Review
• History of coal use.
• What is coal? How is it extracted from
the ground?
• How is coal used? How long will it last?
• What are advantages and disadvantages
of using coal?
Nuclear Energy Key Ideas
• How does a nuclear fission reactor work?
• What is the nuclear fuel cycle?
• What is the history of nuclear technology?
Where is it used today?
• What are advantages and disadvantages of
using nuclear power?
• What are the disposal issues for high-level and
low level nuclear waste?
• What is the future for nuclear power?
How does a nuclear fission
reactor work?
Isotopes of uranium and
plutonium undergo
controlled nuclear
fission.
U235 and Pt239
(U contains 92 Protons, how many
neutrons???)
Fission Chain Reaction,
splitting the nucleus,
releasing heat to produce
steam
How does a nuclear fission
reactor work?
Core Reactor: 35,000 to
70,000 fuel rods
• Fuel pellets of 97%
non-fissionable U238
and 3% fissionable
U235
• Control rods of Boron
and Cadmium
• Coolant: water
• Containment vessel
How does a nuclear fission
reactor work?
“Spent” fuel rods usually
stored onsite in huge
pools of water
Must be stored safely for
10,000 to 24,000 years
Multiple safety layers at
plants.
How does a nuclear fission
reactor work?
The heat produced by the
splitting of uranium is
used to generate
electricity by spinning
turbines.
Plants must be in
continual operation
Nuclear Energy
 Fission
reactors
 Uranium-235
 Potentially
dangerous
 Radioactive
wastes
What is the nuclear fuel cycle?
Fuel Cycle Includes:
• Mining uranium
• Processing fuel
“enrichment”
• Using fuel in reactor
• Storing highly
radioactive waste for
thousands of years
What is the nuclear fuel cycle?
After 15-60 years reactors
become contaminated
with radioactive
materials and parts
become worn out.
Transporting nuclear
waste for storage
10,000 years or more
What is the nuclear fuel cycle?
What is the history of nuclear
technology?
Following WW II great
interest in showing how
atomic age could benefit
humankind
Tremendous government
subsidies and research
Government paid ¼ of cost
of building first reactors.
Government paid insurance
What is the history of nuclear
technology?
1960s and 70s plans for
many U.S. plants
1975 – 53 plants
operating (9% of U.S.
electricity) another 170
plants planned
1978 last plant to be built
was ordered – great
unease about plants
What is the history of nuclear
technology?
1979 Three-Mile Island,
PA
1986 Chernobyl (still a
problem today)
Globally plants continue
to be built (441 in
operation, 23 being
built)
Where is it used today?
U.S.
In 2004:
• 103 in operation
• 21% of countries
electricity (huge plants)
US Energy Information
Agency predicts 27%
fewer plants in 2020
Where is it used today?
Globally:
• 441 plants (32
under construction)
• 17% of world’s
electricity
• Growing 2.5%
yearly
Leading countries:
• Lithuania 80%
• France 78%
Locations of U.S. Nuclear Power Plants
NJ (1) --- PA (3)
Advantages of Nuclear Power
• Large Fuel Supply
• Little Air Pollution and
CO2 emissions
• Moderate to low water and
land environmental impact
• Low risk of accidents
(multiple safety levels –
except in old Soviet
reactors)
Disadvantages of Nuclear Power
• High cost of building
and operating plants
• Possibility of
catastrophic accidents
• No long-term solutions
for waste
• Spreads knowledge of
nuclear weapon
technology
• Terrorist Attacks
Conventional Nuclear Power: Trade-offs
Dealing with Nuclear Waste
High- and low-level wastes
Terrorist threats
Underground burial
Disposal in space
Burial in ice sheets
Dumping into subduction zones
Burial in ocean mud
Conversion into harmless materials
Yucca Mountain Controversy
Wastes stored and guarded in one place
Possible long-term groundwater
contamination
Security and safety concerns during waste
transport to the site
Permanent Underground
Disposal of Nuclear Wastes
Storage Containers
Fuel rod
Primary canister
Ground Level
Unloaded from train
Personnel
elevator
Air shaft
Nuclear waste
shaft
Overpack
container
sealed
Underground
Buried and capped
Lowered down shaft
Fig. 17-28 p. 373
Nuclear Alternatives – Future?
New reactor designs
Breeder nuclear fission reactors
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear Review
• How does a nuclear fission reactor work?
• What is the nuclear fuel cycle?
• What is the history of nuclear technology?
Where is it used today?
• What are advantages and disadvantages of using
nuclear power?
• What are the disposal issues for high-level and
low level nuclear waste?
• What is the future for nuclear power?