Sources of energy

Prepared by Motaz Ibrahim abo elnasr

Energy is the capacity to do work. A plenty of energy is needed to sustain industrial growth and agricultural production. CLASSIFICATION OF ENERGY Based upon nature, energy sources are classified as 1. Renewable energy sources are inexhaustible and are renewed by nature itself. Solar, wind, tidal, hydro and biomass are few examples. 2. Non-renewable energy sources are exhaustible within a definite period of time depending upon its usage. ossil fuels !coal, oil, gas" and nuclear fuels are few examples. 1 Non-renewable Energy Coal #oal is a black or brownish rock. $e burn coal to create energy. #oal is ranked depending on how much %carboni&ation' it has gone through. #arboni&ation is the process that ancient organisms undergo to become coal. (eat is the lowest rank of coal. )t has gone through the least amount of carboni&ation. )t is an important fuel in areas of the world including Scotland, )reland, and inland. Anthracite is the highest rank of coal. Anthracite forms in regions of the world where there ha*e been giant mo*ements of the earth, such as the formation of mountain ranges. About half the electricity in the +nited States comes from coal.

Advantages and Disadvantages

#oal is a reliable source of energy. $e can rely on it day and night, summer and winter, sunshine or rain, to pro*ide fuel and electricity. +sing coal is also harmful. ,ining is one of the most dangerous -obs in the world. #oal miners are exposed to toxic dust and face the dangers of ca*e.ins and explosions at work. $hen coal is burned, it releases many toxic gases and pollutants into the atmosphere. ,ining for coal can also cause the ground to ca*e in and create underground fires that burn for decades at a time.

Petroleum (etroleum is a li/uid fossil fuel. )t is also called oil or crude oil. (etroleum is trapped by underground rock formations. )n some places, oil bubbles right out of the ground. ,ost of the world0s oil is still deep under the ground. $e drill through the earth to access the oil. Some deposits are on land, and others are under the ocean floor. 1nce oil companies begin drilling with a %drill rig,' they can extract petroleum 22 hours a day, se*en days a week, 345 days a year. ,any successful oil sites produce oil for about 36 years. Sometimes they can produce oil for much longer. $hen oil is under the ocean floor, companies drill offshore. 7hey must build an oil platform. 1il platforms are some of the biggest manmade structures in the world8 1nce the oil has been drilled, it must be refined. 1il contains many chemicals besides carbon, and refining the oil takes some of these chemicals out. $e use oil for many things. About half of the world0s petroleum is con*erted into gasoline. 7he rest can be processed and used in li/uid products such as nail polish and rubbing alcohol, or solid products such as water pipes, shoes, crayons, roofing, *itamin capsules, and thousands of other items.

Advantages and Disadvantages

7here are ad*antages to drilling for oil. )t is relati*ely inexpensi*e to extract. )t is also a reliable and dependable source of energy and money for the local community. 1il pro*ides us with thousands of con*eniences. )n the form of gasoline, it is a portable source of energy that gi*es us the power to dri*e places. (etroleum is also an ingredient in many items that we depend on. 9owe*er, burning gasoline is harmful to the en*ironment. 1il floats on water can look like food to fish or birds .

Natural Gas :atural gas is another fossil fuel that is trapped underground in reser*oirs. )t is mostly made up of methane. 7he decomposing materials in landfills also release methane. 7here is so much natural gas underground that it is measured in million, billion, or trillion cubic meters. :atural gas is found in deposits a few hundred meters underground. )n order to get natural gas out of the ground, companies drill straight down. 9owe*er, natural gas does not form in big open pockets. :atural gas is trapped in rock formations that can stretch for kilometers. 7o reach natural gas, some companies use a process called %hydraulic fracturing,' or fracking. Hydraulic means they use water, and fracturing means to %split apart.' 7he process uses high.pressure water to split apart the rocks underground. 7his releases the natural gas that is trapped in rock formations. )f the rock is too hard, they can send acid down the well to dissol*e the rock. 7hey can also use tiny grains of glass or sand to prop open the rock and let the gas escape. :atural gas can also be burned to generate electricity. $e rely on natural gas to gi*e power to lights, tele*isions, air conditioners, and kitchen appliances in our homes. :atural gas can also be turned into a li/uid form, called li/uid natural gas !;:<". ;:< is much cleaner than any other fossil fuels. ;i/uid natural gas takes up much less space than the gaseous form. 7he amount of natural gas that would fit into a big beach ball would fit into a ping.pong ball as a li/uid8 ;:< can be easily stored and used for different purposes. ;:< can e*en be a replacement for gasoline.

