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CU-Boulder GEOL 1010 - Energy Resources

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1Energy Energy ResourcesResourcesChapter 22Chapter 22What is Energy?What is Energy?•Energy is work (a force acting through a distance).•Energy is heat (the amount of heat required to raise 1g of water 1ºC).•E = mc2 (in nuclear reactions mass can be converted to energy).Units of EnergyUnits of Energy•Joule 1 kg m2/ s2(mv2).•KWH = 3.6 x 106joule•Calorie (the amount of heat required to raise 1g of water 1ºC) (= 4.18 j).•Food Calorie = 1000 cal•BTU (the amount of heat required to raise 1 pound of water 1ºF).•Quad = 1015BTURenewableRenewable•Solar–Direct •Photo-voltaic•Mirror focussing–Wind–Biomass–Hydroelectric•GeothermalNonNon--RenewableRenewable•Nuclear (U-fission)•Nuclear (Fusion)•Fossil Fuels–Oil–Natural Gas–Coal–Oil Shale & Tar Sand2SolarSolar•Direct–Solar-Thermal: Mirrors focus sunlight to boil water.–Photo-Voltaic Cells: Direct conversion to electricity.•Indirect–Wind–Hydro-electric –Biomass: Wood, grain, sugar, trash. GeothermalGeothermal•Energy from Earth’s Internal Heat Engine•Geysers, CA Supplies San Francisco.•New Zealand, Iceland•Hot Dry RockFossil FuelsFossil Fuels•Energy derived from ancient solar•Coal•Oil•Natural Gas•Oil Shale and Tar SandReserves and ResourcesReserves and Resources• Reserves are the known amount of a mineral in the ground that is exploitable with current technology and under current economic conditions.•“Resource” includes the reserves plus estimated undiscovered deposits.Origin of Fossil FuelsOrigin of Fossil Fuels•Plants store energy from the sun by photosynthesis.•CO2+ 2H2O = CH4+ 2O2•If biomass is buried before re-oxidation. the reduced carbon is preserved as fossil fuels.•Burial and compaction separates solid (coal), liquid (oil) and gaseous (gas) fractions.Oil and GasOil and Gas•Liquid and solid fractions are mobile and can be trapped by impermeable layers.•Only in sedimentary rock.•Most deposits of Paleozoic and Mesozoic origin. (60 – 350 my)•Search is to look for natural traps.3Oil and Gas: The FutureOil and Gas: The Future•World oil production expected to peak about 2015.•Gas production will peak ~ 15 years later.•Price will increase sharply as production peaks. •Price will affect size of resource.Iraq has >200 billion barrelsIraq has >200 billion barrelsproven reservesproven reserves•No exploration since 1975•Resource likely to exceed 500 bbl•Can produce at < $1.50 / barrelOil Shale and Tar SandOil Shale and Tar Sand•Reserves nearly equal total of oil and gas•Colorado and Utah have large deposits of oil shale in Tertiary rocks.•Alberta, Canada has large deposits of tar sands.4CoalCoal•Lignite (Peat)•Sub-bituminous coal•Bituminous coal•Anthracite (Metamorphic)CoalCoal•Reserves are very large (~10 times that of oil and gas).•Exploitation may depend on technology to “scrub” CO2.Scrub COScrub CO22??•Liquefy CO2and put on ocean bottom.•Mg2SiO4+ 2CO2= 2MgCO3+ SiO2•olivine + carbon dioxide = magnesite + quartz•Scrubbing would ~double price.Methane HydratesMethane Hydrates•Methane (CH4) forms an ice-like compound with water at ocean-bottom P&T.•It is an energy resource larger than known natural gas reserves.•Will require new technology for extraction.Greenhouse GasesGreenhouse Gases•CO2, CH4•Pass Visible light•Opaque to Infra red•Earth captures energy from sun but cannot re-emit•Causes warmingCarbon DioxideCarbon Dioxide•Colorless, odorless, tasteless,poisonous gas•Animal life cannot exist in >1% CO2•Plants love it.•Current level is about 370ppm.•Increases at about 1% per year.•Greenhouse gas.5Nuclear Nuclear --235235U fissionU fission•235U is less than 1% of natural Uranium.•Can be enriched to 3.3%.•US light-water reactors use water as moderator and coolant.•Produces about ~16% of US electricity and about 7% of total energy consumed.•No new reactors.•Size of energy resource is larger than coal.235235U FissionU Fission•US light-water reactor•Water is moderator•Moderator slows neutrons for capture.•Fuel is UO2enriched to 3.3% 235U (or MOX)•Fuel produces 3 million times as much energy per gram as fossil fuel. 235235U NuclearU Nuclear--OtherOther•Canadian (Deuterium moderated)•High Temperature Gas-Cooled–Graphite moderated –Highly enriched fuel–Chernobyl & Fort St. VrainRadioactive WasteRadioactive Waste•About half of 235U is consumed.•Spent fuel rods contain 90Sr and 137Cs plus trans-uranics (Np, Pu, Am, Cm, etc).•Cs and Sr have 30 year half-lives.•TUs have up to 24,000 year half lives.•Spent fuel still produces ~900 W/Ton of power after 10 years.Geologic Host RocksGeologic Host Rocks•Salt (Germany, France, WIPP)–High Thermal conductivity–Self-sealing (flows plastically)•Granite (Sweden)–Good thermal conductivity–Stable craton environment•Tuff (Yucca Mountain, Nevada)–It’s in Nevada.–It’s already contaminated.6Future TechnologiesFuture Technologies•Breeder (Convert 238U to Pu)–238U is 99%+ of natural U–Early attempts were unstable.•Fusion–Nuclear fusion of light elements H, He, Li–Near break-even point–Size of resource is inexhaustibly


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CU-Boulder GEOL 1010 - Energy Resources

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