egr 1301 introduction to engineering alternate energy sources copyright baylor university 2010

EGR 1301Introduction to Engineering

Alternate Energy Sources

Copyright Baylor University 2010

Introduction

Units Mtoe = Million Tonnes of Oil Equivalent Tonne = metric ton = 1000 kg = 1 Megagram (Mg) Mtoe = amount of energy released by burning 1 Mg of oil 1 Mtoe ≈ 41,868 TJ ≈ 11,630 GWh

Scale Typical house uses 800-1000 kWh per month Or approximately 12 MWh per year Equals 0.012 GWh So 1 Mtoe supplies ≈ 970,000 homes for 1 year

2Copyright Baylor University 2010

U.S. Residential Energy Consumption by Region


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_States

2000-2005, per year, in kWh

Global Energy Production by Fuel Type


2010 Key World Energy Statistics, http://www.iea.org/index_info.asp?id=1507

*Other includes geothermal, solar, wind, heat, etc.

12,267 Mtoe= 142,665 TWh

Global Energy Production by Fuel Type



Global Electricity Generation by Fuel Type



**Other includes geothermal, solar, wind, combustible renewables and waste, and heat.

20,181 TWh= 1,735 Mtoe= 14% of prod.

Renewables= 18.7%

Renewable Energy Electricity Generation


http://www.ren21.net/Portals/97/documents/GSR/REN21_GSR_2010_full_revised%20Sept2010.pdf

75.0%

13.0%

4.9%

4.4% 1.7%0.9%0.1%0.0%

Renewable Electric Power Capacity, 2009

Large HydroWindSmall HydroBiomassSolar PVGeothermalCSPOcean

Global Electricity Generation by Fuel Type



World Energy Consumption Forecast


http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/highlights.html

Copyright Baylor University 2010 10

Hubbert Peak Theory

M. King Hubbert’s 1956 prediction of petroleum production rates.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubbert_peak_theory

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Hubbert_peak_oil_plot.svg

Remaining Oil Breakdown


ZJ = Zettajoule = 1021 joules

Annual oil consumption was 0.18 ZJ in 2005.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_resources_and_consumption#cite_note-Renewables2006-2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Remaining_oil.svg


Alternative Energy Sources

Alternative energy refers to any type of energy which is not derived from fossil fuels.

Significant alternative energy sources: Bioenergy Nuclear Solar Wind Geothermal Hydroelectric Ocean Current H2 Fuel Cells


Combustible Renewables

Bio-energy refers to any type of energy derived from bio-mass. Bio-energy energy derived from the Sun which is stored within biomass Biomass includes:

Agriculture and forest wastes Public wastes Animal wastes

Bio-energy is considered a renewable energy because its production and use operate in a cycle.

http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/papers/misc/bioenergy_cycle.html


Energy Crops

Energy crops are bioengineered to grow bigger and faster than regular crops making them useless for any other type of application.

http://www.nrel.gov/data/pix/Jpegs/10470.jpg

http://www.nrel.gov/data/pix/Jpegs/12672.jpg

Energy crops include plants, trees and other vegetation which are processed for energy.


Other Biomass

Agriculture and forest waste may be used to create fuels instead of allowing to it decompose.

Public wastes that can be used as biomass include paper, trimmed grass, landfill gas, etc.

Animal wastes, obtained mainly from farm animals, can be used for bio-energy production. In some remote locations it is used as a cooking fuel.

All of these different forms of bio-mass may be used for electric energy production.

http://www.repp.org/bioenergy/link4.htm


Bio-Energy Conversion

Biomass may be used traditionally to produce heat which can provide heating and cooking energy.

Alternatively, biomass can be transformed into liquid fuels such as ethanol, bio-diesel, and methanol.

These liquid fuels may be used in conjunction with other fuels to create a high-energy-content fuels.

These liquid fuels produce lower levels of pollutants than traditional fossil fuels.

http://www.repp.org/bioenergy/link3.htm


Bio-Energy’s Future

Future plans involving bio-energy include drilling into landfills and capturing methane instead of letting it escape to the atmosphere.

Advantages• Good way of recycling

waste.• May be less expensive than

energy derived from fossil fuels.

• Positive impact on environment.

