1. Nonrenewable Energy Resources
Chapter 12
Nonrenewable Energy Resources

2. Chapter Introduction
1969 Santa Barbara, CA “Blowout” – 3 million gallons of oil
1989 Prince William Sound, Alaska “Exxon Valdez” – 11 million gallons of oil
2010 Gulf of Mexico “BP Deepwater Horizon” – 206 million gallons of oil
Various other mine explosion, collapes, etc.

3. Nonrenewable Energy
Nonrenewable energy resources- fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) and nuclear fuels.

4. Nonrenewable Energy Two Categories:
Fossil Fuels
Three major fossil fuels are coal , oil and natural gas.
Nuclear
From radioactive material that gives off energy.
Energy is harnessed by the transferring of heat.
Giga joule (GJ) 1 x109
Exajoule (EJ) 1 x 109 gigajoules
In the U.S. we use a “Quad” 1x1015 btu or EJ.

5. Energy Use
Commercial energy sources- those that are bought and sold, such as coal, oil and natural gas.
Subsistence energy sources- those gathered by individuals for their own use such as wood, charcoal and animal waste. Some wood, charcoal and animal waste are sold commerically.

6. History of Energy in the US
Always used wood
1875 coal came into wider use.
Early 1900’s oil and natural gas became widely used as well.
1950 Nuclear Energy joined the mix and hydroelectric became more widely use.
1970 use of coal declined and oil increased

7. Energy Types and Quality
Obtaining the fuel?
What we get out of the fuel?
Natural Gas – burns clean, little refining (low cost)
Oil/Gasoline – start quick, high energy to mass ratio, refining (high cost), pollution
Coal – starts slow
Wood - starts slow, low energy to mass ratio
Right fuel for the right job?
Water Heater Example of efficiency : 99% (35%) electric vs 80% (little less than 80%) natural gas

8. Energy Types and Quality
Quantifying Energy Efficiency
Calculate the energy return on the energy investment (EROEI)
EROEI = Energy Obtained/Energy invested
Example:

9. Process of Energy Use

10. Overall Fuel Efficiency of U.S. Automobiles

11. Energy Efficiency and Transportation
Nearly 30% of energy in the US is used for transportation
What is more efficient?
What is most efficient?
What would increase energy efficiency of transportation?

13. Electricity Generation

14. Electricity Generation
Electricity is a secondary source of energy (we obtain it from a primary source) and is an “energy carrier”.
The burning fuel from coal transfers energy to water, which becomes steam.
The kinetic energy contained within the steam is transferred to the blades of a turbine, a large device that resembles a fan.
As the energy in the steam turns the turbine, the shaft in the center of the turbine turns the generator.
This mechanical motion generates energy.

15. Energy Efficiency
Most coal burning power plants are about 35% efficient.
50% of US water
consumptions is
used for thermal
energy production
Waste products
of CO2 and Ash

16. Efficiency of Electricity Generation
New plants can have as high as 60% efficiency
How?
Combined Cycle using Natural Gas
A typical power plant (fossil fuel) in the US has an energy capacity (electrical output) of about 500 MW per hour. (12,000 MWh in a day)
So 12,000,000 kWh (kilowatt hours) per day
Capacity Factor is what the plants actually run during the year

17. Cogeneration
Cogeneration- using a fuel to generate electricity and to produce heat.
Example- If steam is used for industrial purposes or to heat buildings it is diverted to turn a turbine first.
This improves the efficiency to as high as 90%.

20. Fossil Fuels
Most of the worlds energy developing or developed rely on fossil fuels
Fossil Fuels – coal, oil and natural gas
Fossil fuel formed 50 million to 350 million years ago.

21. Coal
Coal- a solid fuel formed primarily from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials that were preserved million years ago.
Four types of coal ranked from lesser to greater age, exposure to pressure, and energy content.
These four types are: lignite, sub-bituminous, bituminous, and anthracite.
The largest coal reserves are in the United States, Russia, China, and India.

22. Coal

23. Advantages and Disadvantages of Coal
Energy-dense
Contains impurities
Plentiful ( 1,450 coal mines in 2008 producing 1 billion metric tons)
Release impurities into air when burned
Easy to exploit by surface mining
Trace metals like mercury, lead, and arsenic are found in coal
Technological demands are small
Combustion leads to increased levels of sulfur dioxide and other air pollutants into the atmosphere.
Economic costs are low
Ash is left behind (3%-10%)
Easy to handle and transport
Carbon is released into the atmosphere which contributes to climate change (60%-80% of coal is carbon)
Needs little refining

24. Petroleum Has a fluid nature
Formed from the remains of phytoplankton, million years ago.
Porous rock like sandstone is capped by non-porous rock.
Petroleum contains natural gas as well.
When removed from the ground it is known as crude oil. Most refer to oil, crude oil and petroleum as the same things.
Crude oil can be refined into tar, asphalt, gasoline, diesel, and kerosene.

