ENERGY PROGRAM NEWSLETTER
CONTACT
Energy Program Inquiries
|
|
|
Energy Glossary
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L,M, N, 0, P - Q, R, S, T - U,V,W,X,Z
A |
aquifer
Layer of underground
sand, gravel, or permeable rock in which water collects. Aquifers may
lie close to the surface or at great depths. Aquifers can be hundreds
of miles long and wide or narrow, shallow veins running through rock.
Anthracite
The highest rank of coal; used primarily for residential and commercial
space heating. It is a hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often
referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of fixed carbon
and a low percentage of volatile matter.
|
B |
bituminous coal
Middle rank coal (between subbituminous and anthracite) formed by additional
pressure and heat on lignite. Usually has a high Btu value and may be
referred to as "soft coal."
Btu (British
thermal unit)
The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water
by 1 degree fahrenheit. The Btu is a convenient measure by which to
compare the energy content of various fuels.
Top of Page |
C |
Cambrian
A period in the geologic time scale that spans from 570 to 505 million
years ago.
carbon
A chemical element found in all living things.
carbon dioxide
(CO2)
A colorless, odorless, incombustible gas formed during combustion in
fossil-fuel electric generation plants.
cleat
The vertical cleavage of coal seams. The main set of joints along which
coal breaks when mined.
coal
A readily combustible black or brownish-black rock whose composition,
including inherent moisture, consists of more than 50 percent by weight
and more than 70 percent by volume of carbonaceous material. It is formed
from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered,
and metamorphosed by heat and pressure over geologic time.
coke (coal)
A solid carbonaceous residue derived from low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous
coal from which the volatile constituents are driven off by baking in
an oven at temperatures as high as 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit so that
the fixed carbon and residual ash are fused together. Coke is used as
a fuel and as a reducing agent in smelting iron ore in a blast furnace.
Coke from coal is grey, hard, and porous and has a heating value of
24.8 million Btu per short ton.
coke (petroleum)
A residue high in carbon content and low in hydrogen that is the final
product of thermal decomposition in the condensation process in cracking.
This product is reported as marketable coke or catalyst coke. The conversion
is 5 barrels (of 42 U.S. gallons each) per short ton. Coke from petroleum
has a heating value of 6.024 million Btu per barrel.
Top of Page |
D |
deposit
Mineral deposit or ore deposit is used to designate a natural occurrence
of a useful mineral, or an ore, in sufficient extent and degree of concentration
to invite exploitation.
drainage
The process of removing surplus ground or surface water either by artificial
means or by gravity flow.
Top of Page |
E |
|
F |
fossil
The remains of a plant or animal that lived long ago. Fossils are found
in sedimentary rocks.
fossil
fuel
A substance found in the layers of the Earth that can be burned and
is formed by the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of
years ago. Oil, natural gas, peat, and coal are fossil fuels.
Top of Page |
G |
geology
The scientific study of the origin, history, behavior, and structure
of the Earth.
global warming
An increase in the average temperature of the Earth's surface, which
occurs following an increase in greenhouse gases.
greenhouse
effect
A complex natural process that takes place when gases in the Earth's
atmosphere, including water vapor, allow heat energy from the Sun to
pass through to the land and oceans. Heat energy radiating from the
Earth's surface is absorbed by atmospheric gases, known as greenhouse
gases, and is re-radiated back to Earth instead of escaping into space.
This natural process may be affected by human activities, such as emitting
large quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
greenhouse
gases
Gases that absorb heat re-radiated from the surface of the Earth. The
greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane,
nitrous oxide, ozone, and water vapor.
Top of Page |
H |
hydrate
A compound formed by the union of water with some other substance.
Top of Page |
I |
|
J |
|
K |
kerosene
A light petroleum distillate that is used in space heaters, cook stoves,
and water heaters and is suitable for use as a light source when burned
in wick-fed lamps.
Top of Page |
L, M, N, O, P |
methane
A colorless, odorless gas composed of carbon and hydrogen. Methane occurs
naturally in marshes, rice paddies, oil wells, and volcanoes. Methane
is also formed in the digestive track of cattle and termites. Methane
is a greenhouse gas in the atmosphere because it absorbs long-wavelength
radiation from the Earth's surface.
Top of Page |
Q, R, S, T |
recoverability
In reference to accessible coal resources, the condition of being physically,
technologically, and economically minable. Recovery rates and recovery
factors may be determined or estimated for coal resources without certain
knowledge of their economic minability; therefore, the availability
of recovery rates or factors does not predict recoverability.
Sample (coal)
A representative fraction of a coal bed collected by approved methods, guarded against contamination or adulteration, and analyzed to determine the nature; chemical, mineralogic, and (or) petrographic composition; percentage or parts-per-million content of specified constituents; heat value; and possibly the reactivity of the coal or its constituents.
Top of Page |
U, V, W, X, Y, Z |
Top of Page
|
|
|
|