Disadvantages• Hard to keep a huge

amount of waste at all time.• Release and burning of

methane causes greenhouse gases.

• Without proper management bio-energy plants can pollute the environment.


Nuclear Energy Production

http://www.greendiary.com/images/nuclear_power_plant5.jpg

http://www.greendiary.com/images/nuclear_power_plant5.jpg


Nuclear Power Plants Worldwide

From: http://www.solcomhouse.com/nuclear.htm


Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)

http://www.solcomhouse.com/nuclear.htm

The primary-loop water passed through heat exchangers which transfers heat from the water in the primary loop to the water in the secondary loop which boils creating steam which powers turbine generators.

Nuclear Fusion



http://www.pppl.gov/news/pics/tftr_1989_print.jpg

Experimental Tokamak Fusion Reactor


Nuclear Power’s Future

Future development of nuclear technology will involve releasing energy through fusion instead of fission.

In fusion two nuclei would be joined to create a heavier one. Although it is already possible, it takes more energy than is released.

Advantages

1. More efficient than traditional fossil fuels.

2. Does not contribute to greenhouse effect.

3. Produces a small amount of waste.

Disadvantages

1. Waste is extremely dangerous.

2. Accidents can be catastrophic

3. Can be used to create nuclear weapons.

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectric power is obtained from the potential energy of water turning a turbine which in turn powers a generator.

In order to construct a hydroelectric plant a large dam with a big change of elevation must first be constructed on a large river.

http://newenergydirection.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/three_gorges_dam.jpg

Hydroelectric Power Generation

Hydroelectric power is the most widely used form of renewable energy providing close to 10% of the U.S. energy needs.

The basic function of a hydroelectric power is to build enough water pressure in a water dam and then release it into turbine chambers

which would then power electric generators.

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html

Hydroelectric Power Generation

Future developments using hydropower involve using the ocean’s currents to power underwater turbines.

Strangford Lough axial turbine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rance_tidal_power_plant.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Rance_tidal_power_plant.JPG

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SeaGen_installed.jpg

Hydroelectric Power’s Future

Advantages

1. Water is free whereas fossil fuels are costly

2. It produces a minimal amount of pollution

3. Dams can be additionally used to store water for irrigation and flood prevention

Disadvantages

1. In times of draught electricity production is limited

2. Plant construction usually requires the relocation of many people

3. Fish ecosystems are affected at times preventing their reproduction

Thermal Energy Production

Geothermal Power Plant

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/electric_power/images/geothermal.jpg

Geothermal Energy Geothermal energy may be acquired for either direct use such as

heating buildings or for indirect use such as electricity generation Geothermal power plants gather the energy by tapping into geothermal

reservoirs which are basically underground pressurized water reservoirs heated by the earth’s heat

http://geothermal.marin.org/GEOpresentation/sld037.htm

•Currently there are three methods of obtaining energy from the geothermal reservoirs: Dry Steam, Flash Steam, and Binary Cycle.

•Geothermal power plants produce a little over 2,800 MW.

Geothermal Energy’s Future

Future developments in geothermal energy involve drilling as near as possible to the earth’s core and running man-made water ducts to produce a regenerative steam cycle

Pros and cons of geothermal energy

Advantages• Virtually pollution free• Power plants are small and so

cause little environment changes• It can operate reliably at all times

unless heat runs out

Disadvantages• Only available in locations

with geothermal reservoirs• In one case, cool water

injection into a reservoir has caused a small earthquake

• Poisonous gases may be released into the air

Solar Energy

This type of energy is derived from the sun’s rays and used either directly or indirectly

An example of an indirect way of using solar energy is through a reflective mirror used to boil water such as the one in California’s Mojave desert.

An example of a direct way of using solar energy is through the use of solar cells which collect solar energy and convert it to electrical energy.

Solar Energy

Most of the work done with solar energies involves powering households but experimentation with it involves solar powered cars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Solar_land_area.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nuna3atZandvoort1.JPG

Solar energy is usually reserved for areas of high concentration of sunlight specifically for those along the equator.

Solar Energy

The average solar panel is about 15% efficient. In the U.S, the average power of the sun’s rays lies

between 125 W/m2 to 375 W/m2. About 90% of the consumed solar energy was used for

heating while the remaining 10% was used for electricity production in 2004.

