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Population Quiz 1) B 2) E 3) B 4) D 5)E 6)B 7)B 8) D 9)A

10) C 11) B 12) D 13) C 14) D 15) E 16)D 17) D 18) C

You can’t just show up to the game

The coach is not the only one who can make you better

Retaking a quiz without reviewing is a waste of time

Brick wall today 11:59

What do you know about energy sources?

RENEWABLE ENERGYRenewable Energy Resource - An essentially inexhaustible energy resource on a human time scale.

PASSIVE SOLAR HEATINGPassive solar heating – captures sunlight directly with a

structure and converts it to low-temperature heat for space heating.

Advantages Disadvantages

1. save money 1. expensive for initial costs

2. create 2-5 more jobs/unit of electricity 2. aesthetically not pleasing

3. eliminate/reduce fossil fuels 3. latitude

4. less pollution

5. less environmental damage

PASSIVE SOLAR HEATING

ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING Active solar heating – specially designed collectors absorb solar energy and fan/pump distributes energy to parts of a building to meet space/water heating needs.


1. save money 1. expensive for initial costs

2. create 2-5 more jobs/unit of electricity 2. aesthetically not pleasing

3. eliminate/reduce fossil fuels 3. latitude

4. less pollution

5. less environmental damage

ACTIVE SOLAR HEATING

SOLAR THERMAL PLANT

SOLAR COOKER

1Solar Cooker – focuses and concentrates sunlight in a box typically covered in glass to trap infrared radiation waves to cook food in rural villages in developing countries.


Does reduce deforestation 2-4 hours to cook average meal.

SOLAR COOKER

SOLAR HYDROGEN

Solar-Hydrogen – Water can be split into gaseous hydrogen and oxygen.

It is in its infancy. So far… we can create fuel cells where hydrogen and oxygen combine to produce an electrical current, but it is difficult to store enough hydrogen gas in a fuel tank for very long.

Politics and economics are “holding up” this technology.

R&D from government needed.

must convince energy companies and investors to $ into this type of power and phase out fossil fuels.

must convince public to change over.

…Not Yet!

SOLAR HYDROGEN

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Passive solar activityBring in 2 cartons tomorrow for passive solar activity

HYDROPOWER1. Hydroelectric power plants – A dam is built across a large river to create a

reservoir. The higher the head, the greater the amount of power that can be generated. Water is stored in a reservoir during low electricity production. Water is released and flows are controlled as electricity demands peak. Water spins the turbines in the “powerhouse”. Electricity is distributed to end user.

Examples – Aswan High Dam (Egypt) and Colorado River Basin (USA/Mexico)


1. Moderate to high energy yield 1. create floods

2. low operating/maintenance costs 2. destroys habitats

3. low air pollution 3. uproots people

4. Decreases fish harvests

5. DO problems

HYDROPOWER

Hoover Dam

HYDROPOWER

Aswan High Dam

Read about Three GorgesList pros and cons after reading article and video

TIDAL POWER

1Tidal Power- power created from tidal energy


1. tidal energy spins turbines 1. few suitable sites

2. Construction costs high

TIDAL POWER

BIOMASSBiomass – organic matter in plants produced through photosynthesis and can be burned directly as a solid fuel or converted into a gas or liquid fuel.

1. Burning wood

2. Agricultural Waste

a. Bagasse (sugar cane residue)

b. Straw

3. Urban Waste (WTE)

a. burning garbage

4. Biofuels

a. Biogas – a mixture of 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide.

b. Liquid ethanol- (grain alcohol) – sugar + grain; mix gasoline + ethanol = gasohol which can burned in conventional gasoline engines (super-unleaded)

c. Liquid methanol – wood alcohol

BIOMASS

WOOD

GARBAGE

BIOGAS

BAGASSE

SUGAR CANE

BIOMASS


1. potentially renewable resource 1. removal of trees depletes

soil nutrients

2. less air pollutants released 2. soil erosion (turbidity)

3. decrease in use of fossil fuels 3. flooding

4. moderate-high net energy yield 4. loss of wildlife habitats

5. large land areas needed

6. heavy pesticide/fertilizer use7. reduces biodiversity8. reduces ecological integrity

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GEOTHERMAL

Geothermal Energy - Heat contained in underground rocks and fluid that can be tapped for energy.

