Fossil FuelsBy Andrea Wakeland

Overview

• Fossil fuels are non-renewable sources of energy.• Include coal, oil and natural gas.• Found in deposits left by plants and

animals up to 300 million years ago.

History of Fossil Fuels

• The creation of fossil fuels• Plants and animals die and decompose• Accumulated at bottom of ocean• Transformed into fossil fuels due to

pressure, heat and time.

Widespread use of Fossil Fuels• In US today, energy

use dominated by the fossil energy from petroleum, coal and natural gas.• Amount of

recoverable oil less than the amount of oil already produced

Energy Density of Fossil Fuels

• The energy per unit volume is a useful parameter for fossil fuels.• The primary energy sources in the US (coal, gas

and petroleum) have low energy densities.• Lower energy densities are harder to transport

because you need a larger volume to get a sufficient amount of energy.• Amount of energy per time is divided by the

energy per unit volume times the efficiency of the power station which is equal to the volume of fuel consumed per unit time.

Transportation and Storage• Costs more to store

and transport a larger volume of fuel• Higher density fuels

cost less to transport and store.• Lower density fuels

cost more to transport and store.

Combustion Energy 10-50%

Gas Turbine up to 40%

Gas Turbine plus steam turbine up to 60%

Water Turbine up to 90%

Energy Conversion Efficiency Examples

Environmental Problems• Habitation around

extraction area usually destroyed• Accidents happen

frequently• Usage of fossil fuel

pollutes the air• Greenhouse effect

accelerates

References• Chughtai, Osman, and David Shannon. "Fossil

Fuels." University of Michigan. Web. 05 Oct. 2010. <http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/fossilfuels.htm>.

• "Fossil Energy." APS Physics . Web. 05 Oct. 2010. <http://www.aps.org/policy/reports/popa-reports/energy/fossil.cfm>.

• Wikipedia articles: Conversion efficiency and Fossil Fuel Power Station