Nonrenewable Fuels

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Nonrenewable Fuels

• Oil
• Natural Gas
• Coal
• Nuclear

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Origin of Oil and Natural Gas

• Marine microorganisms
• Rapid burial before organic matter completely
  decays
• Heat and pressure crack molecules
• Takes at least 1-2 million years

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Migration of petroleum products

• Oil and gas are generally less dense than
  surrounding rocks
• Migrate through porous materials
• Becomes trapped by impermeable materials

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Supply and Demand

• Proven reserves
• What we know we have
• Production
• How much we bring to market
• Consumption
• How much we use

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The future of petroleum

• Enhanced oil recovery
• Methane hydrates
• Conservation
• Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (US)
• More offshore oil drilling (US)

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Predicted Oil Production(from M. King Hubbert,
1971)
Are we past the peak? Only 50 more years of
supply?
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Formation of Coal

• Swampy environments on land
• Land plants appeared about 400 million years ago
• Anaerobic conditions
• Burial
• Heat and pressure

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Coal fields in the United States
Brown lignite Red
bituminous Gold sub-bituminous
Black anthracite
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Projected world coal production ( from M. King
Hubbert (1971)
Not yet past the peak. About 500 years of supply.
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Nuclear power

• Splitting of atoms produces heat
• U-235 primary fuel in power plants
• Uranium and plutonium used in weapons
• Reactors use heat to produce steam
• Steam turns turbine which is connected to a
  generator

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Spent Fuel Storage
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Nuclear accidents of note

• Three Mile Island (1979)
• Chernobyl (1986)
• Fukushima (2011)

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Uses and Limitations Environmental and
Societal Impacts

• Petroleum (oil, natural gas in particular)
• Coal
• Nuclear