CEE 1030 1nd Edition Lecture 26 Energy Resources Outline of Last Lecture I What is extinction II Biodiversity III Extinction continued Outline of Current Lecture I Resources II Hydraulic fracturing fracking III Gas hydrates IV Fossil fuel combustion V Renewable energy resources Current Lecture I Resources a Earth s materials and processes are used for mineral resources and energy b Understanding Earth s history and geologic processes helps to find and use resources and to determine sustainable levels of usage c Non renewable resources form or accumulate over millions of years so quantities are considered fixed d Renewable resources are virtually inexhaustible or can be replenished relatively quickly e Historical energy use i US energy consumption has increased significantly over the last 100 years ii Trade in resources is a fundamental force in global economics and politics f Available resources i Reservoirs total amount of resource including non productible as well as productible ii Reserves amount of resource that is technically recoverable iii Non renewable 1 Fossil fuel general term for any hydrocarbon that may be used as a fuel 2 Fossil fuels coal a Largest single source of fuel used in the generation of electricity These 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 II III IV V b Readily combustible sedimentary rock formed by compaction of wetland plants over millions of years c Coal ranked by degree of compression potential energy d Coal measured by Average Heat Value in joules or BTU i 1 BTU the amount of energy needed to cool or heat one pound of water by one degree F e Problems with coal use i Coal takes millions of years to form so it is a limited resource ii Coal combustion results in air pollution iii Mining can result in environmental damage 3 Oil and natural gas a Oil and natural gas consist of hydrocarbon compounds b Derives from the remains of marine plants and animals c Oil trap a geologic environment that allows economically significant amounts of oil and natural gas to accumulate underground i Cap rock that is impermeable to oil and gas ii Porous impermeable reservoir rock iii Anticlinal trap rising oil and gas collect at a fold apex in an up arched series of sedimentary strata iv Fault trap upward migration of oil and gas is trapped where displaced strata bring a dipping reservoir rock opposite an impermeable bed v Salt dome trap rising oil and gas accumulate in deformed upturned sandstone beds adjacent to salt dome vi Stratigraphic trap rising oil and gas is trapped by original sedimentary structure Hydraulic fracturing fracking a Process for artificially increasing a reservoir rock s permeability to release oil and natural gas trapped in pore spaces b Create microfractures in rock Gas hydrates a Gas hydrate a solid form of water that contains large amount of methane b Exists at low temperatures and high pressure Fossil fuel combustion a Combustion of fossil fuels by humans is largest source of carbon dioxide emissions on earth b Increased levels of greenhouse gases Renewable energy resources a Biofuel fuel derived from biomass recently living organisms b Bioethanol most common type of biofuel obtained through the fermentation distillation dehydration and denaturing of starch or sugar found in many crops c Switchgrass a hardy perennial grass native to the North American tall grass prairie considered a good candidate for biofuel d Wind energy i Air has mass and when it moves it can transfer the energy of that motion by pushing against something ii Windmills convert this kinetic energy into electricity