Advantages and Disadvantages

:atural gas is relati*ely inexpensi*e to extract, and is a %cleaner' fossil fuel than oil or coal. $hen natural gas is burned, it only releases carbon dioxide and water *apor !which are the exact same gases that we breathe out when we exhale8" 7his is healthier than burning coal. 9owe*er, extracting natural gas can cause en*ironmental problems. racturing rocks can cause mini.earth/uakes. 7he high.pressure water and chemicals that are forced underground can also leak to other sources of water. 7he water sources, used for drinking or bathing, can become contaminated and unsafe. Other Non-renewable Energy Sources Fossil fuels are the leading non-renewable energy sources around the world. There are others, however.

Nuclear Energy

:uclear energy is usually considered another non.renewable energy source, the material used in nuclear power plants is not renewable. :uclear energy har*ests the powerful energy in the nucleus, or core, of an atom. :uclear energy is released through nuclear fission, the process where the nucleus of an atom splits. :uclear power plants are complex machines that can control nuclear fission to produce electricity. 7he material most often used in nuclear power plants is the element uranium. Although uranium is found in rocks all o*er the world, nuclear power plants usually use a *ery rare type of uranium, +. 235. +ranium is a non.renewable resource. :uclear energy is a popular way of generating electricity around the world. :uclear power plants do not pollute the air or emit greenhouse gases. 7hey can be built in rural or urban areas, and do not destroy the en*ironment around them. 9owe*er, nuclear energy is difficult to har*est. :uclear power plants are *ery complicated to build and run. ,any communities do not ha*e the scientists and engineers to de*elop a safe and reliable nuclear energy program. :uclear energy also produces radioacti*e material .=adioacti*e waste can be extremely toxic, causing burns and increasing the risk for cancers, blood diseases, and bone decay among people who are exposed to it.

Second> renewable energy

SOLAR ENERGY 7he surface of the earth recei*es about 1612 k$ from sun in the form of solar energy which is approximately fi*e orders of magnitude greater than that currently being consumed from all resources. )t is e*ident that sun will last for 1611 years. 7here are two ob*ious obstacles to harnessing solar energy. irstly it is not constantly a*ailable on earth. 7hus some form of storage is needed to sustain solar energy through the night and during rainy season. Secondly the solar energy is diffused. Although the total amount of energy is enormous, the collection and conser*ation of solar energy into useful forms must be carried out o*er a large area which entails large capital in*estments. ADVANTAGES 1. =enewable source of energy 2. (ollution free 3. After the capital cost, the cost of power generation is /uite low 2. $ide range of applications, powering street lights to satellites DISADVANTAGES 1. #apital cost is *ery high 2. ;arge area of land is re/uired 3. ;arge number of solar panels are re/uired 2. Affected by seasons. WIND ENERGY 7he electrical energy can be generated by wind energy by utili&ing the kinetic energy of wind. 7he wind energy which is an indirect source of energy can be used to run a wind mill which in turn dri*es a generator to produce electricity. WIND MILL $ind mills are classified into two types 1. 9ori&ontal axis wind turbine 2. ?ertical axis wind turbine !ORI"ONTAL A#IS WIND T$R%INE 9ori&ontal axis wind turbines ha*e the main rotor shaft running hori&ontally.

ig shows a schematic arrangement of a hori&ontal axis machine. 7his system consists of a tower mounted two bladed or multi bladed rotor facing the wind, rotating around a hori&ontal axis and turning an electrical generator.

