Nonrenewable Energy

Chapter 15

15-1 What Major Sources of Energy

Do We Use?

Concept 15-1A About three-quarters of the

worlds commercial energy comes from
nonrenewable fossil fuels and the rest comes
from nonrenewable nuclear fuel and renewable
sources.
Concept 15-1B Net energy is the amount of
high-quality usable energy available from a
resource after the amount of energy needed to
make it available is subtracted.

How Long Will the Oil Party Last?

Saudi Arabia could supply the world with oil for
about 10 years.
The Alaskas North Slope could meet the
world oil demand for 6 months (U.S.: 3 years).
Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge would
meet the world demand for 1-5 months (U.S.:
7-25 months).

How Long Will the Oil Party Last?

We have three options:

Look for more oil.
Use or waste less oil.
Use something else.

Figure 16-1

Oil projections

Natural Capital: Important Nonrenewable

Energy Resources

Fig 15-2

Commercial Energy Use by Source for

the World and the United States

Fig 15-3

International Energy information

Click for International Energy Agency

U.S. historical energy trends

Energy flow in U.S.

Net Energy Ratios for Various Energy

Systems over Their Estimated Lifetimes

Fig 15-A

15-2 What Are the Advantages and

Disadvantages of Oil?
Concept 15-2A Conventional oil is currently
abundant, has a high net energy yield, and is
relatively inexpensive, but using it causes air
and water pollution and releases greenhouse
gases to the atmosphere.
Concept 15-2B Heavy oils from oil sand and oil
shale exist in potentially large supplies but have
low net energy yields and higher environmental
impacts than conventional oil has.

OIL
Crude oil (petroleum) is a thick liquid containing
hydrocarbons that we extract from underground
deposits and separate into products such as
gasoline, heating oil and asphalt.
Only 35-50% can be economically recovered from a
deposit.
As prices rise, about 10-25% more can be recovered
from expensive secondary extraction techniques.
This lowers the net energy yield.

General Classification of Nonrenewable

Mineral Resources
Examples are fossil
fuels (coal, oil),
metallic minerals
(copper, iron), and
nonmetallic minerals
(sand, gravel).

Science: Refining Crude Oil

Fig 15-4

What comes from a barrel of oil?

OPEC Controls Most of the Worlds Oil

Supplies
Possible effects of steeply rising oil prices
Reduce energy waste
Shift to non-carbon energy sources
Higher prices for products made with
petrochemicals
Higher food prices; buy locally-produced food
Airfares higher
Smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles
Upgrade of public transportation

Energy in California
Foreign Source Crude Oil 2008

Click for Ca Energy Commission

OIL

Inflation-adjusted price of oil, 1950-2006.

What is the cost today? Click

U.S. oil supplies

Click for EIA data

The Amount of Oil That Might Be Found

in the ANWR

Fig 15-5

Oil in the SBC

Click for SB County

Click for SB Channel Keepers

Gasoline in California

Click for animation: ground to car

National Gasoline Tax

What will motor vehicle fuel cost in the

future?

Annual Energy Outlook 2008 with Projections to 2030

Source: EIA: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/gas.html

Trade-Offs: Conventional Oil, Advantages

and Disadvantages

Fig 15-6

Oil Shale Rock and the Shale Oil

Extracted from It

Trade-Offs: Heavy Oils from Oil Shale

and Oil Sand

Fig 15-9

15-3 What Are the Advantages and

Disadvantages of Natural Gas?
Concept 15-3 Conventional natural gas is more
plentiful than oil, has a high net energy yield and
a fairly low cost, and has the lowest
environmental impact of all fossil fuels.

How electricity is made in California

How does natural gas get to your home?

Click for EIA report

NATURAL GAS
Russia and Iran have almost half of the worlds
reserves of conventional gas, and global
reserves should last 62-125 years.
Natural gas is versatile and clean-burning fuel,
but it releases the greenhouse gases carbon
dioxide (when burned) and methane (from leaks)
into the troposphere.