Extract dry steam, wet steam or hot water and can be used to heat space or water.

“Potentially renewable resource”

22 countries currently use geothermal, it supplies 1% of world energy. In the USA (44% geothermal energy produced worldwide) geothermal electricity is produced mostly in Hawaii, California, Nevada, and Utah.

GEOTHERMAL


1. Reliable 1. Scarcity of reservoirs

2. Renewable 2. Deforestation to

3. Moderate Net Energy Yield build plants

4. 96% less CO2 emitted 3. Land subsidence

5. Competitive Cost 4. Noise, odor

GEOTHERMAL

SOLUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY

Improve energy efficiency

Increase local availability of renewable energy resources

Find transitional resources (natural gas, nuclear)

Government must promote R&D for alternative renewable energy resources.

Educate the public

All energy resources should compete in an open, free-market with NO government control!

Government needs to implement constructive subsidies not destructive subsidies to promote change, this will lead to conservation of resources and less over-consumption.

Non-Renewable energy

ADVANTAGES OF NUCLEAR POWER

No air pollutants emitted.

Land disturbance is low when no accidents are involved.

Construction and backup safety systems decrease the likelihood of a catastrophic event.

Chernobyl only caused the premature deaths of 32,000 people; coal burning causes premature deaths of 65,000 – 200,000 people in the USA each year!

DISADVANTAGES OF NUCLEAR ENERGY

1. Always the danger of a metldown

2. Waste disposal?

3. How do we effectively decommission the facilities after only 17 years of use?

4. Only 17% efficient

5. Extremely high costs associated with using “safe technology”.

HOW SAFE ARE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS?

Case Study: Three Mile Island

March 29, 1979 - #2 reactor in Harrisburg, PA lost its coolant water b/c of a series of mechanical failures and human operator errors for safety measure.

The reactor core became partially exposed and 50% of it melted and fell to the bottom of the reactor. Unknown amounts of radiation was released into atm.

50,000 people evacuated, 1.2 billion in law suits, increase in cancer rates over the years (stress and radiation).

CHERNOBYL

April 26, 1986 – Total meltdown of a graphite moderated nuclear fission power plant. Released enormous amounts of radiation due to loss of coolant around fuel rods and they melted through the core.

Health Effects:

Thyroid, skin, liver, ovaries, muscles, lungs, spleen, kidney, bone. Caused mutations and cancer.

LIFESPAN OF A REACTOR

After 15-40 years, a nuclear reactor becomes dangerously contaminated with radioactive material. They can be decommissioned or retired by:

1. Dismantling and storing large volumes HLRW in appropriate storage facilities (don’t exist).

2. Construct a physical barrier for security for 30-100 years before the plant is dismantled.

3. Enclose plant in a tomb that must last for thousands of years.

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

NRC assessed US reactors and concluded that there is a 15-45 % chance of a complete core meltdown.

Public doesn’t trust NRC and DOE b/c they7 destroyed documents, obstructed investigations and gave advance notice to facility operators before “surprise inspection visits”

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR?

1. Breeder Nuclear Fission Reactors – generate more nuclear fuel than they consume by converting non-fissionable 238U to 239Pt.

2. Liquid sodium is used as a coolant and is very explosive when it reacts with air.

3. Nuclear Fusion. Not yet! We’re still in the BF yras.

Fundamentals of Energy

Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Energy

Tar sands, also referred to as oil sands or bituminous sands, are a combination of clay, sand, water, and a solid, tar-like petroleum, called bitumen

Most of the remaining 15% is found in Venezuela and Russia, but these deposits will probably never be economical to mine

Tar Sand

The bitumen is far too thick to flow out of the rock

85% of all tar sand deposits occur in Canada

About 88% of Canada’s known petroleum reserves are tar sands

Tar Sand

Fortunately, the Canadian tar sand are concentrated in three regions in the state of Alberta

This concentration means that some of these deposits are currently economic to mine

In fact, serious tar sand mining began before WWII

Tar Sand

There are about 174 billion barrels of crude bitumen which are economically recoverable from the three Alberta oil sands areas at current prices using current technology

This is equivalent to about 10% of the estimated 1,700 and 2,500 billion barrels of bitumen in place

Tar Sand

Tar SandIt takes two tons of tar sand to produce one barrel of oil

Tar Sand

Note the processing plant in the distance

Tar SandThe oil sands after surface removal are further broken up and then extracted from the rock pores by subjecting the material to hot water and other chemicals, such as sodium hydroxide

The oil-bearing sand is piped into a large settling tank where the heavy sand settles to the bottom, water settles above that, and the oil floats to the top, where it can be removed for refining

For every barrel of oil produced from tar sands in Alberta, more than 80 kg of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere and between 2 and 4 barrels of waste water are dumped into tailing ponds that have flooded about 50 square kilometers of forest and bogs

Tar Sand

Critics contend that measures taken to minimize environmental and health risks posed by large-scale mining operations are inadequate, potentially causing damage to archaeological sites and natural resources

Tar Sand

The open-pit mining of the Alberta oils sands destroys the boreal forest, the bogs, the rivers as well as the natural landscape

Tar Sand

The mining industry believes that the boreal forest will eventually colonize the reclaimed lands, yet 30 years after the opening of the first open pit mine in the region no land is considered as having been "restored“

Coal

CoalCoal currently provides 23% of the total U.S. energy needs

Now that oil and gas are dwindling, many energy producers and users are looking again at the potential of coal

Formation of Coal DepositsUnlike petroleum, coal is not formed from marine organisms, but from the remains of land plants

A swampy setting, in which plant growth is lush and where there is water to cover fallen trees, dead leaves and other plant debris, is ideal for the initial stages to create coal

Formation of Coal Deposits

The formation of coal from dead plant matter requires burial, pressure, heat and time

The process works best under anaerobic conditions (no oxygen) since the reaction with oxygen during decay destroys the organic matter

It is the carbon content of the coal that supplies most of its heating value

The greater the carbon to oxygen ratio the harder the coal, the more reduced the state of the carbons and the more potential energy it contains

Formation of Coal DepositsThe products of coalification are divided into four major categories based on the carbon content of the material

Peat

Lignite

Bituminous

Anthracite

Peat

Peat forms in wetlands, variously called bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and swamps

It contains a large amount of water and must be dried before use

Historically, it has been used as a source of heat and burns with a long flame and considerable smoke

Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter and is the first stage in the formation of coal

PeatPeat deposits are found in many places around the world, notably in Russia, Ireland, Finland, Scotland, Poland, northern Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, and in North America

Approximately 60% of the world's wetlands have peat

PeatPeat is still mined as a fuel in Ireland and England

The peat is stacked to slowly dry out

Lignite

Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, is the lowest rank of coal and used almost exclusively as fuel for steam-electric power generation

It has a high inherent moisture content, sometimes as high as 66 percent, and very high ash content compared to bituminous coal

Lignite is the second step in the formation of coal and is formed when peat is subjected to increased vertical pressure from accumulating sediments

LigniteBecause of its low energy density, brown coal is inefficient to transport and is not traded extensively on the world market compared to higher coal grades

It is often burned in power stations constructed very close to the mines

BituminousBituminous Coal is the third stage of coal formation

Additional pressure over time has made it compact and virtually all traces of plant life have disappeared

It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than anthracite coal

It is greatly used in industry as a source of heat energy

Bituminous

Bituminous coal is usually black, sometimes dark brown, often with well-defined bands of bright and dull material

It is a relatively hard coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen

BituminousBituminous coal is a complex molecular mix of 60-80% carbon, plus oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen, plus some occasional impurities like sulfur

Coking Coal

Coking is achieved by heating the coal in the absence of oxygen, which drives off volatile hydrocarbons such as propane, benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons, and some sulfur gases and a considerable amount of the contained water of the bituminous coal

Coking coal is used in the manufacture of steel, where carbon must be as volatile-free and ash-free as possible

When used for many industrial processes, bituminous coal must first be "coked" to remove volatile components

AnthraciteAnthracite is formed during the forth stage of coal formation

It is the most valuable and highest grade of coal, and has a carbon content of 92-98%

Physically, anthracite differs from bituminous coal by its greater hardness and higher density

Plus, it burns far more efficiently with less smoke

Fuel Efficiency

As the coals becomes harder, their carbon content increases, and so does the amount of heat released

Anthracite produces twice the energy (BTUs) of lignite

U.S. Coal Reserves

The U.S. possesses 25% of all the known coal in the world

U.S. Coal Reserves

U.S. coal reserves represent about 50 times the energy remaining in proven oil reserves and 40 times the energy in proven natural gas reserves

U.S. Coal Reserves

The U.S. has consumed half of our oil reserves, but only a few percent of our coal reserves

Our coal reserves could meet current U.S. energy needs for 200 years (compared to 50 years for oil)

World Coal Reserves

46% of the U.S. reserves are bituminous and anthracite

The remaining 54% is lignite

Coal-bed Methane

During the formation of coal deposits, quantities of methane-rich gas are also formed

Historically, methane has been considered as a hazardous nuisance

In fact, currently it is usually burned off rather than recoveredIt is estimated that 100 trillion cubic feet of methane can be economically recovered from existing U.S. coal beds

Coal-bed Methane

U.S. coal deposits are already mapped, so there would be no exploration cost

Waste water is a potential pollution problem

Coal-bed methane is already being produced in Utah

Coal Gasification

One of the most advanced - and cleanest - coal power plants in the world is Tampa Electric's Polk Power Station in Florida

It uses a coal gasification process that turns coal into a gas that can be cleaned of almost all pollutants

Coal Gasification

The coal is heated inside a large oven and blasted with steam

The coal is converted into carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas

Hydrogen gas burns very easily

Coal Gasification

This 2544-ton-per-day coal gasification demonstration pilot plant in Pennsylvania, will have energy conversion efficiencies 20 to 35% higher than those of conventional pulverized-coal steam power plants

Coal Liquefaction

Coal can also be converted into liquid fuels like gasoline or diesel by several different processes

This is an attractive technology because it is well developed and thus could be implemented fairly rapidly and there are relatively large quantities of coal reserves

Coal LiquefactionEstimates of the cost of producing liquid fuels from coal suggest that domestic U.S. production of fuel from coal becomes cost-competitive with oil priced at around $35 US per barrel (currently over $100 per barrel)

A coal liquefaction test plant in Japan

Coal & EnvironmentA major problem with coal is the pollution associated with its mining and use

Coal is a major source of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide

In fact, coal releases more carbon dioxide per unit energy burned than natural gas or oil

Coal & Sulfur

The sulfur content of coal can be as high as 3%, with some in the form of the iron sulfate mineral pyrite (FeS2) and some bound in the remaining organic matter

When a coal containing sulfur is burned, sulfur gases, notably sulfur dioxide (SO2), are emitted

These gases are poisonous and are extremely irritating to both eyes and lungs

The pollutant of special concern with coal is sulfur

Acid Rain

These sulfur gases also react with water in the atmosphere to produce sulfuric acid, which is a very strong acid

This acid falls to earth as acid rain

These trees near coal-fired power plants have been killed by acid rain

A Hard Rain’s A-gonna Fall

Acidity in rain is measured by collecting samples of rain and measuring its pH

The areas of greatest acidity (lowest pH values) are located in the Northeastern U.S.

A Hard Rain’s A-gonna Fall

This pattern of high acidity is caused by the large number of cities, the dense population, and the concentration of power and industrial plants in the Northeast

A Hard Rain’s A-gonna FallAcid rain can acidify soil, stunting plant growth

It can kill fish and other aquatic life, dissolve rocks, destroy the surface of building facades and monumentsMost coal-burning power plants have scrubbers in the smoke stacks that remove most, but not all of the sulfur gas emissions

Low sulfur coal, less than 1%, is the coal of choice

Ash

Coal also produces a tremendous amount of solid waste

The ash residue left after coal is burned is typically 5-20% of the original volume

It is primarily composed primarily of non-combustible silicate minerals, but also contains toxic metals

AshIf released with emission gases, the ash fouls the air

When dumped onto the surface, the fine-grained ash weathers very rapidly, releasing toxic metals, such as selenium, creating a serious water-pollution threat

The average coal-fired power plant produces one million tons of ash per year, which is usually buried

