Energy Physical, Environmental, and Social Impact

by Aubrecht, Gordon J.

• ISBN13: 9780130932228
• ISBN10: 0130932221
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2020-02-26
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

This book focuses on energy needs, trends, and long-term prospects and resource supplies. It discusses the physics of energy, atoms, nuclei, thermal energy, solar energy, alternative energy, and the consequences of energy production. For physicists, geologists, and geographers, or anyone who wants a better understanding of the production, consumption, and conservation of energy.

Author Biography

Gordon Aubrecht is Professor of Physics at The Ohio State University at Marion. He has been a university professor for more than 25 years and has taught well over 200 undergraduate and graduate courses during his career.

Gordon received his undergraduate degree in physics from Rutgers University. He did his doctoral work in theoretical particle physics at Princeton University, and did post docs at Ohio State and the University of Oregon. He was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, and spent two years on leave at the University of Maryland and the American Association of Physics Teachers.

His research (outside of energy issues) focuses on the understanding of physics by students using the tools of physics education research. He has published over 50 articles on his research in refereed journals and has made many contributions to books and encyclopedias. In addition to Energy, he is author or co-author of about a dozen other books, including Doing Physics with Spreadsheets (Prentice Hall, 2000), and The Charm of Strange Quarks (New York: Springer-Verlag, 2001).

Gordon is a long-time member of many organizations, including the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association of University Professors, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi.

Gordon served as the scribe of the Citizens Advisory Council of the Utility Radiological Safety Board of Ohio until 2001. He is secretary of the InterAmerican Council on Physics Education, an organization dedicated to improving communication among physics teachers in the Americas. He is secretary of IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 14. He is a founding member and current chair of the Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP). He has run almost four dozen local, national, and international workshops for high school and college teachers.

Gordon is the recipient of numerous awards, including: the AAPT's Distinguished Service Citation (1996); Southern Ohio Section (AAPT)'s prestigious John B. Hart Award for distinguished service (2002); the Howard N. Maxwell Award for Distinguished Service by the Ohio Section, American Physical Society (2004); the Association for University Regional Campuses in Ohio (AURCO) Distinguished Service Award (2004); and the Ohio State Chapter of the American Association of University Professors Louis Nemzer Award for defending the principles of academic freedom against all challenges (2004).

For many years, until its demise, Gordon had been a board member of the Delaware Recyclers, a nonprofit recycling organization in Delaware. He served six terms as president of that organization. As a result of his devoted work with the Recyclers, he was given the Lifetime Commitment to Recycling award by Keep Delaware County Beautiful in 1998.

