Fossil Fuels

1. Fossil Fuels Non-Renewable Energy Sources

2. Crude Oil • Animals, plants, sand, and silt were compressed by heat and pressure into crude oil. • Crude oil is also called PETROLEUM. • Petroleum means “earth oil” • Crude oil is found in large reservoirs under the earth’s surface.

3. American Oil • Scientists use sonar and rock testing to locate reservoirs and build derricks to bring the oil to the surface. • Crude oil is produced in 31 states and in the Gulf of Mexico. 50% of the United States’ oil comes from 5 states – Texas, Alaska, California, North Dakota, and Louisiana.

4. Imported Oil • In 2009, the US imported about 51% of the crude oil that it used. • Most of our oil comes from Canada (~2000 barrels/day), Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria (about 1000 barrels/day), and Venezuela (about 850 barrels/day)

5. Oil Producing Countries • The top 5 Oil Producing Countries are • Saudi Arabia • Russia • United States • Iran • China

6. Oil Prices • Oil is considered a commodity – a good that has a supply and demand (and a universal price tag) • 1 barrel of oil is 42 gallons. Oil was first traded on the commodities market in the 1970’s because the US government did not trust OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) to set their own prices. The current price is around $100/barrel.

7. Drilling • Off shore drilling occurs within 200 miles of the coast. In 1983 President Reagan claimed a 200 mile band around the United States as the EEZ –Exclusive Economic Zone. In 1994, all countries with coast lines were granted an EEZ.

8. Drilling Continued • The Federal Government manages the land in the EEZ for the good of its citizens. The US Minerals Management Service leases the ocean floor to companies. The companies pay royalties and fees on all the minerals they extract. • Individual states control their own coasts up to 12 miles out (depending on the state) and the federal government controls the rest.

9. Processing Oil • Crude oil is removed from the ground and sent to a refinery where it is transformed from a yellow-brown smelly liquid into a usable product. 42 gallons of crude oil produces about 44 gallons of usable product. • One barrel of oil makes 19 gallons of gasoline, 10 gallons of diesel, 4 gallons of jet fuel, as well as heating oil, and other products (including plastics, rubber, and glass)

10. Processing Oil Continued • Crude oil also produces liquefied petroleum gasses (LPGs). Gasses, like propane, are mixed in to the crude oil and a refinery extracts the LPGs into a usable form.

11. Refining Process • A refinery separates the crude oil in a large column by weight. The heavier parts sink to the bottom and the lighter parts are at the top. Each layer produces a different type of fuel. Each layer is extracted and treated so that it is safe and more environmentally friendly.

13. Oil as an Energy Source • Oil is burned in a factory • The burning produces gas that turns a turbine. • The mechanical energy of the turbine is converted to electrical energy. • Much like the Genecon.

14. Benefits of Oil • Easily Combustible • Easy to transport • Factories can be made anywhere • Inexpensive • Readily Available

15. Disadvantages of Oil • Nonrenewable • Burning produces CO2 gas – a greenhouse gas that leads to pollution and global warming • Oil Spills • Oil produces harmful byproducts that cannot be recycled.

16. Coal • Coal is a black or brown sedimentary rock made mostly of carbon. It is the most abundant fossil fuel produced in the US. • There are four types of coal classified by the amount of carbon it contains and the amount of heat that can be produced from it.

17. Types of Coal • Anthracite is 86 – 97% carbon and produces the most heat. The only Anthracite mines in the US are located in northeastern Pennsylvania. Less than 0.5% of the coal produced in the US is Anthracite.

18. Types of Coal • Bituminous coal is 45 – 86% carbon. It is the most abundant type of coal in the US accounting for about half of the coal produced. Bituminous coal is used to generate electricity and as a raw material for steel and iron. Most of the Bituminous coal comes from West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.

19. Types of Coal • Subbituminous coal contains 35-45% carbon. About 46% of the coal produced in the United States is subbituminous. Wyoming is the leading source of subbituminous coal.

20. Types of Coal • Lignite is relatively young coal deposits that were not subjected to extreme heat or pressure, containing 25%-35% carbon. Lignite is crumbly and has high moisture content. There are 19 lignite mines in the United States, producing about 7% of U.S. coal. Most lignite is mined in Texas and North Dakota. Lignite is mainly burned at power plants to generate electricity.

21. Coal Mining • If the coal is buried less than 200 feet underground, it can be mined using the surface mining technique. This is the most economical form of mining. • In surface mining, giant machines remove the top soil and layers of rock known as "overburden" to expose the coal seam. Once the mining is finished, the dirt and rock are returned to the pit, the topsoil is replaced, and the area is replanted.

22. Mining • Underground mining, sometimes called deep mining, is used when the coal is buried several hundred feet below the surface. Some underground mines are 1,000 feet deep. To remove coal in these underground mines, miners ride elevators down deep mine shafts where they run machines that dig out the coal. • Once the coal is mined, it must be transported to factories where it will be cleaned and refined. The transporting process typically costs more than the mining process.

23. Coal Regions • In the US, coal comes from 3 main regions: Appalachian, Interior, and Western Coal regions. • The Appalachian Coal Region contributes one-third of the coal produced in the US. West Virginia is the largest coal producing state in the ACR. This area has large underground mines.

24. Coal Regions • The Interior Coal Region’s biggest contributor is Texas. It has large surface mines. • The Western Coal Region produces over half of the US coal. The biggest contributing state is Wyoming and this area contains the largest surface mines in the nation.

25. Coal Power • Coal is used to supply almost half of all electricity generated in the US. Power plants burn coal to make steam. The steam turns turbines that generate electricity. • Without proper care, coal plants can contaminate water sources. Coal also produces pollutants that cause respiratory disease, acid rain, smog, and mercury poisoning.

26. Natural Gas • The main ingredient in natural gas is methane – 1 carbon atom and 4 hydrogen atoms • Sometimes the gas escapes through cracks in the ground. When lightning occurred in this area, the gas would ignite and people learned they could use natural gas for heat and light. • To locate the natural gas pockets, a truck carrying a vibrating plate causes the ground to vibrate and reads the earths response. Sometimes dynamite is used if the truck cannot create a strong enough vibration.

27. Mining Gas • The gas is then mined and piped to plants to be converted to useful material. The United States produces most of the gas that it consumes. The rest is imported from Canada. • Natural gas comes from the decaying of dead organisms. This process takes millions of years. There are now machines called “digesters” that break down organic material and produce natural gas.

28. Storing Gas • Natural gas is mined all year long, but is in greater demand in the winter when people use gas to heat homes. It is stored in large underground tanks until it is needed. • Natural gas can be converted to a liquid by cooling it down to -2600F. When it is a liquid, it takes up only 1/600th of the space it would as a gas.

29. Gas Power • In 2009, about 25% of all energy used in the US came from Natural Gas. • Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel, but does release CO2, the main green house gas.