Nonrenewable Energy ResourcesNonrenewable Energy Resources

Key ConceptsKey Concepts

Available energy alternatives Available energy alternatives

Oil resources Oil resources

Natural gas resources Natural gas resources

Coal resources Coal resources

Nuclear fission and fusion Nuclear fission and fusion

Evaluating Energy ResourcesEvaluating Energy Resources

Renewable energy Renewable energy

Non-renewable energy Non-renewable energy

Future availability Future availability

Net energy yield Net energy yield

Costs Costs

Environmental effects Environmental effects

Important Nonrenewable Energy SourcesImportant Nonrenewable Energy Sources

North American Energy ResourcesNorth American Energy Resources

Active drilling sites

TEXAS

LOUISIANA

MISSISSIPPI

ALABAMA GEORGIA

FLORIDA

GULF OF MEXICO

Oil

pr i

ce p

er b

arre

l70

60

40

30

20

1950 1970 1980 1990 2000

Year

50

2010

(1997 dollars)

10

19600

Oil

(mill

ion

bar

rels

pe r

da y

)

30

25

15

10

5

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Year

20

2020

0

History Projections

Consumption

Domestic supply

Net imports

Oil

(m

illi

on

bar

rels

per

day

)120

100

60

40

20

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Year

80

20200

History Projections

Developed

Total

Developing

OilOil

Petroleum (crude oil)Petroleum (crude oil)

RecoveryRecovery

Petrochemicals Petrochemicals

Refining Refining

TransportingTransporting

Conventional Oil: AdvantagesConventional Oil: Advantages

Relatively low cost Relatively low cost

High net energy yield High net energy yield

Efficient distribution system Efficient distribution system

Conventional Oil: DisadvantagesConventional Oil: Disadvantages

Running out Running out

Low prices encourage waste Low prices encourage waste

Air pollution and Greenhouse gases Air pollution and Greenhouse gases

Water pollution Water pollution

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Controversy: Trade-offsArctic National Wildlife Refuge Controversy: Trade-offs

Would create jobs Would create jobs

Oil resources are uncertain Oil resources are uncertain

Uncertain environmental impacts Uncertain environmental impacts

Drilling controversies Drilling controversies

Could increase U.S oil andnatural gas supplies

Could reduce oil importsslightly

Would bring jobs and oilrevenue to Alaska

May lower oil prices slightly

Oil companies havedeveloped Alaskan Oil fields withoutsignificant harm

New drilling techniqueswill leave little environ-mental impact

Trade-OffsDrilling for Oil and Natural Gas

In Alaska’s ArcticNational Wildlife Refuge

Only 19% of finding oil equal to what U.S. consumes in 7-24 months

Too little potential oil to significantlyreduce oil imports

Costs too high and potential oil supply toolittle to lower energy prices

Studies show considerable oil spills andother environmental damage fromAlaskan oil fields

Potential degradation of refuge notworth the risk

Unnecessary if improved slant drillingallows oil to be drilled fromoutside the refuge

Advantages Disadvantages

Oil Shale and Tar SandsOil Shale and Tar Sands

Oil shale Oil shale

Kerogen Kerogen

Tar sand Tar sand

Bitumen Bitumen

Advantages Disadvantages

Moderate cost (oil sand)

Large potential supplies, especially oil sandsin Canada

High cost (oil shale)

Low net energy yield

Large amount of water needed for processing

Severe land disruption from surface mining

Water pollution from mining residues

Air pollution when burned

CO2 emissionswhen burned

Easily transported within and between countries

Efficient distributionsystem in place

Trade-OffsHeavy Oils from

Oil Shale and Oil Sand

Technology is well developed

Natural GasNatural Gas

50-90% methane 50-90% methane

Conventional gas Conventional gas

Unconventional gas Unconventional gas

Methane hydrate Methane hydrate

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) Liquefied natural gas (LNG)

Approximate 200 year supply Approximate 200 year supply

Good fuel for fuel cells and gas turbines

Low land use

Easily transported by pipeline

Moderate environmental impact

Lower CO2 emissions thanother fossil fuels

Less air pollution than other fossil fuels

Low cost (with huge subsidies)

High net energy yield

Ample supplies (125 years)

Sometimes burned off andwasted at wells because of lowprice

Shipped across ocean as highlyexplosive LNG

Methane (a greenhouse gas) can leak from pipelines

Releases CO2 when burned

Nonrenewable resource

Difficult to transfer from one countryto another

Requires pipelines

Advantages

Trade-OffsConventional Natural Gas

Disadvantages

CoalCoal

Stages of coal formation Stages of coal formation

Primarily strip-mined Primarily strip-mined

Used mostly for generating electricity Used mostly for generating electricity

Enough coal for about 1000 years Enough coal for about 1000 years

High environmental impact High environmental impact

Coal gasification and liquefaction Coal gasification and liquefaction

Coal Formation and TypesCoal Formation and Types

Low cost (with huge subsidies)

