SWES 201 1st Edition Lecture 8Outline of Last Lecture I. Beginning of new exam materialOutline of Current Lecture II. Coal fired power planta. Fossil fuels= anaerobic conditionsIII. Where coal comes froma. Geologic time periods where it was formedb. How different types of coal formIV. Global coal reservesa. 5 largest coal producing states in USV. shift to natural gasa. forms in 2 waysVI. capacity and generationVII. frackingCurrent Lecture- Coal fired power planto Production of electricity at a steam plant involves heating water to make steam. The steam spins a turbine that drives a generator to produce electricityo Fossil fuels form when organisms die and end up on oxygen poor conditions (anaerobic) Factors:- Organic material- Temp and pressure- Anaerobic conditions- Timeo Coal is a sedimentary material and contains elements present when it was formed It has sulfur, mercury, arsenic, and other trace metals The sulfur content depends on whether coal was formed in salt water or freshwater- Coal in the eastern US is high in sulfur because it was formed in marine sediments Impurities are emitted when coal is burned- Unless pollution control measures are used- Water vapor and carbon dioxide should be only compounds coming out of the stack The earth holds enough cola to last a few hundred years- Where coal comes fromThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.o Geological time periods Caboniferous (350M yrs ago) Mississippian and Pennsylvanian shallow inland seaand dense forests forming Crestaceous (140-66M yrs ago) powder river basin Wyoming western inland sea.Warm climate resulting in high sea levels and creating shallow inland seas. Ended in mass extinction (cretaceous-paleogene extinction event) Paleocene (most recent southern lignite coal formation - How do different kinds of coal form?o Peat= organic material that is broken down anaerobically. It is wet near the surface, not well compressed. Additional pressure heat and time turn peat into coalo Lignite= least compressed sub-bituminous and bituminous o Anthracite= most compressed and has the most energyo Coal= organic matter (woody plant material)o Ancient forests= <60% carbono As time increases, decreasing moisture and increasing heat and pressure= >87% carbon- Coal reserves= globalo The 5 largest coal-producing states with production in million tons and share of total US coal production in 2013 were: Wyoming: 387.9 (39%) West Virginia: 115.9 (12%) Kentucky: 80.4 (8%) Illinois: 52.1 (5%) Pennsylvania: 50.9 (5%)- There is a shift to natural gas (in the US)o Natural gas= fastest growing fossil fuel in use today. 25% of global commercial energy consumptiono Why is it considered better as a fuel compared to coal? CH4+ 2O2= CO2 + 2H2O Energy in 4 C-H bonds is released, in coal there are fewer C-H bonds- more C-C bonds Emits half as much CO2 as coal, 2/3rds as much as oil per unit of energy released Also: no ash or impurities which is a major problem for coal powero Natural gas= 50% of new power plant capacity additions in 2013 Total electricity capacity in US= 6,861 megawatts- Capacity and generationo Capacity= max possibleo Generation= amount actually producedo Different types of power plants weigh differently in these comparisons- Natural gas formed in 2 wayso Natural gas= methane (CH4) and other volatile hydrocarbonso Biogenic gas= pure methane created at shallow depths by bacterial anaerobic decomposition of organic matter- also produced in landfills (“swamp gas”)o Thermogenic gas= methane and other gases arise from compression and heat deep underground Most of the gas that is extracted commercially Can be “conventional” or “unconventional”o Natural gas is also formed biogenically at the earth’s surface anaerobically Requires anaerobic (without oxygen) decomposition of organic matter by bacteria- swamps and landfills. Methane gas is a byproduct of decay in landfills, and it could contribute to globalwarmingo Natural gas and permafrost= melting permafrost releasing methaneo As of 2013, the US, Canada, and China are the only countries producing the shale gas in commercial quantities. The US and Canada are the only countries where shale gas is a significant part of the gas supply- Fracking= hydraulic fracturing to release oil or natural gas from shale rocko Fracturing pumps= high-pressure salt water into rocks is pumped in order to crack them. This frees hydrocarbons and then they flow toward the wello Shale gas will account for nearly half of the natural gas produced in the us by 2025o The energy information administration estimates the US has 2552 trillion cubic feet of potential natural gas