Topic 8 – Energy production Formative Assessment

PROBLEM SET NAME: ________________________________ TEAM:__

THIS IS A PRACTICE ASSESSMENT. Show formulas, substitutions, answers, and units!
Topic 8.1 – Energy sources
The following questions are about energy degradation.
1. Continuous conversion of energy into work requires a ___ and a ____.
cyclical process transfer of energy from the system.
2. In the balloon-water-electricity engine name all of the energy conversions that occur.
chemical  thermal  potential  kinetic  electrical
3. The second law of thermodynamics states that although it is possible to convert mechanical energy
completely into ______, it is NOT possible to convert all heat energy into ______.
Heat mechanical energy.
4. The loss of energy during conversion from one form to another is called _____.
Energy degradation.
The following questions are about the Sankey diagram shown below.

5. What is the efficiency in going from chemical to potential energy?

90 / 120 = 0.75. (75%)
6. What is the efficiency in going from chemical to kinetic energy?
60 / 120 = 0.50. (50%)
7. What is the overall efficiency of the process?
60 / 120 = 0.50. (50%)

The following questions are about Sankey diagrams and power generating schemes.
8. Draw a Sankey diagram for a coal-fired plant. Begin with coal, and end with electricity at the home.

9. Draw a Sankey diagram for a hydroelectric dam, from reservoir to home.

10. Draw a Sankey diagram for a wind turbine, from blades to home.

The following questions are about energy sources.

11. List the sun-derived energy sources. Circle the ones that produce CO2 during usage.
Coal, oil, gas, wood, biomass. Solar, hydroelectric, wind, wave, photovoltaic.
12. List the non-sun-derived energy sources. Circle the ones that produce CO2 during usage.
Hydrogen, uranium, chemical, tidal, geothermal, chemical.

13. Outline and distinguish between renewable and non-renewable energy sources.
Renewable can be replaced in a reasonable amount of time. Nonrenewable can’t.
14. Make a key, and shade
in the energy sources
according to their
world usage.

15. Define the specific energy and the energy density of a fuel.
Specific energy - How much energy per kilogram you can get from a fuel during its consumption.
Energy density - How much energy per m3 you can get from a fuel during its consumption.
16. Why is coal better than buffalo chips for powering a locomotive?
Coal has almost twice the specific energy that buffalo chips have, and a greater density.
17. Why is petroleum better than coal for powering a car?
Higher specific energy than coal, and a greater density. It is also easier to vaporize!
18. Why is petrol preferable a nuclear reactor for use in a locomotive?
Nuclear reactors are too big to fit on an engine, and perhaps too dangerous.
19. Why is a nuclear reactor preferable to oil for use in a submarine?
High energy density so submarine needs not refuel often. Reactor doesn’t consume oxygen
needed by crew.
The following questions are about fossil fuel energy production.
20. Suppose a steam locomotive is rated at 5000 horsepower. If its efficiency is 8%, how much wood
must be burned in a 2 hour trip? 1 hp = 750 W. Wood has an energy density of 17.0 MJ kg-1.
efficiency = Pout / Pin  Pin = Pout / efficiency = 5000(750) / 0.08 = 46.875 MW.
t = 2 h ( 3600 s / h) = 7200 s. E = Pt = (46.875 M )( 7200 ) = 337500 MJ.
-1
m = (337500 MJ )( 17.0 MJ kg ) = 19853 kg = 20000 kg.
21. For the same problem find out how much coal having an energy density of 34.0 MJ kg-1 must be
burned?
m = (337500 MJ )( 34.0 MJ kg-1 ) = 9926 kg = 10000 kg.

A 50.0 MW coal-fired power station is proposed for a city. It is expected to have

an efficiency of about 17.5%, and use a coal with an energy density of 32.5 MJ
kg-1.
22. Calculate the mass of coal that must be burned per day to provide the
desired output power.
efficiency = Pout / Pin  Pin = Pout / efficiency = 50/ 0.175 = 286 MW.
E = Pt = (286 M )( 24 )( 3600 ) = 24710000 MJ.
m = 24710000 MJ / 32.5 MJ kg-1 = 760000 kg.
23. How many train cars per day are needed to keep this plant supplied with coal if each car holds 1.5
metric tons of coal?
760000 kg / 1500 kg car-1 = 500 cars d-1.
24. If a nuclear power plant powered by uranium-235 has the same output and the same efficiency as
the coal-fired plant of the previous example, how many kg of nuclear fuel will it burn per year?
E = 24710000 MJ so that
m = 24710000 MJ / 90000000 MJ kg-1 = = (0.27456 kg d-1)(365 d y-1) = 100. kg y-1.
25. Describe the environmental problems associated with the recovery of fossil fuels and their use in
power stations.
Pollution and safety during recovery, transport, and burning.