High net energy yield

Ample supplies(225–900 years)

Releases radioactive particles and mercury into air

High CO2 emissions when burned

Severe threat to human health

High land use (including mining)

Severe land disturbance, air pollution, and water pollution

Very high environmental impact

Mining and combustiontechnology well-developed

Air pollution can be reduced with improvedtechnology (but addsto cost)

Advantages

Trade-Offs

Coal

Disadvantages

Moderate cost (with large government subsidies)

Vehicle fuel

Large potential supply

High water use

Increased surface mining of coal

High environmental impact

Requires mining 50% more coal

Higher cost than coal

Low to moderate net energy yield

Lower air pollution when burned than coal

Advantages

Trade-Offs

Synthetic Fuels

Disadvantages

High CO2 emissions when burned

Nuclear EnergyNuclear Energy

Fission reactors

Fission reactors

Uranium-235 Uranium-235

Potentially dangerous

Potentially dangerous

Radioactive wastes

Radioactive wastes

Types of RadiationTypes of Radiation

Alpha ParticlesBeta ParticlesGamma Rays

Alpha ParticlesAlpha Particles

Occurs in atoms with Z > 83Helium nucleusLarge, slow moving and not very penetrating.

Easy to shield againstEmission lowers atomic mass by 4 and atomic number by 2

Beta ParticlesBeta Particles

Occurs in atoms with too high a proton/neutron ration

High energy electron from the nucleusSmall and fast, more dangerousDaughter atom is same mass but higher

atomic number than the parent atom

Gamma RaysGamma Rays

Emitted when nuclei stabilizeExtremely high energy photons that travel

at the speed of lightExposure is very dangerousEmission results is a more stable state for

the same atom

Locations of U.S. Nuclear Power PlantsLocations of U.S. Nuclear Power Plants

Operational

DecommissionedYucca Mountain high-levelnuclear waste storage site

1

1

Salem Generating Plant, Lower Alloways Creek, NJ

Decommissioning of reactor

Reactor

Fuel assemblies

Enrichment UF6

Conversion of U3 O8 to UF6

Fuel fabrication

(conversion of enrichedUF6 to UO2 and fabricationof fuel assemblies)

Uranium 235 asUF6 Plutonium-239as PuO2

Low level radiationwith long half-life

Spent fuelreprocessing

Temporary storageof spent fuel assemblies

underwater or in dry casks

Geologic disposal of moderateand high-level radioactive wastes

Open fuel cycle today

Prospective “closed” end of fuel cycle

Nuclear Fuel cycle

Low risk of accidents because of multiple safety systems (except in 35 poorly designed and run reactors in former Soviet Unionand Eastern Europe)

Moderate land use

Moderate land disruption and water pollution(without accidents)

Emits 1/6 as much CO2 as coal

Low environmentalimpact (without accidents)

Large fuel supply

Spreads knowledge andtechnology for building nuclear weapons

No widely acceptable solution for long-term storage of radioactive wastes and decommissioning worn-out plants

Catastrophic accidents can happen (Chernobyl)

High environmental impact (with major accidents)

Low net energy yield

High cost (even with large subsidies)

Subject to terrorist attacks

Advantages

Trade-Offs

Conventional Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Disadvantages

Serious Nuclear AccidentsSerious Nuclear Accidents

Three Mile Island (1979)

Chernobyl (1986)

Three Mile Island (1979)

Chernobyl (1986)

                                                                                                                                                                          

Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania

Chernobyl Reactor After Accident

Radiation Plume From Chernobyl Nuclear Accident - 26 Apr 86

Dealing with Nuclear WasteDealing with Nuclear Waste

High- and low-level wastesHigh- and low-level wastesTerrorist threatsTerrorist threatsUnderground burialUnderground burialDisposal in spaceDisposal in spaceBurial in ice sheetsBurial in ice sheetsDumping into subduction zonesDumping into subduction zonesBurial in ocean mudBurial in ocean mudConversion into harmless materialsConversion into harmless materials

Yucca Mountain ControversyYucca Mountain Controversy

Wastes stored and guarded in one place

Possible long-term groundwater contamination

Security and safety concerns during waste transport to the site

Nuclear power plantsYucca MountainRailroadsHighways

Permanent Underground Disposal of Nuclear WastesPermanent Underground Disposal of Nuclear Wastes

Storage Containers

Fuel rod

Primary canister

Overpackcontainersealed

Underground

Buried and capped

Ground Level

Unloaded from train

Lowered down shaft

Personnel elevatorAir shaft

Nuclear waste shaft

Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Cinder Cone Volcanoes

Nuclear AlternativesNuclear Alternatives

Breeder nuclear fission reactorsBreeder nuclear fission reactors

Nuclear fusionNuclear fusion

New reactor designsNew reactor designs