25. Petroleum

26. Petroleum
Petroleum- a mixture of hydrocarbons, water, and sulfur that occurs in underground deposits.
Oil and gasoline make this ideal for mobile combustion, such as vehicles.
Formed from the remains of ocean-dwelling phytoplankton that died million years ago.
Countries with the most petroleum are Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United States, Iran, China, Canada, and Mexico.

27. Petroleum Refining is complex and dangerous.
We use 3.1 billion liters per day (1 barrel is 160 liters or 42 gallons)
50% of use is gasoline.
Petroleum is also used to make other products like plastics, lubricants, cleaning solvents.

28. Advantages and Disadvantages of Petroleum
Convenient to transport and use
Releases carbon dioxide into atmosphere
Relatively energy-dense
Possibility of leaks when extracted and transported
Cleaner-burning than coal
85% of oil entering water ways comes from runoff.
Pipelines create habitat fragmentation
Releases sulfur, mercury, lead, and arsenic into the atmosphere when burned

29. Natural Gas
Natural gas- exists as a component of petroleum in the ground as well as in gaseous deposits separate from petroleum.
Contains 80 to 95 percent methane and 5 to 20 percent ethane, propane, and butane.
Can be extracted with petroleum or separate.
Can compressed and be used as fuel for cars

30. Advantages and Disadvantages Natural Gas
Contains fewer impurities and therefore emits almost no sulfur dioxide or particulates
When unburned, methane escapes into the atmosphere (25x more potent GHG than CO2)
Emits only 60% as much carbon dioxide as coal
Exploration of natural gas has the potential of contaminating groundwater (Fracking)
Cheaper and abundant
Large quantities of water used in extraction
Disposal of “produced” water

31. Other Fossil Fuels
Oil sands- slow-flowing, viscous deposits of bitumen mixed with sand, water, and clay.
Bitumen (tar or pitch)- a degraded type of petroleum that forms when a petroleum migrates close to the surface, where bacteria metabolize some of the light hydrocarbons and others evaporate.
Much more energy intensive process.
Increased water contamination.
Low energy efficiency and increase CO2 emissions

32. Other Fossil Fuels CTL (coal to liquid) - Expensive
1,000x more energy in coal reserve than petroleum.
- But 2x the amount of greenhouse emissions than oil.

33. Fossil Fuel are Finite Limited amount
Can technology extend the amount we have left?
“We did not move on from the stone age because we ran out of stones.”

35. The Hubbert Curve
Hubbert curve- a graph that shows the point at which world oil production would reach a maximum and the point at which we would run out of oil.

36. The Future of Fossil Fuel Use
If current global use continues, we will run out of conventional oil in less than 40 years.
Natural gas will last longer than oil.
Coal supplies will last for at least 200 years, and probably much longer.

37. Nuclear Energy 20% of US Energy is Nuclear (104 plants)
Fission- a nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a relatively large atomic nucleus, which then splits into two or more parts.

38. Nuclear Reactors

39. Nuclear Reactors
Fuel rods- the cylindrical tubes that house the nuclear fuel used in a nuclear power plant.
Nuclear power plants work by using heat from nuclear fission to heat water. This water produces the steam to turn the turbine, which turns a generator.
Control rods- cylindrical devices that can be inserted between the fuel rods to absorb excess neutrons, thus slowing or stopping the fission reaction.

40. Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy
No air pollution is produced
Possibility of accidents (meltdown)
Countries can limit their need for imported oil
Disposal of the radioactive waste
1 g of 235U contain 2-3 million times more energy than 1 g of coal.
Mining: use of fossil fuels, slag piles or mine tailings.

41. Major Nuclear Accidents
Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania – 1979
Chernobyl – 1986
Fukushima Daiichi – 2011 (Tsunami/earth quake)

42. Radioactive Waste
Radioactive waste- once the nuclear fuel can not produce enough heat to be used in a power plant but it continues to emit radioactivity.
This waste must be stored in special, highly secure locations because of the danger to living organisms.

43. Radioactive Waste
High-level radioactive waste- the form used in fuel rods.
Low-level radioactive waste- the protective clothing, tools, rags, and other items used in routine plant maintenance (mine tailings).

44. Fusion
Nuclear fusion- the reaction that powers the Sun and other stars. This occurs when lighter nuclei are forced together to produce heavier nuclei and heat is released.
Fusion is a promising, unlimited source of energy in the future, but so far scientists have had difficulty cotaining the heat that is produced.