Energy Resources
No description yet. This curated deck is ready for daily study.
Card preview (24)
When was most coal formed?
300-360m years ago
Main uses of Crude Oil (3)
• Liquid vechle fuels (petrol, diesel etc) • Gas fuels for heating (propane, butane etc) • Petrochemicals
Main uses of Natural Gas (3)
• Domestic and industrial heating • Electricity generation • Chemicals (nitrate fertilizers etc)
Main uses of Coal (2)
• Electricity generation • Iron and steel industry
Coal gasification
Coal that is too deep to be mined can be burnt underground under controlled conditions to produce a mixture of fuel gases including H, CO and CH4
Coal liquefaction
Involves the conversion of coal to liquid hydrocarbons which have additional applications
Primary Oil Recovery
Uses natural prsssure of water below the oil or gas that is present above the oil, or dissolved in it
How much oil is usually extracted using primary oil recovery?
20%
What can be used to increase the flow rate of oil production?
A pump-jack
Secondary Oil Recovery
Involves pumping water, or natural gas, down an injection well to maintain the pressure and flow of the oil.
What is the total oil recovery rate with secondary?
About 40%
Tertiary Oil Recovery (or Enhanced Oil Recovery)
Includes techniques which reduce the viscosity of the oil. May feature: - detergents or solvents - bacteria - controlled combustion - steam
What is the total oil recovery rates with tertiary?
60%
Directional Drilling
Allows wells to be drilled that are not vertical.
What are the advantages of directional drilling? (3)
• Many wells can be drilled from a single platform • Possible to drill oil that is underneath locations where drilling rigs could not be placed • Can be faster by follow weaker rock strata
Subsea Production Wells
Wells that are located on the seabed and have no platform at the sea surface. Allow operations in water up to 2000m deep
ROVs and AUVs
Remotelly Operated Vehiclees and Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles can be used to carry out seabed surveys and to inspect underwater production equipment and pipelines.
What forms of crude oil or natural gas reservoirs would require fracking?
Large volumes that are trapped in the pore space of shale rocks that have low permeability - called tight oil and tight gas
Concerns over fracking (5)
• Natural gas may enter aquifer water • Injected chemicals may enter aquifers, or reach the surface and cause pollution • Toxic metals may become mobile • Large volumes of water are needed • Induced seismic activity
How many tonnes of tar sand are recovered using 1 barrel of oil?
Two
Methane Hydrate
A solid ice-like crystalline solid found in locations at low temperatures (e.g. polar regions), or under high pressure (e.g. intercontinental oceanic sediment)
Methods of extracting methane hydrate? (3)
• Water Heating: melts the ice crystals, releasing methane • Depressurisation: drilling into sediments allows methane to gradually disassociate • CO2 Injection: can form bonds more strongly with ice crystals at high pressures than methane, so displaces it for collection.
What factors have restricted the growth of nuclear power? (6)
• Complexity of technology • Expense of technology • Public opposition regarding safety • Concerns over implications relating to civil uses and military uses • Uncertainty over the disposal of radioactive waste • Uncertainty over the TOTAL cost of nuclear power
Main features of Nuclear Fission (5)
• High energy density • High embodied energy • Finite resource • Higher level of technological development • Notable environmental impacts