Liquified Natural Gas

Click for EIA report

Shale Gas by Hydraulic Fracturing

Shale Natural Gas continued

Prices of Natural Gas have dropped: unit = 1000 cubic feet

90s = $2, 2005 = $15, 2010 = $3.50
Shale Gas reserves increased 50 % from 2007 to 2008 with
30% of this in Texas
Project $4/1000 cubic feet for next 80 years
Low Price Making Wind and Nuke investment slow or stop
Concerns about Groundwater Pollution

Shale Natural Gas and Groundwater

Many cases of water contamination from shale gas drilling operations, which use high-volume
hydraulic fracturing (HVHF), exist: Thousands of problems, including spills, leaks, and the seepage
of contaminants into drinking water supplies, have been documented around the country in
conjunction with shale gas extraction by HVHF.
Houses, water wells, and pipelines have exploded, and people have found methane levels in their
water so high that they could light it on fire with a match.
No studies have demonstrated that gas extraction operations using HVHF do not cause water
contamination: In 2010, both the EPA and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce under
Senator Waxman initiated major studies on the health and environmental impacts of hydraulic
fracturing.
Hydrofracking is not an exact science: When gas companies fracture the shale, they do not have
complete control over where fractures will develop, so fracturing fluids and natural gas can move in
unexpected directions,ending up in aquifers and water wells.
Vast numbers of uncapped gas wells threaten aquifers and drinking wells: 18,000 to 48,000
abandoned oil and gas wells that have not been capped exist in NY. During hydrofracking and deepwell injection, the high pressure can force the toxic fluids up through any existing uncapped wells,
contaminating aquifers and drinking wells.
The process itself is not a problem. We know how to do these things correctly; we know how
to do the job right But theres a lot of operators who arent doing it right. Ron Nelson, a
retired BP Amoco geologist . From Houston Business Journal, Oct 11, 2010.

Natural Gas Projections by EIA

Trade-Offs: Conventional Natural Gas

Fig 15-10

15-4 What Are the Advantages and

Disadvantages of Coal?
Concept 15-4A Conventional coal is very
plentiful and has a high net energy yield and low
cost, but it has a very high environmental
impact.
Concept 15-4B Gaseous and liquid fuels
produced from coal could be plentiful, but they
have lower net energy yields and higher
environmental impacts than conventional coal
has.

COAL
Coal reserves in the United States, Russia, and
China could last hundreds to over a thousand
years.
The U.S. has 27% of the worlds proven coal
reserves, followed by Russia (17%), and China
(13%).
In 2005, China and the U.S. accounted for 53%
of the global coal consumption.
Burned in 2100 power plants, generates 40% of
the worlds electricity

Stages in Coal Formation over Millions

of Years

Fig 15-11

Science: Coal-Burning Power Plant

Fig 15-12

Air Pollution from a Coal-Burning

Industrial Plant in India

Electricity production in U.S.

Click of EIA report

COAL
Coal can be converted into synthetic natural gas
(SNG or syngas) and liquid fuels (such as
methanol or synthetic gasoline) that burn
cleaner than coal.
Costs are high.
Burning them adds more CO2 to the troposphere
than burning coal.
Reduces net energy

Coal Gasification

Click for DOE project info

Carbon Dioxide Sequestration

Click for DOE info

Coal Sequestration Costs

To sequester carbon dioxide will cost $25 per ton of carbon dioxide
for a combined cycle plant. ($50 per ton of carbon dioxide for a
traditional steam powered plant.)
This will increase the cost of producing coal 300% to $60 per ton of
coal.
The power plant that burns the coal to make electricity would face a
50% rise in the cost of producing the electricity. This is around 2
cents/kW-hr.
The homeowner buying only coal produced electricity (at 10
Cents/kW-hr) will see a 20% increase (10 cents to 12 cents/kW-hr)
in their power bill.
These estimates are from Scientific American, pp 52, July 2005

CO2 Emissions Per Unit of Electrical

Energy Produced for Energy Sources

Fig 15-14

Case Study: Coal Consumption in China

Burns more coal than the United States, Europe,
and Japan combined
Coalburning plants: Inefficient or non-existent
pollution controls
Leading area for SO2 pollution: health hazard
Acid rain due to coal burning
Hg showing up in salmon off the western coast of
the United States
Air quality of Korea and Japan impacted

Trade-Offs: Coal, Advantages and

Disadvantages as an Energy Resource

Fig 15-15

Trade-Offs: Synthetic Fuels

Fig 15-16

15-5 What Are the Advantages and

Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy?
Concept 15-5 Nuclear power has a low
environmental impact and a very low accident
risk, but high costs, a low net energy yield, longlived radioactive wastes, vulnerability to
sabotage, and the potential for spreading
nuclear weapons technology have limited its
use.