In 2004, solar energy contributed 0.018% of the total electric energy production.

The world’s largest solar power plant is in the Mojave desert. By using 1000 acres of solar reflectors it is able to produce 90% of the world’s commercial solar power.

Space Solar Power

One alternative for solar power production is to launch the solar power arrays into space, where the Sun’s rays are not diminished by the atmosphere. The energy produced by the arrays can be transmitted back to Earth in the form of microwaves.


Solar Energy’s Future

Advantages• Pollution free• Requires little maintenance• Technology is becoming

relatively cheap

Disadvantages• Can only be used in some

areas• Can not be used at night or on

very cloudy days• Energy is dissipated through

conversion by solar panels

Ongoing experimentation with solar energy involves setting up solar panels in orbit and then beaming down the energy into a receiver on the ground

Wind Energy

Wind can be harnessed to provide either electrical or mechanical energy.

Mechanically it may be used to sail a sailboat, to pump water, or to power a mill.

Recently the goal has been to harness electrical energy from the wind via fans that drive generators.

1. from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Windpump8414.JPG

2. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Freiheitu.jpg

Wind Power Generation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:DanishWindTurbines.jpg

Wind energy is among the most environmentally safe alternative energy sources with virtually no pollution.

Decreasing costs of maintenance have made wind power more affordable and new fan shapes have increased efficiency.

Wind Energy’s Future

Advantages• Pollution free and

environmentally safe.• Wind is not a resource that

will run out.• Wind energy is one of the

lowest priced technologies• Receives many government

incentives.

Disadvantages• Can only be used in windy

areas.• Require a big initial

investment.• Wind farms are located in very

remote areas.• To provide equal amount of

power as a hydroelectric plant would require a 200 mile wind farm.

http://www.skywindpower.com/ww/index.htm

Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Hydrogen fuel cells are a modern alternative to combustion and fossil fuels.

In this type of alternative energy, electricity is produced through the chemical energy of hydrogen.

Although it may be used as stationary power, hydrogen fuel cell technology is geared more towards portable and transportation technologies .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Fuel_cell_NASA_p48600ac.jpg

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Stack

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Toyota_FCHV.jpg

Hydrogen Powered Car

Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Both hydrogen and oxygen are inserted into a fuel cell which produces an electric current. If pure hydrogen is used only heat and water will be dissipated from the fuel cell, thus eliminating the concern of any

harmful pollutants.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell

The required components of the common hydrogen fuel cell are: Hydrogen – Most abundant

element in the universe Oxygen Polymer Electrolyte

Membrane (PEM) Positive and negative

electrode catalysts Flow Plates

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/fc_animation_text.html

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/fc_animation_components.html

Fuel Cell Technology’s Future

Each individual fuel cell is able to produce about 1.16V. In order for this technology to be of use fuel cells are

connected in series to form a fuel cell stack.

Advantages• More efficient than gas

combustion• Produce virtually no pollution• Reduced greenhouse gas

emissions• Hydrogen is the most abundant

element in the universe

Disadvantages• Current H2 extraction causes

too much pollution• Hydrogen extraction is very

expensive• Hydrogen is extremely

volatile

Other Energy Technologies

LEDs Require very little power Expensive Very directional

Uses: Lighting

Industrial Residential

Infrared


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LED,_5mm,_green_(en).svg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/LED,_5mm,_green_(en).svg

Other Energy Technologies

Superconductors Essentially zero electrical resistance Can act like electromagnet with no voltage supply Requires lots of energy to cool

Uses: Electric power transmission

Zero resistance -> zero energy loss Medical imaging (MRI) Transportation (magnetic levitation) Energy storage Particle accelerators Quantum computing


Material Type Tc(K)

Zinc metal 0.88

Aluminum metal 1.19

Tin metal 3.72

Mercury metal 4.15

YBa2Cu3O7 ceramic 90

TlBaCaCuO ceramic 125

egr 1301 introduction to engineering alternate energy sources copyright baylor university 2010

Documents

bioenergy energy

type of energy

energy crops energy

global energy production

residential energy consumption

key world energy statistics

theory slide

kwh slide