Gordon resides in Delaware (Ohio) with his wife Michelle and their daughters, Katarina and Taryn.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
About the Author	xvi
Introduction	xvii
Overview	xix
PART 1 INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY	1	(46)
Energy and the Environment: Science, Technology, and Limits	2	(14)
Energy in History	2	(2)
Tanstaafl	4	(7)
The Tragedy of the Commons	11	(5)
Summary	13	(1)
Problems and Questions	13	(3)
The Necessity of a Finite World Population	16	(10)
Mass is Limited On Earth	16	(3)
Energy Limits on World Population	19	(7)
Summary	23	(1)
Problems and Questions	23	(3)
Work, Energy, and Power	26	(21)
Basics of Motion: Speed, Velocity, and Acceleration	27	(2)
Force and Motion	29	(4)
Work	33	(2)
Energy and Energy Transformations	35	(3)
Friction and Thermal Energy	38	(1)
Conservation of Energy	38	(3)
Power	41	(6)
Summary	43	(1)
Problems and Questions	43	(4)
PART 2 ELECTRICITY GENERATION AND TRANSMISSION	47	(38)
Electricity	48	(18)
Electrical Charge	49	(4)
Current and Circuits	53	(3)
Magnetism	56	(7)
Summary	63	(1)
Problems and Questions	63	(3)
Consumption of Energy: Projections and Exponential Growth	66	(19)
Making Projections	68	(6)
Making the Actual Electric Consumption Projections	74	(11)
Summary	81	(1)
Problems and Questions	81	(4)
PART 3 THERMAL ASPECTS OF ENERGY GENERATION	85	(86)
Atoms and Chemical Energy	86	(16)
Properties of Atoms	87	(4)
Chemical Combination of Atoms	91	(6)
Lemon Power or the Battery	97	(1)
Fuel Cells	98	(4)
Summary	99	(1)
Problems and Questions	99	(3)
Efficiency of Energy Generation and Thermodynamics	102	(20)
Introduction to Thermodynamics	102	(2)
First Law of Thermodynamics	104	(3)
Heat Transfer	107	(2)
The Second Law of Thermodynamics	109	(3)
Maximum Thermodynamic Efficiency of a System	112	(4)
Second-Law Efficiencies	116	(6)
Summary	119	(1)
Problems and Questions	120	(2)
Production and Distribution of Electricity	122	(22)
Energy End Use and Energy Sectors	122	(1)
Evolution of the Utilities	123	(5)
The Mix of Generating Facilities	128	(7)
Energy Use by Appliances and the Phenomenon of Saturation	135	(3)
Transportation of Electricity	138	(6)
Summary	140	(1)
Problems and Questions	141	(3)
Conservation: An Important Energy Resource	144	(27)
How ``Conservation'' Differs from ``Conservation of Energy''	144	(2)
Savings in Illumination	146	(2)
Savings in Appliances	148	(1)
Savings in Space Heating and Air Conditioning	149	(5)
Active and Passive Solar Energy and Conservation	154	(5)
Saving Energy in Home Heating and Cooling	159	(5)
Commercial and Industrial Energy Conservation	164	(7)
Summary	168	(1)
Problems and Questions	168	(3)
PART 4 MATERIAL RESOURCES	171	(42)
Mineral Resources	172	(17)
The Source of Minerals	173	(5)
Mineral Supply Adequacy	178	(5)
Estimating Resources	183	(6)
Summary	186	(1)
Problems and Questions	187	(2)
Recycling and Reuse	189	(24)
The Throwaway Society	189	(2)
Energy in Industry and Industrial Wastes	191	(13)
Handling Waste	204	(2)
Capital Costs versus Operating Expenses	206	(1)
Addressing Bottle and Can Litter---Recycling, Refillables, and Bottle Bills	207	(6)
Summary	211	(1)
Problems and Questions	211	(2)
PART 5 FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY RESOURCES AND CONSEQUENCES	213	(170)
Fossil-Fuel Resources	214	(31)
History	214	(8)
Oil and the Prediction of Depletable Resources	222	(6)
Is There Such a Thing as Energy Independence?	228	(4)
Natural Gas	232	(3)
Coal	235	(10)
Summary	242	(1)
Problems and Questions	243	(2)
Environmental Effects of Utility Generating Facilities	245	(17)
Generating Energy	245	(3)
Effects of Waste Heat on Aquatic Systems	248	(1)
Disposing of Waste Heat	249	(2)
Water and Politics	251	(3)
Considerations in Building a Power Plant	254	(3)
Water Quality	257	(1)
Water and Energy in Semi-Arid Regions	258	(4)
Summary	259	(1)
Problems and Questions	260	(2)
Pollution from Fossil Fuels	262	(34)
The Atmosphere	262	(1)
Air in Urban Environments	263	(8)
Health Effects of Pollution	271	(12)
