Ch 15 – Nonrenewable Energy
Pass The Petroleum
 Supplies 1/3rd of world’s energy
 Depletion Time – 2050-2100?
o Uncertainty = OPEC
 Peak Production – 2020?
 Answers…
o Find more
o Reduce use & waste
o Alternative energies
OPEC
 Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
o Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates
o Algeria, Angola, Libya, Nigeria
o Ecuador & Venezuela
 Has 67% global reserves
 Produces 43% world’s oil
 2007 – $1.3 mil per min. revenue
 Saudi Arabia (25%); most reserves
World’s Commercial Energy
 82% from nonrenewable
o 76% oil, natural gas, coal
o 6% nuclear
 18% renewable
o Biomass, hydro, solar, wind (sun power); geothermal
Energy Takes Energy
 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
o Energy transformations always result in loss of usable energy
 Fuel source must be found, extracted, transferred to plant, refined, transferred to user, used
Fossil Fuel Formation
 Partially decomposed organic matter (mostly plant) deposited on ocean, lake, swamp floors
 Covered by sediment
 Over 100-500 mil yrs: heat, pressure, biomagic = fossil fuels
Oil
 Petroleum (crude oil) comes out as thick, gooey liquid
o Made of hundreds of different hydrocarbons w/ small amounts of S, O, N impurities
 Oil Extraction
o Oil located under domes of Earth
o Dispersed in pores & cracks (like water in a sponge)
o Primary Extraction – built up pressure forces oil out
o Secondary Extraction – water or air pumped in to force oil up
 Oil Refining (Distillation)
o Heat petroleum; separate by B.P.
o Petrochemicals
 Distillation products used as raw materials for industry
 Cleaning fluids, pesticides, paints, plastics, synthetic fibers
 U.S. Oil Production
o Consume much more than produce
o 39% energy from oil; produce 9% global oil
 25% from Gulf; 17% from Alaska
o Consume 24% world’s oil
 Import 60% oil consumed
o ¼ oil controlled by terrorist nations
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The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
o Alaska’s ANWR
o Only stretch of arctic coastline not open for oil & gas development
o Tundra biome
 Polar bears, arctic foxes, musk oxen, peregrine falcons, caribou, many fish, marine
mammals, nesting birds
o Drill It?
 1980 – oil lobbying Congress to open it up
 Alaska for it = $$ for state
 Geologists – not much; 7-24 mths
 Improve MPG in vehicles by 1 mile saves more than ANWR could ever produce
Oil Advantages
o Low cost
o High energy yield
o Easily transported
o Technology well-developed
o Efficient distribution system
Oil Disadvantages
o Large subsidies
o Artificially low price encourage waste & discourages alternatives
o Environmental costs not in market price
o Air (CO2, SO2, NOx) & water pollution
o Need alternatives within 50 yrs
Alternative Oils
o Oil Sands
 Mixture of clay, sand, water, & bitumen
 Organic material; thick & sticky heavy oil
 High sulfur content (10%)
 Canada has 3/4 (under forests)
 Canada +Venezuela = Saudi’s oil
 Extraction
 Forest clear-cut & wetlands drained
 Rivers & streams diverted
 Overburden removed; oil sand taken
 Oil sand + hot water & steam (heated by natural gas) = crude oil
o 3x CO2 more per barrel than oil
o 0.7 barrels oil to make 1 barrel
o Oil Shale
 Rocks w/ kerogen in them
 Solid combustible mixture of hydrocarbons
 Extraction
 Rocks crushed, heat, lots of water = shale oil (distillate)
 Processed to remove S, N, others
 Heated to flow thru pipes to refinery
 U.S. Oil Shale
 72% of reserve in arid areas of western U.S.
 Locked in rock (1 ton rock = 1 barrel shale oil)
 Low net energy yield
 Lack of water needed for extraction & processing
o Sand/Shale Advantages
 Moderate cost (sand)
 Large potential supplies
 Easily transported b/w nations
 Efficient distribution in place
 Well-developed technology
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Sand/Shale Disadvantages
 High cost (shale)
 Low net energy yield
 Large amounts of water needed
 Severe water pollution
 Severe land disruption
 Air pollution & CO2 emissions
 No environmental cost in price
Natural Gas
 Gas mixture; mainly methane (CH4)
o Other hydrocarbons, H2S, N, CO2
 Usually above crude oil
o By-product often burned away
 Russia 27%, Iran 15%, Qatar 14%
 Less CO2 released than coal, oil, oil sand, oil shale (‘Best’ fossil fuel)
 Hydraulic Fracturing
o aka Fracking
o Holes drilled deep into ground
o Once in proper rock, hole drilled laterally
o Water/Sand/10+ chemicals injected into well causing pressure & fracturing of rock
o Natural gas released from rock
o Fracking Fluids
 HCl, NaCl, Glutaraldehyde
 Guar gum, citric acid, isopropanol
 Polyacrylamide (toxic)
 Ethylene glycol (antifreeze; toxic)
 650 of 2500 fracking products have known/possible carcinogens
 Natural Gas Advantages
o Ample supply
o High net energy (turbines)
o Low cost
o Less air pollution & CO2 (per unit of energy produced)
o Easy Pipeline transport
 Natural Gas Disadvantages
o Non-renewable
o CO2 emissions; CH4 leaks
o Gov’t subsidies
o Environmental cost not in price
o International transport difficult
o Fracking? – water contamination (ground - leaking chemicals from pipes; surface - waste dumping)
 Other Natural Gas Forms
o Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
 Propane & butane removed from natural gas; liquefied; sold to rural
o Liquefied natural gas (LNG)
 Cooled to low temp w/ high pressure for transport, heated on delivery at regasification sites
o Low net-energy yield
o Unconventional Nat. Gas
 Coal bed methane gas
 Methane hydrate
 Methane trapped in cage-like crystal made of water
 Alaska, Siberia, deep ocean
 Low net energy; CH4 releasing
Coal
 Solid fossil fuel (most abundant)
 Formed w/ intense heat, pressure, & time
 2,100 power plants; make 40% world’s electricity (50% U.S.)
