Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Ch 16 and 17 vocabulary
APES
20
Environmental Studies
12th Grade
02/15/2017

Additional Environmental Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
active solar heating system
Definition
System that uses solar collectors to capture energy from the sun and store it as heat for space heating and water heating. Liquid or air pumped through the collectors transfers the captured heat to a storage system such as an insulated water tank or rock bed. Pumps or fans then distribute the stored heat or hot water throughout a dwelling as needed.
Term
biofuel
Definition
Gas or liquid fuel (such as ethyl alcohol) made from plant material (biomass).
Term
breeder nuclear fission reactor
Definition
Nuclear fission reactor that produces more nuclear fuel than it consumes by converting nonfissionable uranium-238 into fissionable plutonium-239.
Term
cogeneration
Definition
Production of two useful forms of energy, such as high-temperature heat or steam and electricity, from the same fuel source.
Term
energy conservation
Definition
Reducing or eliminating the unnecessary waste of energy.
Term
energy efficiency
Definition
Percentage of the total energy input that does useful work and is not converted into low-quality, usually useless heat in an energy conversion system or process.
Term
fissionable isotope
Definition
Isotope that can split apart when hit by a neutron at the right speed and thus undergo nuclear fission. Examples are uranium-235 and plutonium-239.
Term
geothermal energy
Definition
Heat transferred from the earth's underground concentrations of dry steam (steam with no water droplets), wet steam (a mixture of steam and water droplets), or hot water trapped in fractured or porous rock.
Term
hydroelectric power plant
Definition
Structure in which the energy of falling or flowing water spins a turbine generator to produce electricity.
Term
kilowatt (kW)
Definition
Unit of electrical power equal to 1,000 watts.
Term
life-cycle cost
Definition
Initial cost plus lifetime operating costs of an economic good.
Term
meltdown
Definition
The melting of the core of a nuclear reactor.
Term
nuclear fission
Definition
Nuclear change in which the nuclei of certain isotopes with large mass numbers (such as uranium-235 and plutonium-239) are split apart into lighter nuclei when struck by a neutron. This process releases more neutrons and a large amount of energy.
Term
nuclear fusion
Definition
Nuclear change in which two nuclei of isotopes of elements with a low mass number (such as hydrogen-2 and hydrogen-3) are forced together at extremely high temperatures until they fuse to form a heavier nucleus (such as helium-4). This process releases a large amount of energy.
Term
passive solar heating system
Definition
System that captures sunlight directly within a structure and converts it into low-temperature heat for space heating or for heating water for domestic use without the use of mechanical devices.
Term
photovoltaic cell (solar cell)
Definition
Device that converts radiant (solar) energy directly into electrical energy.
Term
radioactive waste
Definition
Waste products of nuclear power plants, research, medicine, weapon production, or other processes involving nuclear reactions. See radioactivity.
Term
solar collector
Definition
Device for collecting radiant energy from the sun and converting it into heat.
Term
watt
Definition
Unit of power, or rate at which electrical work is done.
Term
wind farm
Definition
Cluster of small to medium-sized wind turbines in a windy area to capture wind energy and convert it into electrical energy.
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