Acid Rain	283	(2)
The pH Scale and Acid Rain	285	(11)
Summary	293	(1)
Problems and Questions	293	(3)
Moving Down the Road	296	(34)
The Transportation System	296	(8)
The Automobile	304	(5)
Pollution from Cars	309	(10)
Possible Economies of Various Modes of Transporation	319	(11)
Summary	326	(1)
Problems and Questions	327	(3)
Weather and Climate	330	(20)
Earth's Original Atmosphere	330	(1)
Weather	331	(7)
Our Climate	338	(2)
Causes of Long-Term Climate Change	340	(10)
Summary	347	(1)
Problems and Questions	348	(2)
Climate Change and Human Activity	350	(33)
The Tenuous Nature of the Present Climate	350	(1)
Heinrich Events and Dansgaard-Oeschger Cycles	351	(1)
Historical Evidence for Anthropogenic Climate Change	352	(3)
Carbon Dioxide and the Greenhouse Effect	355	(17)
Effects of Temperature Changes from Increased CO2 Levels	372	(5)
Minimizing the Impact of the Greenhouse Warming	377	(6)
Summary	380	(1)
Problems and Questions	381	(2)
PART 6 NUCLEAR ENERGY RESOURCES AND CONSEQUENCES	383	(70)
Nuclear Reactions	384	(19)
The Nucleus	384	(7)
Fission	391	(6)
Nuclear Fusion	397	(6)
Summary	400	(1)
Problems and Questions	401	(2)
Energy from Nuclear Reactors	403	(21)
The Fission Process in Reactors	404	(2)
Conventional Reactor Types	406	(6)
Breeder Reactors	412	(1)
Nuclear Fusion and Plasmas	413	(11)
Summary	421	(1)
Problems and Questions	421	(3)
Safety and Nuclear Energy	424	(29)
Public Mistrust of Nuclear Energy	425	(1)
Catastrophic Accident	425	(7)
The Three Mile Island Accident	432	(3)
Chernobyl	435	(3)
Health Effects of Ionizing Radiation	438	(9)
Dealing with Waste from Nuclear Energy	447	(2)
Risks Relative to Other Methods of Generating Energy	449	(4)
Summary	450	(1)
Problems and Questions	451	(2)
PART 7 SOLAR ENERGY AND ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESOURCES AND CONSEQUENCES	453	(98)
Solar Energy: Wind, Photovoltaics, and Large-Scale Installations	454	(21)
Uses of Solar Energy Reaching Earth	454	(1)
Electromagnetic Waves	455	(5)
Utilizing Renewable Energy	460	(8)
Large-Scale Solar Energy Projects	468	(7)
Summary	472	(1)
Problems and Questions	473	(2)
Solar Energy and Water	475	(16)
Energy from Water on Land	475	(7)
Ocean Energy	482	(5)
Mixing of Fresh and Salt Water	487	(4)
Summary	489	(1)
Problems and Questions	489	(2)
Biomass Energy	491	(18)
Solar Window	492	(1)
Photosynthesis	492	(2)
Biomass for Fuel	494	(8)
New Resources from Biomass	502	(7)
Summary	506	(1)
Problems and Questions	507	(2)
The Energy Cost of Agriculture---A Case Study	509	(19)
Traditional Agriculture	509	(2)
Agriculture in North America---Three Revolutions	511	(8)
Farms and Energy Efficiency of the Agricultural System	519	(4)
Could North American Agriculture Succeed Elsewhere?	523	(1)
Monoculture versus Diversity---Stability and Productivity	523	(2)
Present and Future	525	(3)
Summary	525	(1)
Problems and Questions	526	(2)
Energy Storage and Energy Alternatives	528	(23)
Managing Load Using Energy Storage	528	(8)
Novel Energy Alternatives	536	(3)
Proven Energy Alternatives	539	(4)
An Alternative Energy Distribution System?	543	(8)
Summary	547	(1)
Problems and Questions	547	(4)
PART 8 TOCSIN	551	(21)
Tocsin	552	(20)
The First Peal of the Bell: Blinding Ourselves to what Actually Is	552	(1)
The Second Peal of the Bell: Need for Population Control	553	(1)
The Third Peal of the Bell: Humanity's Ecological Footprint	554	(2)
The Fourth Peal of the Bell: Need for Renewable Sources of Energy	556	(1)
The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Peals of the Bell: Interconnections Cannot be Ignored	557	(3)
The Eighth Peal of the Bell: Toxic Waste versus People	560	(1)
The Ninth Peal of the Bell: Risks (and Benefits)	561	(5)
Prospects for the Future: Stopping the Tolling of the TOCSIN?	566	(6)
Summary	569	(1)
Problems and Questions	569	(3)
Appendix 1 Scientific Notation	572	(7)
Appendix 2 Logarithms	579	(5)
Appendix 3 Understanding Tabular Data	584	(6)
Appendix 4 Vector Addition	590	(3)
References	593	(70)
Index	663