The following questions are about nuclear power generation.

26. Distinguish between controlled nuclear and uncontrolled nuclear fission.
Controlled means 1 fission produced from each fission. Uncontrolled means more than 1 (growth).
27. Describe what is meant by fuel enrichment and why it is necessary.
To increase the percentage of 235U. 238U doesn’t lend itself to self-sustained fission.
28. List two processes for enriching uranium.
Diffusion centrifuge.
29. Discuss the role of the moderator and the control rods in the production of controlled fission in a
thermal fission reactor. The moderator slows down neutrons so they can be used to initiate further
fissions. The control rods actually absorb (stop) neutrons.
30. Discuss the role of the heat exchanger in a fission reactor. Cools reactor after heat has been
used and uses the harvested energy to boil water to turn a turbine.
31. Discuss safety issues and risks associated with the production of nuclear power.
Dangers of mining, refining, transport, burning, disposal of spent fuel.
32. What type of nuclear reaction is this?

Fission.
33. Describe how the neutrons in the reaction may initiate a chain reaction?
For every single n in, at least two are produced.

The following questions are about

hydroelectric power systems.
34. Why is a dam a good component in a
power grid? Can be used to store energy in
times of unexpectedly low demand. This is
termed the “pumped storage scheme.”
35. Calculate the potential energy yield of this
hydroelectric scheme.
h = (50 + 70)/2 = 60 m.
EP = mgh = Vgh = (1000)(1500)(2500)(20)(10)(60) = 4.5×1013 J.
36. If the water flow rate is 25 m3 per second, what is the power provided by the moving water?
P = EP /t = Vgh / t = (V/t)gh = 1000(25)(10)(60) = 15 MW.

37. If the water is not replenished, how long can this reservoir produce power at this rate?
V = (1000)(1500)(2500) = 75000000 m3.
V / (V/t) = 75000000 / 25 = 3000000 s = 8333.3 h = 34.7 d.
The following questions are about wind generators.
38. Outline the basic features of a wind generator.
Tower, rotors, gearbox, generator.
39. Explain why it would be unwise to make a power grid having all wind generators.
Wind is unpredictable. If supply/demand differs by more than 5% the grid crashes.

A wind turbine has a blade length of 12.0 m. Before the air strikes the blades it has a
speed of 15.0 ms-1 and a density of 1.20 kg m-3. After passing through the blades, the
air has a speed of 5.75 ms-1 and a density of 1.35 kg m-3. The efficiency of the turbine is
18.5%.
40. Find the power carried by the air before striking the blades.
Pbefore = (1/2)Av3 = (1/2)(122)(1.20)153 =916100 W = 916 kW.

41. Find the power carried by the air after passing through the blades.
Pafter = (1/2)Av3 = (1/2)(122)(1.35)5.753 =58052 W = 58.0 kW.

42. Find the power output generated by the wind turbine.

Pharvested = Pbefore – Pafter = 916 kW – 58 kW = 858. kW.
Pout = efficiency × Pharvested = 0.185×858 = 159 kW.
The following questions are about solar energy.
43. Outline reasons for seasonal and regional variations in the solar power incident per unit area of the
Earth’s surface.
Seasonal: tilt of axis. Regional: latitude.
44. The sun radiates energy at a rate of 3.901026 W. What is the rate at which energy from the sun
reaches Earth if our orbital radius is 1.501011 m?
I = P / A = P / [4r2] = 3.901026 / [4(1.51011)2] = 1380 W m-2.

