What is net energy yield?
Why does nuclear power have a low energy yield? How is it affordable to consumers?
What is crude oil (petroleum)?
We cannot use crude oil as it is; it must be refined (heated) to different boiling points. What are some products that are produced after the refining process?
What is does OPEC stand for?
How much of the world’s proven crude oil reserves do OPEC countries control?
What 12 countries make up OPEC?
What are some environmental concerns with respect to oil?
Case Study – Oil Production and Consumption in the US: How much of the world’s oil does the US consume? _______ How much does it produce? _______ How much of the world’s proven conventional light oil reserves does the US have? ________
What is shale oil, how is it produced, and where are there known reserves?
What are some problems associated with shale oil??
What are tar sands (oil sands) and where is most of the world’s reserves located?
What are some problems associated with tar sands?
Natural gas is a mixture of gases, but is primarily which gas?
Natural gas has high versatility which is why it is used for 28% of the energy consumed in the US. What are some of the uses for natural gas?
What are some advantages of natural gas?
Where is natural gas generally found?
How is natural gas transported? Are there any concerns with this?
Case Study: What are some of the major concerns with natural gas and fracking in the US?
Coal is plentiful but _________________.
What are some problems associated with burning coal (environmental and human)?
Is there such a thing as clean coal? Why or why not?
What are synfuels? How do they compare to using coal directly?
The diagram below is of a pressurized water reactor. This is the most common type of nuclear reactor found in the United States and throughout Western Europe (this is slightly different from the diagram in your textbook, but you can still identify the major components by comparing the two). Identify and label each of the major parts of the power plant.
Word bank: control rods, fuel rods, reactor, primary loop, secondary loop, feedwater loop, water pump (x2), condenser (x2), turbine, generator, transmission lines, cooling tower, containment building.
Briefly explain the nuclear fuel cycle (it starts with mining uranium).
Read the section “Dealing with Radioactive Nuclear Wastes is a Difficult Scientific and Political Problem.” What do you think is the best option for dealing with radioactive wastes? Why? What concerns you the most?
What happened in Fukushima, Japan? Explain cause and effect in your answer.