Different fuel sources

1. Fuel Sources
By Daniel Cupitt

2. Types of Fuel Sources
• Fossil Fuels
• Other Fuel Sources

3. Fossil Fuels
• Fossil fuels are generally considered as the remains of prehistoric plants and
animals, this means that they will run out.
• Coal
• Oil
• Gas

4. Coal
• Coal is crushed into a fine dust and burnt within a power station to generate
steam.The steam is used to turn turbines which are connected to
generators.The generators are what the power station uses to produce
electrical energy to distribute.
• Large amounts off energy can be generated in one place using coal at a
good rate
• A coal fuelled power station is possible to be built almost anywhere where
transport links exist.

5. Crude Oil
• Crude oil is burned within power stations the same way as what coal is.
• The largest advantage of using crude oil is that it is easier to transport as it
can flow along pipes thus making it even easier to transport.

6. Natural Gas
• Natural gas is also burned by power stations the same way as coal and crude
oil.
• Natural gas is also used within housing areas to heat homes.
• Transportation of natural gas is also easy as it can be transported by pipes
and also produces less pollution than other fossil fuels.

7. Other Fuel Sources
• Other fuel sources are generally renewable resources harnessed by naturally occurring energy
with the exception of nuclear power.
• Nuclear Power
• Solar Power
• Wind Power
• Tidal Power
• Hydroelectric Power
• Geothermal Power
• Biofuels

8. Nuclear Power
• Nuclear power is generated using Uranium, which is a metal mined around the world.
• Nuclear works through nuclear fission to heat water and produce steam.After this the
principle is the same as a fossil fuelled power plant.
• Nuclear power is cheap to produce costing roughly the same as coal but does not produce
smoke or carbon dioxide making it more environmentally friendly.
• Using a small amount of nuclear energy can create huge amounts of electrical energy
• Not much waste is produced from a nuclear plant but the waste that is produced is
extremely dangerous and must be sealed up and buried for thousands of years while being
kept safe from natural occurrences for example earthquakes

9. Solar Power
• Solar power can be harnessed through solar cells which output a direct current, It
can be harnessed through solar boilers to reduce the need for other uses of energy
to heat water.
• Solar power can be harnessed by a power plant to generate steam to turn a
generator thus functioning like a fossil fuel power plant.
• The greatest advantage of using solar power is that it is an infinite source of power
• The largest drawback of using solar power is that it depends completely upon the
sun.

10. Wind Power
• Wind power is harnessed using turbines of all different sizes all over the world.
Where a group of these turbines are placed together they are referred to as a wind
farm.
• A turbine produces energy by the wind turning specially designed propeller blade
which are connected within the turbine housing to a gearbox and generator which
while turning generates electric power.
• The main advantages of wind power is that wind is an infinite resource and will
produce no waste gasses.
• The main drawback about wind power is that it is not a reliable source of energy.

11. Tidal Power
• Tidal power is used to generate electric power through the use of a dam known as a
barrage which is built across a river estuary. As the water ebbs and flows it is forced
through tunnels in the barrage which turn a turbine within the tunnel.The turbine
then functions the same as when harvesting wind power.
• The main advantages are that once installed tidal power is free and produces no
waste.
• The main disadvantage to tidal power is that it is very expensive to build and install
and will only provide power while the tide is moving (around 10 hours a day)

12. Hydroelectric Power
• