Chapter 12 Objectives – Nonrenewable Energy Sources
Directions: After reading Chapter 12 and reviewing the in-class material, you should be able to:
1.
List four activities you did today that required energy.
2. Identify and define the unit of energy that is used to measure the amount of energy in various materials.
Identify the SI unit of energy.
3. Define a quad in terms of Btu’s. Identify how long it takes the United States to use approximately 1 quad of
energy. Give the value of the number of Btu’s an average American uses each day.
4. Compare renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. List the percent of energy that comes from
nonrenewable and renewable resources.
5.
List the four common nonrenewable energy resources. Describe what is meant by a commercial energy
source. Define and provide examples of a subsistence energy source.
6. Describe the basic steps in the generation of electricity. Consider the roles of the boiler, turbine, and
generator. Describe a technology used to cool the system.
7.
Describe how the process of cogeneration can be used to increase power plant efficiency and reduce the need
to disperse large amounts of heat into the atmosphere.
COAL
8. Describe the process that forms coal.
9. Identify the four types of coal, listing them in order of the amount of energy released from each type (from
highest to lowest).
10. Identify several areas of the U.S. where large amounts of coal are found. Which three areas in the world have
the largest reserves?
11. Compare the major advantages and disadvantages associated with coal as an energy source.
PETROLEUM (OIL)
12. Identify the three major components of oil (petroleum). Describe why it is the fuel most suited for vehicles.
13. Describe the process and organisms that create underground oil reserves. Explain why natural gas is often
associated with oil deposits.
14. List the largest oil producing states in the United States. Identify the state where the first oil well was drilled.
15. Describe how oil is recovered, including the role of the oil derrick and pump. Explain the process of primary
and secondary oil recovery. Describe why secondary recovery is more expensive than primary recovery.
16. List six major products that are made from oil. Describe how a refinery operates. Define the term cracking as
it applies to petroleum products.
17. Describe the organization known as OPEC. List its member countries.
18. Compare the major advantages and disadvantages associated with oil as an energy source.
NATURAL GAS
19. Describe the process and organisms that produce natural gas. List the three major molecules that make-up
most natural gas deposits.
20. Identify where the major reserves of natural gas are located in the world. Name the major deposit found in
Pennsylvania.
21. Describe the process of recovering natural gas. Recall the steps needed to recover oil. Describe how
hydrological fracturing (“fracking”) is used to recover natural gas.
22. Compare the major advantages and disadvantages associated with natural gas as an energy source.
OTHER FOSSIL FUELS
23. Describe petroleum resources of oil sands and bitumen. List some of the advantages and disadvantages in
using theses two products.
24. Identify the estimated number of years left (at current consumption rates) for coal and oil. Explain how the
Hubbert curve can help planners estimate reserves for the major fossil fuels.
NUCLEAR ENERGY
25. Describe the nuclear reaction known as nuclear fission. List the most common atom used and its two
isotopes. Identify the products of the fission reaction.
26. Identify the basic structures and processes that make up a nuclear reactor. Describe the roles of the
following: core, fuel rods, control rods, heat exchanger, turbine, generator, and cooling towers.
27. Explain why there are two separate circulations systems in a reactor. Give the role of each and why two are
necessary for safety.
28. Identify the amount of energy generated by nuclear power in the United States, France, Sweden, Ukraine,
South Korea, Germany, and Japan.
29. Describe the reactor accidents that have occurred at: Three Mile Island (PA), Chernobyl (Ukraine), and
Fukushima (Japan). Identify one major consequence of each accident.
30. Identify the problems associated with the nuclear waste generated by nuclear reactors. Explain how highly
radioactive materials, such as spent fuel rods, will be stored. Explain how low-level waste, such as clothing,
will be stored.
31. Describe the reactions that take place during nuclear fusion. Compare fission and fusion.
32. Identify the major advantages and disadvantages associated with nuclear energy as an energy source.