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China, U.S. (most reserves), India biggest consumers; China & India rising quickly
Coal Types
o Peat (pre-coal) – most moisture; least carbon & heat content
o Lignite (brown coal) – less moisture; more carbon
o Bituminous (soft coal) – less moisture; more carbon (high S)
o Anthracite (hard coal) – least moisture, most carbon & heat content; most CO2 made
 Coal Electricity Plant
o Coal pulverized in mill
o Furnace burns coal & boils water
o Steam spins turbine = electricity
o Steam cooled, condensed, re-used in boiler
o Waste heat transferred to air by cooling tower, or released into river
o Smokestack releases gases
o Fly ash (toxic) to cement, landfills, air
 Dirty Coal
o 25% global CO2, 40% of U.S.
o CO2 – very, very high (GHG)
o SO2 (acid rain)
o Particulate matter (soot = solid carbon)
o Trace mercury, selenium, arsenic
 Cleaner Coal?
o Filter out pollutants in smokestack
o SO2 (wet scrubbers) & metals (electrostatic precipitator)
o Remove impurities before burning (more energy)
o More efficient generator
o Recycle waste heat & steam
 China & Coal
o Burn 1/3rd of world’s coal (More than U.S., Europe, & Japan together)
o 70% of commercial energy
o Little regulation; SO2 & CO2 leader
o Toxic gases reach West Coast
o 20 of 30 most polluted cities
 Coal Advantages
o Ample supply (225-900 yrs)
o High net energy yield
o Low cost
o Well developed technology
o Air pollution can be reduced with improved technology
 Coal Disadvantages
o Severe land disturbance
o Air Pollution – CO2, SO2, Hg, radioactive particulates
o Water pollution
o Threat to human health when burned
o Large gov’t subsidies, environmental cost not in price
Nuclear Energy
 Nuclear fission generates heat to make steam
 Enriched uranium (3-5% U-235) fuel rods hit w/ neutrons in reactor
 Fuel rod is many U pellets (1 pencil eraser = 1 ton coal)
 Control rods (Boron) slow reaction by absorbing neutrons
 Nuclear Plant
o Coolant (water) used to remove heat from core (prevent meltdown)
o Containment shell surrounds reactor core & coolant water loop (protects inside from out)
o Cooling tower & water source (lake, ocean, river) give cool water & disposal for waste heat
o Spent fuel rods removed yearly
 Stored on site under water for 5 years
 Then moved to dry caskets
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Yucca Mountain
o Nevada – 100 miles NW of Vegas
o Encapsulate nuclear waste into zircon (synthetic), seal in steel canister, put into underground
tunnels
o 3rd strongest seismic area
o Centralize waste = defense problems?
 19,600 shipments to move waste
 $58-100 bil.
Nuclear Fuel Cycle
o Found, extracted, enriched, use in reactor, store wastes
o 15-60 yrs, plant must be decommissioned
 Must be cleaned & made safe
o Extremely wasteful; 92% loss of nuclear fuel overall
Three Mile Island
o 1979 Near Harrisburg, PA
o Nuclear reactor lost its coolant
o Led to a partial uncovering & melting of radioactive core
 Unknown amounts of radioactivity escaped
o Led to improved safety regulations
Chernobyl
o 1986 Ukraine
o Power output surge + human error = big explosions
 Containment roof blown off
 Graphite moderator burned for 10 days
 100x more radiation than A-bombs
o Chernobyl Effects
 Radioactive elements spread across Europe, then globe
 After 22 yrs, still many dangerous contamination areas
 350,000 left homes b/c fallout
 Avoid food, water, animals, milk
 Cancers, mental retardation, birth defects
Nuclear Advantages
o Large fuel supply
o Low environmental impact (no accidents)
o 1/6th as much CO2 as coal
o Moderate land use
Nuclear Disadvantages
o Needs huge subsidies
o Low net energy yield
o High impact w/ accident
o Subject to terrorism
o Spreads weapon technology
o Environmental cost not in price
Nuclear Fusion?
o Nuclear fusion is the power of the future and always will be