Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Issues to consider include whether the user or supplier should be responsible for
the waste, and whether radioactive wastes should be stored in the most costeffective and environmentally safe place, regardless of where the uranium comes
from.
Factors that might lead to increased use of nuclear power in Australia include
improved waste-storage techniques and decreased availability or increased cost of
other energy sources.
Q2.
Bagasse, the fibrous waste from sugarcane mills, is burnt to satisfy about 2 per cent of
Australias energy needs. Firewood satisfies a similar amount. Should we use more or
less of these renewable resources? Justify your answer.
A2.
In order to conserve non-renewable resources, the use of renewable resources should
be encouraged but only so far as it can be sustained in the foreseeable future. Beyond
this limit, even renewable resources will eventually be exhausted because the rate of
supply (e.g. growth of forests) will not match the rate of use (e.g. removal of trees).
As non-renewable resources diminish and become more expensive, the use of
renewable resources, such as bagasse, will become more economically attractive.
Heinemann Chemistry 2 4th edition Enhanced
Copyright Pearson Australia 2010 (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd)
Select a form of biochemical energy and one other form of renewable energy. For
your chosen energy sources:
i draw up a table that summarises their advantages and disadvantages
ii comment on their usefulness in supplying the future energy needs of your
local community.
Repeat part a for two non-renewable forms of energy.
A3.
a
ii
b
ii
Chapter review
Q4.
a
A4.
a
b
1
0
n+
238
92
239
94
Pu + 2 01
The capacity for nuclear power generation increases the possibility of a nation
developing nuclear weapons. Safeguards include prohibition of nuclear power
development, monitoring nuclear programs, international agreements/treaties and
economic and/or military intervention against rogue nations and/or terrorists
(issues remain about who the global police should be).
Q7.
The coal versus nuclear power debate has undergone a recent revival in Australia.
a Given the choice, would you prefer to live near a coal-fired power station or a
nuclear power station? Why?
b Is there just a choice between coal and nuclear power as they now operate? What
other options exist?
A7.
a
Considerations include type of pollution and extent to which it occurs, health and
environmental risks of pollutants, and chances of a major catastrophe and its
likely consequences.
The immediate environment around a nuclear power station is usually cleaner and
healthier than that around a coal-fired power station, but a nuclear accident may
cause fatalities and have other long-term consequences.
Other options include alternative energy sources and improved technology to deal
with hazards and sustainability issues related to coal and nuclear fuels. Research
and development is expected to be critical in improving societys choice of
energy sources.
Compared with heaters that run on oil, gas or electricity, solar water heaters have
only been introduced relatively recently and the technology involved is still being
developed. These heaters are likely to become increasingly popular as they
become more efficient and as older heaters wear out or become too expensive to
operate. Solar water heating is feasible in all parts of Australia but is more likely
to be used in isolated places where other energy supplies are difficult to obtain. It
is particularly useful in situations where the hot water is used on-site and where
low running costs are important.
Existing technologies tend to be only slowly replaced with new developments
unless the latter offers dramatic economic benefits. At present, solar water heaters
are marketed mainly in the sunnier northern regions of Australia. However, in the
future it is likely that the use of these heaters in all regions will become more
widespread.
Current models of the solar car cannot store as much energy as petrol-driven cars
of similar mass. Despite being cheaper, cleaner and quieter, solar cars tend to be
slower and smaller and are dependent on the weather.
For example:
Source
electricity
electricity
gas
oil
Application
hair dryer
toast and tea
shower
car or bus
Low-energy alternatives for the applications above are: air-dry hair, have a cold
breakfast, short shower and walk or cycle. If each of us conserves energy, we can
make a difference.
Q11.
The ever-increasing use of computer-controlled systems offers opportunities for
increasing our societys efficiency in using energy. Describe how energy can be saved
by the computer control of:
a engines in cars
b traffic systems
c household lights and heating
d industrial production systems.
A11.
a
b
c
d
Q12.
Changes in energy consumption over time are shown in Figure 23.3 (p. 368).
a In which decade was nuclear energy introduced? What events led to the
introduction of this form of energy?
b Why has wood not shown the same increase in consumption as other fuels?
c Suggest why the rate of use of coal was outstripped by the rate of use of oil.
d Describe four ways in which the use of energy in the daily life of a person living
in an Australian city in 1860 would have differed from that of a person living
now.
