Option C:

Energy

Contents
What is energy?
Fossil Fuels
Nuclear Energy

 Energy is the capability to do work or

required to do anything.
Energy has many forms and can be
changed from one form to another.
The conservation of energy states that
energy cannot be created or destroyed.
Sources of energy can be hot bodies or
release from fuels.
Fuel is a substance that can release
energy by changing its chemical or
nuclear structure.

What is it?
Biomass, is a
renewable
energy source
made of
biological
material from
living, or
recently living
organisms.
Energy is
released by
combustion
(burning).

Disadvantages
Inefficient (only 30%
efficiency).
Releases harmful
solid carbon particles
into the atmosphere.

Advantages
Produces less
pollution than fossil
fuels.
Does not cause acid
rain.
Can be found locally.
It is renewable.

What is it?
Radiation is
released from
the nuclei of
metal atoms.
The radiation
can be used to
generate
electricity.

Disadvantages
Harmful radioactive
waste is created.
Uranium supplies
may only last for
another 50 years.
Non-renewable
Radiation may
cause cancer

Advantages
Green House gases
are not made.
Only a small amount
of fuel is needed to
create a lot of

What is it?
Wind turbines
are used to
generate
electricity from
the wind.
The wind turns
the large blades
and the blades
turn a
generator.

Disadvantages
Lots of wind turbines
are needed to
produce enough
power.
Turbines can only be
put in windy areas.
It is not always
windy.
Some people dont
like the look of the
turbines.
Advantages
Wind is renewable.
Wind is free.
No greenhouse gases
are made.
There are few safety

What is it?
Solar power
uses energy
from the
Sun.
Solar
panels
transfer the
Suns energy
to heat
water.

Disadvantages
Solar panels are
expensive.
When it is cloudy or at
night there is not
enough light.
Some people dont
like the look of solar
panels.
Advantages
The energy from the
Sun is free.
The sun does not
produce greenhouse
gases.
The sun will always be
there during our

What is it?
Solar cells
use energy
from the
Sun.
Solar panels
transfer the
Suns energy
directly into
electricity.

Disadvantages
Solar cells are
expensive.
They take up lots of
space.
They only work in
Sun light

Advantages
The energy from the
Sun is free.
The sun does not
produce greenhouse
gases.
The sun will always be
there during our

What is it?
Rocks
under the
ground are
hot.
Water can
be pumped
through
these hot
rocks and
warmed up.

Disadvantages
There are not many
places where we can
build geothermal power
stations.
Harmful gases and
minerals may
occasionally come up
from the ground below.
These can be
difficult to control.
Advantages
Geothermal energy
does not produce
greenhouse gases.
The energy source is
free and will not run
out.

What is it?
Flowing
water is
used to turn
a turbine
which
generates
electricity.

Disadvantages
The dam is expensive to
build.
By building a dam, the
nearby area has to be
flooded and this could
affect nearby habitats.
If it does not rain much
we may not have enough
water to turn the turbines.
Advantages
When the electricity is
generated, no greenhouse
gases are made.
The water used is free.
It is a renewable energy
source.

What is it?
Waves
force air in
and out of a
chamber.
The air
causes a
turbine to
generate
electricity.

Disadvantages
Small waves generate
small amounts of
electricity.
Electricity needs to be
transported from the
sea onto the land.
The equipment is
expensive
Advantages
Waves are free and will
not run out.
Wave power does not
produce greenhouse
gases.
There are very few
safety risks.

What is it?
Solar power
uses energy
from the
Sun.
Solar
panels
transfer the
Suns energy
to heat
water.

Disadvantages
A dam to make the water
flow through the
generators might be
needed.
Plants and animals that
live nearby might get
harmed
The tides only happen
twice a day, so can only
produce electricity at that
time. Advantages
Tides are free and will
not run out.
No greenhouse gases
are produced.
It is reliable because
we know exactly when
the tides happen.

 The energy density of a fuel is the energy

produced per unit volume whereas the
specific energy of a fuel is the energy
produced per unit mass.
The two terms are related via the
density of the fuel.
The primary sources are primary sources
which are not used directly but converted
into secondary sources such as
electricity.
The efficiency of an energy transfer
needs to be known.

 Efficiency is determined using the

following equation:
Efficiency = useful output energy x
100
total input energy

The Octane
Number of a
Fuel

The Internal Combustion

Engine
When the petrol and
oxygen mixture ignites
and explodes evenly
and at the correct time
the
engine
runs
smoothly.

Engine Knocking
Knocking is noises coming from the car
It is a sign that the petrol and air mixture in the
engine is burning too soon or not exactly as
intended
This reduces the efficiency of the engine and
over time can cause serious damage.

The Octane Number of a

Fuel

The Octane Number of a

Fuel
The higher the octane
number the smoother it
burns and the less likely
knocking will occur.
The lower the octane
number the less likely it
burns smoothly and so
the more likely knocking
will occur.

Reference Hydrocarbons for

assigning octane numbers
H

Heptane
(Octane Number = 0)

CH3

CH3

CH3

2, 2, 4 - trimethylpentane
(Octane Number = 100)

Octane Numbers of
hydrocarbons
Octane Number = - 10

Octane

Octane Number = 0

Heptane

Octane Numbers of
hydrocarbons
Octane Number = 25

Hexane

Octane Number = 62
Pentane

Conclusion 1
The shorter the carbon
chain the higher the octane
number and the longer the
carbon chain the lower the
octane number

Octane Numbers of
hydrocarbons
Octane Number = - 10

Octane

CH3

CH3

CH3

2, 2, 4 - trimethylpentane
(Octane Number = 100)

Octane Number = 100

Conclusion 2
The greater the amount of
branching in the chemical
structure the higher the octane
number and the less branching
the lower the octane number

Octane Numbers of
hydrocarbons

Benzene

Cyclohexane

Octane Number = 101

Octane Number = 97

Conclusion 3
Ring & Aromatic Compounds
have high octane numbers

Octane Numbers of other

Fuels

Methanol

Ethanol

Octane Number = 113

Octane Number = 117

Ethanol used as a biofuel in

Brazil

Conclusion 4

Oxygen
containing
organic
compounds
(oxygenates) have very
high octane numbers

Improving the octane number of a fuel

Addition of Lead Compounds
For
years
adding
lead
compounds (like tetraethyllead)
to
fuels
rapidly
improved
the
octane
numbers of those fuels.

This no longer occurs as the

addition of lead to petrol has
been banned in Ireland since
2000.

Why Lead Compounds are no longer added to

petrol

As Lead compounds destroy the

catalysts which make up the
catalytic converter of the car
(automobile)

Lead is a highly toxic

chemical to living things.

Refining the Octane Number of a Fuel

There are 4 ways a fuel (or

chemical) may be refined to
improve the octane number of
that fuel (chemical):
1: Catalytic Cracking
2: Reforming
3: Isomerisation
4: Addition of Oxygenates

Catalytic Cracking
Cracking
is
the
changing
of
longchained hydrocarbons
(like from heavy gas
oil fraction) to more
useful short-chained
hydrocarbons

Reforming & Ring Formation

(Dehydrocyclisation)
The structure of hydrocarbon molecules with low octane
numbers is re-shaped to give molecules with high octane
numbers
H

H
H

Hexane
Octane Number = 25

Reformed

Heptane
Octane Number = 0

Ring Formation

Cyclohexane
Octane Number = 83

CH3

Methylbenzene
Octane Number > 100

Benzene
Octane Number > 100