NUCLEAR ENERGY
When isotopes of uranium and plutonium
undergo controlled nuclear fission, the resulting
heat produces steam that spins turbines to
generate electricity.
The uranium oxide consists of about 97%
nonfissionable uranium-238 and 3% fissionable
uranium-235.
The concentration of uranium-235 is increased
through an enrichment process.

Small amounts of
radioactive gases

Uranium
fuel input
(reactor core)

Control rods
Containment
shell
Heat
Waste heat
exchanger
Generator
Turbine
Steam

Hot
coolant
Pump

Pump

Shielding
Pressure vessel

Coolant
Moderator
Coolant
passage

Periodic removal and storage

of radioactive wastes and
spent fuel assemblies

Pump

Pump

Hot
water
output
Cool
water
input

Useful electrical
energy
25%30%
Waste heat

Water Condenser
Periodic removal and
storage of radioactive
liquid wastes

Water source
(river, lake, ocean)

Fig. 15-17, p. 387

After 3 or 4 Years in a Reactor, Spent Fuel

Rods Are Removed and Stored in Water

What Is the Nuclear Fuel Cycle?

Mine the uranium
Process the uranium to make the fuel
Use it in the reactor
Safely store the radioactive waste
Decommission the reactor

Decommissioning
of reactor

Fuel assemblies

Enrichment
Fuel fabrication
of UF6

Conversion
of U3O8
to UF6

Reactor

(conversion of enriched UF6

to UO to UO2 and fabrication
Temporary storage of
of fuel assemblies)
spent fuel assemblies
underwater or in dry casks
Uranium-235 as UF6
Plutonium-239 as
Spent fuel
PuO2

reprocessing

Low-level radiation
with long half-life

Open fuel cycle today

Recycling of nuclear fuel

Geologic
disposal of
moderate- and
high-level
radioactive
wastes

Fig. 15-19, p. 389

What Happened to Nuclear Power?

Slowest-growing energy source and expected to
decline more
Why?

Economics: construction & operation costs

Poor management
Low net yield of energy of the nuclear fuel cycle
Safety concerns
Need for greater government subsidies
Concerns of transporting uranium

Case Study: Worst Nuclear Power Plant

Accident in the World
Chernobyl
April 26, 1986
In Chernobyl, Ukraine
Series of explosions caused the roof of a reactor
building to blow off
Partial meltdown and fire for 10 days
Huge radioactive cloud spread over many
countries and eventually the world
350,000 people left their homes
Effects on human health, water supply, and
agriculture

TRADE-OFFS
Conventional Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Advantages

Disadvantages

Large fuel supply

Cannot compete
economically without
huge government
subsidies
Low net energy yield
High environmental
impact (with major
accidents)

Low environmental
impact (without
accidents)
Emits 1/6 as much
CO2 as coal
Moderate land
disruption and water
pollution (without
accidents)

Environmental costs not

included in market price

Moderate land use

No widely acceptable
solution for long-term
storage of radioactive
wastes

Low risk of
accidents because
of multiple safety
systems (except for
Chernobyl-type
reactors)

Risk of catastrophic
accidents

Subject to terrorist attacks

Spreads knowledge and
technology for building
nuclear weapons

Fig. 15-21, p. 391

TRADE-OFFS
Coal vs. Nuclear
Coal

Nuclear

Ample supply

Ample supply of
uranium

High net energy

yield
Very high air
pollution
High CO2
emissions
High land
disruption from
surface mining

Low net energy yield

Low air pollution
Low CO2 emissions
Much lower land
disruption from
surface mining

High land use

Moderate land use

Low cost (with

huge subsidies)

High cost (even with

huge subsidies)
Fig. 15-22, p. 392

Will Nuclear Fusion Save Us?

Nuclear fusion is the power of the future and
always will be
Still in the laboratory phase after 50 years of
research and $34 billion dollars
2006: U.S., China, Russia, Japan, South Korea,
and European Union
Will build a large-scale experimental nuclear
fusion reactor by 2040

New and Safer Reactors

Pebble bed modular
reactor (PBMR) are
smaller reactors that
minimize the
chances of runaway
chain reactions.

Click for MIT

Science Focus: Are New and Safer

Nuclear Reactors the Answer?
New Generation nuclear reactors must satisfy
these five criteria

Safe-runaway chain reaction is impossible

Fuel can not be used for nuclear weapons
Easily disposed of fuel
Nuclear fuel cycle must generate a higher net
energy yield than other alternative fuels, without
huge government subsidies
Emit fewer greenhouse gases than other fuels

Future Energy Projections of U.S.

Click for projection report