A photovoltaic cell on a calculator has an area of 2.00 cm2 and an efficiency of 8.75%. The cell is placed in
a position where the sun's intensity is I = 850. W m-2.
45. What is the power output of the cell? A = ( 2 cm2 )( 1 m / 100 cm )2 = 0.0002 m2. Then
I = P / A  P = IA. Thus eff = Pout / Pin  Pout = (eff) IA = 0.0875(850)(0.0002) = 0.015 W.
46. If the cell is rated at 0.500 V, what is its current output?
P = IV  I = P / V = 0.015 / 0.500 = 0.03 A.
47. How many of the cells would you need to supply a current of 10.0 A? How would you connect the
cells?
10 A ( 1 cell / 0.03 A) = 333 cells. Connect in parallel.
The following questions are about solar heating panels.
48. Distinguish between a photovoltaic cell and a heating panel.
Photovoltaic cell: Light to electricity. Solar panel: Light to heat.
49. A solar heating panel has an efficiency of 40.0%. If the panel is placed in a position where the sun's
intensity is I = 850. W m-2over a 6.00-hour period of the day, and is required to raise the
temperature of 25.0 kg of water by 10.0° during that time, what must its area be? Recall the c =
4186 J kg-1 K-1. We need Q = mc∆T = 25(4186)(10) = 1046500 J to heat the water. This must occur
over a time period of t = (6 h)( 3600 s h-1 ) = 21600 s. Thus we need power output of Pout = Q / t =
1046500 / 21600 = 48.75 W. Pin = Pout / eff = 48.75/ 0.4 = 121 W.
But I = P / A so that A = P / I = 28.75 / 850 = 0.14 m2.
Topic 8.2 - Thermal energy transfer
50. Describe the three mechanisms of thermal energy transfer.
Radiation (via photon, no medium) Convection (via fluid)
Conduction (via physical contact)
51. The sun radiates energy at a rate of 3.901026 W. What is the rate at which
energy from the sun reaches Venus if its orbital radius is 108,000,000 km?
I = P / A = P / [4r2] = 3.901026 / [4(1.081011)2] = 2661 W m-2.

52. Define albedo and the factors that determine it. What is Earth’s overall albedo?
The ratio of scattered light to incident light. Determined by land forms, vegetation, clouds, etc.
Earth’s albedo is about 0.30.
53. Describe the greenhouse effect.
UV+IR from sun  IR absorbed in atmosphere  UV absorbed in ground and converted to IR 
Converted IR absorbed in atmosphere.

The following questions are about the greenhouse gases.

54. Explain the molecular mechanisms by which greenhouse gases
absorb infrared radiation.
3 EK modes of resonance: Vibration, translation, rotation.
55. Rank (from highest to lowest in importance) the main five greenhouse gases which absorb thermal
(IR) radiation.
H2O CO2 O2 and O3 CH4 N2O.

The following questions are about black-body radiation and the

Wien displacement law.
56. Sketch and label two black-body curves on the graph: One for
red light and one for blue light.
See graph to right.
57. What is the wavelength of the maximum intensity radiation
emitted by a black-body that is at a temperature of 4750 K?
MAX = 2.90×10-3 / T = 2.90×10-3 / 4750 = 6.11×10-7 m = 611 nm.
A sphere of radius 1.50 m is heated up to a temperature of 450. K.
58. Find the rate at which it should be emitting black-body radiation.
Pblack-body = AT4 = (5.67×10-8)(4×1.52)4504 = 65740 W = 65700 W.
59. If the emissivity of the sphere is 0.500, what is the actual power being radiated by it?
e = P / Pblack-body  P = ePb-b = 0.5(65740) = 32870 W = 32900 W.

An object is absorbing heat at a rate of 2500. W and radiating it at a rate of 2200. W.

60. What is its emissivity?
e = P / Pblackbody = 2200 / 2500 = 0.88.

The following two questions refer to this energy

model .
61. In this energy model show that the total energy
being absorbed by the greenhouse gases is equal
to the total energy being radiated by them.
IN: 350 + 70 + 100 = 520 W m-2.
OUT: 325 + 195 = 520 W m-2.

62. This model shows a stable temperature for Earth

as a whole, the atmosphere, and the ground. What evidence is there to justify this statement?
At every interface Iin = Iout. Space: 340 – 30 – 75 – 195 – 40 = 0.
Ground: 165 + 325 – 350 – 40 – 100 = 0. Greenhouse gases: 0 (See 83).
The following question refers to this energy model.
63. This model shows an unstable temperature.
What evidence is there to justify this statement.
IN: 165 + 335 = 500 W m-2.
OUT: 360 + 20 + 110 = 490 W m-2.
Iin – Iout = 10 W m-2.
Thus there is a net power gain. Temperature of
Earth will increase over time.

An empty aquarium has 3 kg of water added each second, and 5%

of the total water removed each second.
64. Create a spreadsheet (or do calculations by hand) to determine
what the mass will be when the aquarium reaches equilibrium.
0.05×W = 3 → W = 60 kg. Thus, when there are 60 kg in the
aquarium, 3 kg will be removed each time it is added. The
equilibrium mass will then be 57 kg.