Secondary fuels are easier for engines to burn, so are often made from crude oil as a way of getting the most energy out as possible. Furthermore, fuels like methane , butane and propane are found mixed together in their natural resource which would be the primary energy source and are separated during the fractional distillation process.
Hydrogen is a fuel that can be obtained chemically from water or methane and other sources as well , it is considered an energy currency as it doesn't form naturally in any abundance on Earth. Fuels vary considerably in energy density , cost, and environmental impact , for example uranium has a significantly higher energy density than fossil fuels but is much more expensive.
It is also difficult to compare the energy density and environmental impact of fuels to primary flows due to the nature of how each is utilized. Different countries have very different energy mixes, please see electricity generation for a detailed map of where different countries get their electricity from. Below is a pie chart showing the world's energy production, with fuels shown as the slices that are not extracted from the graph.
As the fuel burns the heat energy is used to heat water, as it is heated it produces steam which in turn rises and drives a turbine. The energy conversion goes from chemical energy stored in the fuels, to heat energy as it burns which is converted to kinetic energy as it drives large turbines and finally this is converted to electrical energy.
The problem with burning fossil fuels is their effect on the environment. As mentioned fossil fuels are Hydrocarbons. When hydrocarbons are burned in the presence of oxygen they release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a Greenhouse Gas and is a leading cause of Global Warming. Fossil fuels are also used in the petrochemicals industry, here the fossil fuels are used to make plastics, paints and even medication. Ireland has a history of coal mining in areas of Leinster including Kilkenny, Carlow and Laois.
The Arigna coal mine in Co. Roscommon opened in the late 18th century and ran up as far as the 's. Today Ireland imports most of its coal from areas such as Poland. The use of coal for production of electricity is decreasing as shale gas becomes more available. Natural gas is widely used in Ireland with supplies coming from both Irish sources and imports. There are a number of gas fields in operation off the coast of Ireland including Kinsale Head, Ballycotton and the Seven Heads fields all located off the coast of County Cork.
In recent years a new gas field located at Corrib off the west coast has been exploited. Oil is one of the world's most valuable commodities. In Ireland oil is no longer used for the production of electricity but is heavily relied on for transport and home heating.
Ireland has no domestic oil production and depends entirely on imports. In Ireland Peat has two main uses, generating electricity and home heating. Ireland has many raised bogs across the midlands. To prevent the destruction of Ireland's peatlands and their ecosystems many raised bogs and blanket bogs have been given legal protection and restrictions to peat harvesting have been put in place. First the energy source must be found, geologists are constantly studying areas and their rocks to determine if deposits or wells are likely to occur.
Once a source is located it then needs to be removed from the Earth. They cook your food, heat your home and keep the cars and trains running. Without fuels the world would be a very different place. A fuel is a substance that reacts exothermically with oxygen. The energy contained in the fuel is released when it burns.
Many of the fuels we use in everyday life are obtained from fuels called fossil fuels. These fuels are mostly hydrocarbons — compounds that contain the elements carbon and hydrogen only but contain some impurities which can lead to pollution when we burn them. Fossil fuels like coal, crude oil and natural gas have been formed over millions of years from dead plant and animal remains which have been buried. Analysts sometimes predict that worldwide coal use will increase as oil supplies become scarcer.
Current coal supplies could last for years or more. Coal is usually extracted in mines. Since the middle of the 20th century, coal use has doubled. Since its application is declining again. Many developing countries depend on coal for energy provision because they cannot afford oil or natural gas.
China and India are major users of coal for energy provision. Oil is a liquid fossil fuel that is formed from the remains of marine microorganisms deposited on the sea floor. After millions of years the deposits end up in rock and sediment where oil is trapped in small spaces.
It can be extracted by large drilling platforms. Oil is the most widely used fossil fuel. Crude oil consists of many different organic compounds which are transformed to products in a refining process. It is applied in cars, jets, roads and roofs and many other. Oil cannot be found everywhere on earth and consequentially, there have been wars on oil supplies.
A well-known example is the Gulf War of Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel that is versatile, abundant and relatively clean compared to coal and oil. Like oil, it is formed from the remains of marine microorganisms. It is a relatively new type of energy source. Until , more coal was used than natural gas. Natural gas has now overtaken coal in developed countries. However, people are afraid that like oil, natural gas supplies will run out. Some scientists have even predicted this might happen by the middle or end of the 21st century.
Natural gas mainly consists of methane CH 4.
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