Excerpts

This book originally grew out of a course I taught at the University 1974 and 1975, just after the first of the "energy crises" wakened interest in the topic. The course was one quarter long and was one of a series of "minicourses" instituted in the physics department because of student desire for relevance. Preparation for the course was difficult because of the wildly diverse group of students who enrolled. I decided at the outset that I would not be apologetic about introducing the physics needed for the ensuing discussions. The ability to sift through data, winnow the salient features, and act upon that basis was something I tried to emphasize throughout the course. A few of the problems were discussed in some detail in response to specific student interest; for example, the material on insulation and lighting was originally incorporated because of interest expressed by a group of architecture students taking the course. At the Ohio State University, I was involved in another physics course, Physics 100.02, which was generated in the early 1970s in response to the same pressures that led to Physics 114 at the University of Oregon. This course got me more involved in the experimental and phenomenological details of matters pertaining to energy. Many of these insights were incorporated in subsequent drafts of the book. These courses focused in part on the moral dilemmas facing our technological society in its quest for some control of its own destiny. The lack of sensitivity to moral issues is embarrassingly present all around us. When moral issues are embedded in technological and economic decisions, even people of obvious good will are inclined to leave things to the "experts." These experts may encourage others in this; only they know the full facts of the matter, they say. The issues are too complex to allow free and open discussion, they say. We know best, they say. It is undeniable that experts do know a great deal about "current" technology. The problem is that many of these experts tend automatically to favor the status quo, and may foreclose options just because "it isn''t done that way." Involved and informed outsiders can force people to reexamine their preconceptions. People are so much creatures of habit that this process can be extremely uncomfortable. Responsible societal decisions cannot be made without broad involvement. If people remain willfully ignorant, politicians may decide these things, and politicians are as woefully uninformed as the rest of the citizenry. Knowledgeable citizens must be able to make their knowledge relevant and lead politicians to adopt responsible answers. This has happened in our past. The Clean Air and Clean Water acts of the 1970s came in response to concerned citizen involvement. It is simply not true that laymen cannot grasp the issues or the technology involved in matters of social interest. In this book I attempt to inform people in a fashion that will allow them to use their good sense when they approach such questions as the application of technology to agriculture. We must have citizens who are not willing to "leave things to the experts." If our children were cold, we would wish to keep them warm. If we ever thought about it, we would wish the same for our grandchildren and great grandchildren. The responsibility for their well-being and for the equitable distribution of resources between present and future--for example, for their access to the dowry of the last several hundred million years of stored solar energy (coal and oil underground)--rests clearly with all of us at the present time. The purpose of this book is to give the reader some understanding of the important decisions which must be made soon; of the tradeoffs between risks and benefits as well as we are able to define them; of the consequent social and political choices; of the role the reader, as an informed citizen, is able to play. Choices will have to be made. There are no free lunches. I have attempted to indicate in the text where my own value judgments have intruded. I have attempted to tell the story in a balanced way, and to present a lot of data in graphs and tables. I hope there is enough information given to allow the reader to decide which issues are important for the future. Hard decisions are looming and they will be made either in full knowledge of the issues involved or by default. My prayer is that we take the former course. For the teacher:These issues must involve your value system; they cannot be addressed in a moral vacuum. Level with your students. Let them know where you stand. For the student: Question, question, question!Question my values as presented here, your teacher''s as given in class, and most of all, your own. REFERENCES Why the explicit references?The reader cannot fail to notice the explicit references to the popular and scientific literature in the book. There are about 5300 separate references in the book. I have included all these references for important reasons. First, they serve to indicate that there has been a discussion on the topic in the scientific community that bears on its credibility. Second, they provide resources for the interested teacher and student; they are a springboard to further knowledge. Third, they provide a teacher the opportunity to ask the students to research a particular topic with the knowledge that the student has good resources to turn to. In recent years, my students have turned to the internet to "research" their term papers, yet much "information" on the internet is incorrect. The cited references send them into the internet armed with some specific comparisons, and ensure their further work is based on knowledge of what the scientific community has done so far. There are a very few references to pre-1960s literature to provide the reader access to the history of development of a few important ideas. I think it amazing how prescient these scientists were so many years ago. While most of the literature on energy is recent, there are really important ideas that have changed the worldview of physicists, and the general public, that benefits from the technology developed as a result of that advance. The popular literature references are important because most public libraries (and all university libraries) have archived microfilm versions of the large-city newspapers, especially the New York Times,the Washington Post,the Chicago Tribune,and the Los Angeles Times,all national in scope. They also cover politics, which is inextricably mixed with questions of energy policy. Some students cannot read Scientific Americanor actual scientific journals with great comprehension because of lack of practice. Even if no journals are available to the reader, these library popular literature resources should be available locally. The scientific literature is cited because of the tendency of many people to speak in generalities and misrepresent their knowledge of a particular subject. Contained within the vast scientific literature of energy is information that can lead the informed citizen to ask pointed questions. Having a broad base of knowledge support available is also a way to prevent oneself from becoming trapped into a mistaken point of view, and I have tried to provide the relevant documents so the reader will be able to draw on this support. WHAT''S NEW IN THIS EDITION? Currency The current edition is as up-to-date as I can make it. In most cases, I chose to use year 2000 dollars as the monetary standard. I have studied the trends carefully and the political and social aspects of energy are also as current as I can make them. I have highlighted a few important aspects of the chapter topics with boxes that expand on them with the themes A Closer Look, Applications, Ca