VERTICAL A#IS WIND T$R%INE ?ertical axis wind turbines ha*e the main rotor shaft running *ertically. 7he tower construction is simple here because the generator and gear box can be placed at the bottom, near the ground.

ADVANTAGES 1. $ind is =enewable and free of cost 2. (ollution free 3. #an be installed in remote *illages, thus reducing costly transmission lines DISADVANTAGES 1. #apital cost is *ery high 2. ;arge area of land is re/uired 3. ,aintenance cost is *ery high

TIDAL ENERGY 7he periodic rise and fall of water le*el of sea which are carried by the action of the sun and moon on water of the earth is called %tide'. 7he large scale up and down mo*ement of sea water represents an unlimited source of energy. 7he main feature of the tidal cycle is the difference in water surface ele*ations at the high tide and at the low tide. )f the differential head could be utili&ed in operating a hydraulic turbine, the tidal energy could be con*erted into electrical energy by means of an attached generator. TIDAL &OWER &LANT A 7idal power plant mainly consists of the following> 1. A barrage with gates and sluices 2. 1ne or more basins 3. A power house A barrage is a barrier constructed across the sea to create a basin for storing water. 7he barrage has to withstand the pressure exerted by the water head and also should resist the shock of the wa*es. A basin is the area where water is retained by the barrage. ;ow head re*ersible water turbine are installed in the barrage separating the sea from the basin..

@uring high tide, water will flow from sea to tidal basin through turbine, thus producing electricity. @uring low tide, water will flow from tidal basin to sea through turbine producing electricity. ADVANTAGES 1. )t is inexhaustible source of energy 2. :o problem of pollution 3. 7he cost of power generation is /uite low 2. 9igh output can be obtained compared to solar or wind energy DISADVANTAGES 1. #apital cost is *ery high 2. As the head is not constant, *ariable output is obtained 3. As the head is low, large amount of water is necessary for the turbine 2. )t will not operate when the a*ailable head is less than 6.5m

GEOT!ERMAL ENERGY <eothermal power plants deri*e energy from the heat of the earth0s interior. 7he a*erage increase in temperature with depth of the earth is 16# for e*ery 36.26m. At a depth of 16.15km, the earth0s interior is as hot as 1666.12666#. )n certain areas of our planet, the underground heat has raised the temperature of water to o*er 2666# which bursts out as hot steam through the cracks in the earth0s crust. 7hese are called thermal springs. 7his steam can be utili&ed for power production. GEOT!ERMAL SO$RCES 7he following fi*e general categories of geothermal sources ha*e been identified> 1. 9ydrothermal con*ecti*e systems !i" ?apor dominated or dry steam fields !ii" ;i/uid dominated or wet steam fields !iii" 9ot water fields 2. <eo.pressure resources 3. (etrothermal or hot dry rocks 2. ,agma resources 5. ?olcanoes 7he hydro thermal con*ecti*e systems are best resources for geothermal energy exploitation at present. 9ot dry rock is also being considered. GEOT!ERMAL &OWER &LANTS <eothermal wells are drilled at suitable locations. $ater *apori&ed into steam comes out of the earth0s surface in a dry condition at around 266# and A bar. 7he moisture is remo*ed by a centrifugal separator and this steam will run the turbine coupled with a generator. Steam is condensed in a condenser and re in-ected back into the ground by a re-ection well.

ADVANTAGES 1. <eothermal energy is cheaper 2. +sed as space heating for buildings 3. +sed as industrial process heat 2. <eothermal energy is inexhaustible DISADVANTAGES 1. ;ow o*erall power production efficiency !about 15B" 2. ;arge areas are needed foe exploitation of geothermal energy
Re'eren(e)
1 . :ational <eographic En*ironment> <reen ;i*ingCExamples of :on.renewable Energy Sources 2 . (ower System Engineering by =.D. =a-put