The world community was introduced to the devastating power of nuclear energy
when an atomic bomb was exploded in 1945, during World War II. Several years
later the research that led to the development of the atomic bomb was applied to
the peaceful purpose of electrical power generation.
The use of other fuels such as coal, oil and uranium has increased at a faster rate
than the use of wood because the former have been more suitable for a range of
applications due to their lower cost, high energy content per unit mass, ease of
transport and distribution, or more controllable combustion. The limited
availability of wood greatly restricts its use as a fuel.
Oil is a more versatile fuel than coal. The various fractions available from crude
oil enable a range of fuels for specialised uses to be producedfor example,
high-octane petrol for racing cars and diesel for trucks. Oil also has a higher
energy content per unit mass than coal, is more conveniently handled and
produces fewer pollutants when burnt.
We now use much more energy for transport, production of consumer goods and
for heating. Coal, wood and animals were the major sources of energy in the
1860s, with relatively little use of oil and gas. While coal is still a major fuel
today, the use of nuclear, solar, wave, tidal and wind power has become more
extensive. Our current consumption of oil and the widespread delivery of energy
in the form of electricity distinguish the 1990s from the 1860s.
Q13.
Tasmania obtains nearly all of its power supplies from hydroelectricity, whereas
Victoria obtains over three-quarters of its electricity from brown coal. Account for the
difference between the two states in methods of energy production.
A13.
Both Tasmania and Victoria have chosen to use the most readily available natural
resources for their energy supplies. Tasmanias high rainfall and small population
mean that hydro-electricity is able to supply most of its energy needs. The abundance
of brown coal in Victoria has made coal a more suitable source of energy for that
state.
Q14.
Most forms of energy available to us originated from energy supplied by the Sun.
a Justify this statement by explaining the origins of wind energy, oil and
hydroelectricity.
b List the energy transformations involved in generating electricity from biogas.
Wind is the result of the uneven heating of the planet by solar radiation. The
tropics receive more solar radiation per square metre than the poles. Air in the
warmer locations expands and becomes less dense. The warm air rises and winds
are created as neighbouring air moves into the low-pressure region that is created.
The energy in oil was originally present in the plants and animals from which the
oil was made. The plants obtained energy from the sun directly via
photosynthesis and the animals obtained energy indirectly, via a food chain which
began with plants.
The gravitational potential energy of water in a dam is due to the evaporation of
water from a low altitude to a higher altitude; the evaporation is a consequence of
solar energy.
chemical energy in waste chemical energy in biogas thermal energy
from combustion of biogas thermal energy of steam mechanical energy of
turbine electrical energy of generator
Q15.
The Yallourn power station in Victoria has a maximum capacity of 1450 MW. The
average daily rate at which Melbourne receives solar energy is 1.0 kW m2.
a What area of solar cells, operating at 20% efficiency, would produce the same
amount of power as the Yallourn station?
b If a typical residential block of land in the city has an area of 750 m2, how many
of these blocks does your answer in part a represent?
A15.
a
Step 1
Step 2
1450 10 3 kW
0.10 kW m 2
= 1.450 107 m2
= 1.5 107 m2 (two significant figures)
solar cell area
Number of blocks =
city block area
=
1.45 10 7 m 2
=
750 m 2
= 1.9333 104 blocks
= 1.9 104 blocks (two significant figures)
The power stations all convert mechanical energy in a turbine into electrical
energy. Nuclear and coal-fired power stations both use hot steam to turn their
turbines, whereas running water is used in a hydro-electric power station.
Nuclear power stations convert nuclear energy into thermal energy, which then
becomes thermal energy of steam; coal-fired power stations convert chemical
energy to thermal energy of steam; hydro-electric power stations convert the
gravitational potential energy of water in a dam to the kinetic energy of falling
water.
The power stations also differ in the type and extent of their environmental
impact. Only the hydro-electric power station uses a renewable energy source.
Q19.
Coal, oil, nuclear energy and solar energy are all important sources of energy today.
Give your opinion of the likely importance of each source of energy in:
a 10 years time
b 100 years time
c 1000 years time
A19.
a
b