Download FossilFuelResCy05Fall

Fossil Fuels
Resource Use Cycle
I. Resource Use Cycle
Formation and Concentration
Disposal or Recycle
Location and Identification
Use
Mining and Refining
Production
II. Cycle of Fossil Fuels
 General Questions
1. Why is oil more useable than other fossil fuels?
•
Fairly easily stored, transported and consumed.
2. Describe the relationship between petroleum, crude oil and
natural gas.
•
Petroleum exists in the earth in two forms - crude oil
(liquid) and natural gas (vapor).
3. Why is natural gas such a desirable fuel?
•
It has excellent fuel qualities, burns cleaner and produces
practically no harmful by-products.
4. What determines the quality and usefulness of coal as a fuel?
•
The energy content. The higher the proportion of carbon to
moisture, the higher the energy content.
 Formation and Concentration
II. Cycle of Fossil Fuels
 Formation and Concentration
5. How is oil formed?
•
Crude oil is a product of the decay of organic plant and
animal matter. Most scientists believe the material settled to
the bottom of ancient seas.
6. Describe how petroleum collects in traps.
•
After formation, petroleum migrates into porous rock, until it
became trapped between impermeable layers. This is a result
of folding, faulting or deformation of the earth’s crust.
Formation and Concentration
• Petroleum (crude oil [liquid] and natural gas
[vapor]) formed by the compression, decay and
heating of organic matter.
• Found in source beds where oil’s migration through
permeable rocks is stopped by impermeable rocks.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
II. Cycle of Fossil Fuels
 Formation and Concentration
7. How is natural gas formed?
•
Natural gas is a by-product of the formation of oil.
8. How is coal formed?
•
Plant matter becomes fossilized over time, compressed
between layers of sedimentary rock. Coal accumulates in
ancients swamps and marshes where little oxygen is present.
II. Cycle of Fossil Fuels
 Location and Identification
9. What do geologists look for when exploring locations to mine
for new oil deposits?
•
Source beds of shales or limestones that originally
contained organic remains
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porous and permeable sandstones or limestones that later
became reservoir beds
•
traps that sealed off reservoir beds and held oil and gas in
place.
10. Where are coal deposits found in the United States?
•
Coal has been found in most of the U.S. 1/8th of the
country lies over coal beds. Eastern coals occur more in
continuous seams, whereas western deposits are more
isolated and less predictable.
 Location and Identification
Location and Identification
• Petroleum located by finding source beds,
permeable rocks, and/or traps.
• Traps hold oil (see red areas below) due to:
- trapping within impermeable rocks
- thinning permeable rock within impermeable rocks
 Mining and Refining
II. Cycle of Fossil Fuels
 Mining and Refining
11. Explain how crude oil is refined using the process of distillation.
•
Crude oil is separated on the basis of different boiling points
for different substances. This is done by processes of heating,
evaporating, cooling and condensing.
12. List some types and amounts of products yielded from the refining
of crude oil.
•
Crude oil can be distilled into gasolines, alcohols, waxes,
kerosine, lubricants, asphalt, additives, oils etc.
Mining and Refining
• Petroleum extracted
(mined) using pumps,
offshore drills, “Christmas
trees” (for natural gas), etc.
• Refining crude oil involves
distillation (often in a
fractionating tower) to
separate out a host of
products, including: waxes,
keosine, lubricants, asphalt,
gasoline, etc.
II. Cycle of Fossil Fuels
 Production and Use
13. Equation for the burning of oil to obtain energy.
•
Oil + oxygen (O2)  CO2 + H2O + heat energy + waste
•
Wastes consist of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide,
nitrogen oxides and sulfur gases.
14. Equation for the burning of natural gas to obtain energy.
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Natural gas + oxygen (O2)  CO2 + H2O + heat energy
•
Almost no wastes are formed.
15. Equation for the burning of coal to obtain energy.
•
Coal (C) + oxygen (O2)  CO2 + heat energy + waste
•
Wastes consist of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon
monoxide, soot and ash.
Production
• Production of refined petroleum energy
products often requires no more than
distribution (via truck, boat, train, or other
means) and storage.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
 Production and Use
Use
• The chemical energy in petroleum products
is released through burning.
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.