Energy Resources Vocabulary
1. Fuel-a substance that provides energy as the result of chemical change
2. Energy Transformation- a change from one form of energy to another; also called energy
conservation
3. Combustion- the process of burning a fuel
4. Fossil Fuel- an energy-rick substance from the remains of organisms
5. Hydrocarbon- an energy-rich chemical compound that contains carbon and hydrogen atoms
6. Petroleum- coming from a liquid fossil fuel; oil
7. Refinery – a factory in which crude oil is heated an separated into fuels and other products
8. Petrochemical- a compound made from oil
9. Solar Energy-energy from the sun
10. Hydroelectric Power- electricity produced using the energy of flowing water.
11. Biomass fuel- fuel made from living things
12. Gasohol- a mixture of gasoline and alcohol
13. Geothermal energy- heat from earth’s interior
14. Nucleus- the central core of an atom that contains the protons and neutrons
15. Nuclear fission- the splitting of an atom’s nucleus into two smaller nuclei and neutrons
16. Reactor vessel – the part of a nuclear reactor where nuclear fission occurs
17. Fuel rod- a uranium rod that undergoes fission in a nuclear reactor
18. Control rod- a cadmium rod used in a nuclear reactor to absorb neutrons from fission reactions
19. Meltdown- a dangerous condition in which fuel rods inside a nuclear reactor melt
20. Nuclear fusion- the combining of two atomic nuclei to produce a single larger nucleus and much
energy
21. Efficiency- the percentage of energy that is used to preform work
22. Insulation- material that blocks heat transfer between the air inside and outside a building
23. Energy conservation – the practice of reducing energy use