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Energy Quality in Natural Processes

Explore energy's quality as it degrades, its impact on the environment, fossil fuels, alternative energy, and the driving force in natural processes.

jbeecher
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Energy Quality in Natural Processes

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  1. Objectives • To understand how the quality of energy changes as it is used • To consider the energy resources of our world • To understand energy as a driving force for natural processes

  2. A. Quality Versus Quantity of Energy • When we use energy to do work we degrade its usefulness.

  3. A. Quality Versus Quantity of Energy • Petroleum as energy

  4. B. Energy and Our World • Fossil fuel – carbon based molecules from decomposing plants and animals • Energy source for United States

  5. B. Energy and our World Electricity Production in the US (2006)

  6. B. Energy and Our World • Petroleum – thick liquids composed of mainly hydrocarbons • Hydrocarbon – compound composed of C and H

  7. B. Energy and Our World

  8. B. Energy and Our World • Natural gas – gas composed of hydrocarbons, mainly methane (CH4)

  9. B. Energy and Our World • Coal – formed from the remains of plants under high pressure and heat over time; solid composed mainly of Carbon

  10. B. Energy and Our World Burning Fossil Fuels: Coal: C + O2 CO2 Natural Gas: CH4 + O2  CO2 + H2O Gasoline (Petroleum) : C8H18 + O2  CO2 + H2O

  11. B. Energy and Our World • Effects of carbon dioxide on climate • Greenhouse effect

  12. B. Energy and Our World • alternative energy sources • Solar • Nuclear • Biomass • Wind • Geothermal • Tidal

  13. B. Energy and Our World • Effects of carbon dioxide on climate • Atmospheric CO2 • Controlled by water cycle • Could increase temperature by 10oC

  14. C. Energy as a Driving Force • Natural processes occur in the direction that leads to an increase in the disorder of the universe. • Example: • Consider a gas trapped as shown

  15. C. Energy as a Driving Force • What happens when the valve is opened?

  16. C. Energy as a Driving Force • Two driving forces • Energy spread • Matter spread

  17. C. Energy as a Driving Force • Energy spread • In a given process concentrated energy is dispersed widely. • This happens in every exothermic process.

  18. C. Energy as a Driving Force • Matter spread • Molecules of a substance spread out to occupy a larger volume. • Processes are favored if they involve energy and matter spread.

  19. C. Energy as a Driving Force • Entropy, S – function which keeps track of the tendency for the components of the universe to become disordered

  20. C. Energy as a Driving Force • What happens to the disorder in the universe as energy and matter spread?

  21. C. Energy as a Driving Force • Second law of thermodynamics • The entropy of the universe is always increasing.

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