Ash

On December 22, 2008, there was a catastrophic collapse of the dyke around an ash retention pond at the TVA coal-powered electricity generating facility at Kingston, Tennessee

AshTVA estimated that 5.4 million gallons of wet fly ash had escaped thru the breach

AshAbout 40 private homes, buildings and other structures were damaged or destroyed by the ash flow

Some residents were forced to leave their homes forever

AshTVA denies that the fly ash is dangerous to the environment or to human health

However, TVA’s own records revealed that the 5.4 million gallons of fly ash contained

44,000 pounds of arsenic49,000 pounds of lead142,000 pounds of manganese1.4 million pounds of barium

compounds

AshTVA has been cleaning up the disaster for almost 3 years, but the progress is very slow

It will cost one billion dollars to clean the mess up

14 law suits have been files, but TVA claims immunity by the “principle of discretionary function”

Company Script“I owe my soul to the company store”

- from the song 16 Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford

Miners were paid with with company script, called tokens, which could only be used at the company store

Coal Mining DeathsUnderground coal mining is notoriously dangerous

The decrease in coal mining fatalities is due to:

Better enforcement of safety regulations More surface strip mining of coal

In particular, coal mining has a bad history of dangerous working conditions, serious health problems and the highest death rate among miners

Coal Mining Deaths

The Monongah No. 6 & No. 8 Mine disaster in West Virginia occurred at 10:20 am on December 6, 1907 and is the “the worst mining disaster in American history”

The official death count is 362, but it is believed that over 500 were killed

1907 Monongah Mine Disaster

An electrical spark ignited methane and coal dust

Upper Big Branch Mine explosion occurred on April 5, 2010 and killed 29 miners

Due to the large concentration of toxic gases in the mine, MSHA investigators had to wait for over two months to enter the mine to investigate the explosion

Upper Big Branch Mine Explosion

The mine was operated by Massey Energy

Investigators faulted Massey for failure to properly maintain its ventilation systems which allowed methane levels to increase to dangerous amounts

MSHA had found 505 mining violations at the mine in 2009, but had not acted on any of them

Massey was accused in the final report of intimidating miners and state officials


The company that purchased Massey was ordered to pay a MSHA $10.8 civil fine plus $209 million for the Dept. of Justice settlement

The settlement comprises $46.5 million in restitution payments, $34.8 million in fines for safety citations, $48 million for a health and safety research and development trust fund, and $80 million for safety improvements during two years


The restitution payments are $1.5 million to each of the two survivors and the families of each the 29 fatal casualties

Surface Mining

In 1950, only 20% of U.S. coal was obtained by surface strip mining

By 2000, over 65% of U.S. coal was from surface strip mining

This is partly due to increased mining of near-surface coal seams out west

Surface Mining

50% of U.S. coal reserves are in the western U.S., of which about 40% can be surfaced mined

Coal Seam Fires

An underground coal mine has been on fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania since 1962

It was started by a fire in an adjacent dump

Over 1000 residents have been located, at a cost of over $40 million

Coal Seam Fires in U.S.

The Centralia fire closed highway 61


A coal seam fire has been burning for more than a century near Glenwood Springs, Colorado

It caused a major forest fire in 2002


DENVER – “A Golden-based geologist is proposing a pilot project to tap an underground coal seam fire west of Glenwood Springs for energy and other resources.

Lindsey V. Maness Jr. of In-Situ Coal Energy Corp. says that pumping oxygen to the fire can produce coal oil, electricity through turbines and other methods, mineral byproducts and a greenhouse operation to capture heat and carbon dioxide.”


It is estimated that coal mine fires in China burn about 200 million tons of coal each year

These fires release about 360 million metric tons of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions per year

Coal Seam Fires in China

How do you put out a coal seam fire?

Coal Seam Fires

“Abatement methods range from complete excavation and quenching with water (where practicable and affordable) to the use of specialty foaming cements and fire fighting foams that are injected into the fire through boreholes drilled from the ground surface. The intent of the injection is to isolate the fire with a barrier of foaming cement followed by the extinguishment of the fire by using a fire fighting foam. Other techniques that may be used include the use of liquid nitrogen to extinguish the fire by the rapid removal of heat.”

- Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, U.S. Department of the Interior

Coal Seam Fires

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