Energy at the Turn of the Third Millennium
Fission
Fusion
The Anthropocene
Extra!
100
In 1950, GWP (Gross World Product) was around 5 trillion, by 1990 GWP was at around 29 trillion. Name a novel technology that made this possible (fueled by fossil fuels and electricity)
Mass transportation, freight trains, refrigerators, elevators, and cranes (118)
100
What is fission?
Fission is the splitting of atoms (127)
100
What is nuclear fusion?
The fusion of atomic nuclei; what happens under the extreme temperature and pressure of the sun (147-148)
100
What is the Anthropocene?
The Anthropocene is the proposed name for the current geological epoch because of the extreme impact humans have had on how the biosphere functions. (159)
100
About what percent of our energy comes from renewable sources today?
9%
200
EROI measures the full cost of fossil fuels, including environmental side effects. Crosby discusses three environmental impacts of fossil fuels. Name one.
Air pollution
Acid Rain
Greenhouse Effect (120)
200
What country is responsible for the first nuclear reactor?
America- Enrico Fermi built Chicago Pile One under the sports stadium at the University of Chicago (129)
200
Why can’t we use fusion as a sufficient energy source yet?
We haven’t quite figured out how to scale down and sustain the production of energy from fusion for everyday purposes. (150)
200
How many years of sunshine has ecologist Jeffrey S. Dukes estimated humans have burned between 1751-1998?
13,300 years (160)
200
What is the name of this engine from last week?
Newcomen Engine (72)
300
What does EROI stand for?
Energy return on energy invested (120)
300
Aside from being used as a bomb, what were alternative uses of nuclear energy found during the Cold War? (133)
Plowshare program (used bombs to help move earth)
Submarines (Nautilus)
Electricity (Acon, Idaho, and nuclear-powered electricity) (133)
300
Which technique for creating fusion shows the most promise and has won the most approvals from governments?
Magnetic containment (155)
300
What is the most obvious challenge to extend energy to all of humanity?
Demographic/ Population increase (162)
300
When this book was published, what country was the leader in nuclear energy?
France (139)
400
What are some issues with using biomass as a primary energy source?
Land intensive, releases CO2, vegetation growing back unrealistic in some regions, low energy density (121)
400
What happened at the Three Mile Island reactor and what were its impacts on how the public views nuclear energy?
There was a meltdown after several malfunctions in the reactor. A hydrogen bubble was created but never exploded, containing much of the radioactive material. (135-136)
400
What is cavitation?
The phenomena that creates sonoluminescence in which molecules are agitated and pulled from each other to create bubbles of near vacuum that collapse, producing flashes of light, high temperatures, and high pressure (153)
400
What was the reason for the electricity blackout of August 2003?
The Hanna-Juniper electric transmission line sagged into tree branches overdue for pruning and short-circuited. (165)
400
Where is the Earth’s natural gas contained?
The crust, in cavities found in gas hydrates underneath the ocean (119)
500
What element gave environmentalists hope for clean energy in the late 1900s? Hint: Electrolysis can be used to obtain this source.
Hydrogen (124)
500
Name the 6 main components of a standard nuclear reactor
Core of fissile matter
A moderator
Coolant
Circulating liquid or gas to take the heat from the reaction to spin turbines
Shields
An outer shell to contain everything (131)
500
Where was cold fusion first discovered?
University of Utah (150)
500
How would Crosby describe human’s preparedness for the coming energy crisis? What examples of preparedness does he give?
“Not totally unprepared” (163)
Know how to raise fossil fuel engine efficiency and minimize emissions, experience in building windmills, photovoltaic cells, hydrogen fuel cells, etc., and possible safe nuclear power plants (164)
500
What is inertial confinement?
A way to create small thermonuclear detonations in a confined space on command. Small beads containing hydrogen isotopes are heated with intense lasers, causing them to implode, which creates high temperatures and pressure allowing fusion to happen instantly. (154)