Fossil Fuels
The energy source for today, the energy source forever.
Coal
How is coal used?
- Coal is shipped to a factory
- It is then crushed
- Coal is sent to furnace and burned
- The heat from the burning coal heats up tubes filled with water which turns to steam
- Steam rises and is pressurized
- Pressurized stem then goes into generator and spins turbine
- Turbine creates electricity
- Electricity is then transferred to districts and capital
Why is coal good?
Environmental laws (Canada)
- Permit and license conditions restrict mining coal in Canada
- Environmental policies create safer mine sites (each site is handled on a case by case basis)
- The Fisheries Act and the Environmental Protection Act has regulation on water quality (which involve water contamination due to coal mining)
- These acts have drastically reduced the amount of toxicity present in discharged water samples (%92 had suspended solids in water below the regulatory limit, %95 had below limit toxicity for fish)
- CO2 filtration systems and scrubbing systems can be equipped to plants for coal to burn more efficiently
Economy
- Cheaper than nuclear energy (%58 more cost effective)
- Abundant supply (all coal mines estimated to be on the Earth's surface will last us, at the rate we are using it, 3050 years)
- Creates 500 000 jobs on average; from extraction, transportation, refinement and disposal etc.
- Energy consumption costs are low
- Produces enormous amounts of electric energy; within 24 hrs. coal plants alone can produce 23 terra watt hours of energy (more energy than gas, wind, hydro combined)
Coal plants can produce the amount of power equivalent to 1340 nuclear power plants
Coal comprises of %60 of China's industrial sector
Social
- Newly developed coal plants emit 40% less CO2
- Mines are being monitored for release of pollutants and prevention measures are taken to ensure no ecological disaster occurs
- Companies have developed “carbon capture sequencing systems” this captures %90 of the carbon emitted from coal plants and pumps it down below the earth’s surface to depleted natural gas lines/ reservoirs
Natural gas
How is natural gas used?
- A well is dug thousands of feet below the surface of the Earth
- Well is dug until it is reaches a shale deposit
- Concrete filling is inserted into the drilled hole to create a solid well
- Hydraulic fracturing process is undertaken, it enables for cracks within shale to form
- Shale fractures release gases
- Water is pumped into the well so it can absorb the gases
- fluid is extracted and refined
Why is Natural Gas good?
- Contributes 21% of the worlds energy production today
- LOW levels of pollutants ( SOx, NOx) or soot when burned
- No waste or residue to deal with
- Used to make plastics, chemicals, fertilizers and hydrogen
- Minimal land is used for natural gas, infrastructure is located below Earth's surface
- Multiple wells can be built at one site
Fueling the Future with Natural Gas: Bringing it Home
Oil
Benefits of Oil
- It is relatively easy to store and transport as it is in liquid form
- Can be pumped through pipelines or stored in containers to be transported
- Easy to store as they are very stable and do not form other compounds if they are stored for longer periods of time
- Can produce power 24/7 unlike solar and wind
- Oil engines are highly reliable to work with
- Initial investment cost is low compared to alternative sources of energy
- No new technology needs to be developed in order to use oil because current infrastructure is already in place
- Cars already run on petrol/ gasoline which is derived from crude oil
- Billions of barrels of oil are burned to power cars, ships, trains, etc…
- Oil can be transported all around the world with the given infrastructure, so less investment is required
- Oil has a high energy density- a small amount of oil can produce a large amount of energy
Oil Extraction
the above image shows how oil is extracted on land
Energy Density
Oil Extraction
the above image shows how oil is extracted on water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhxcHe_9kLA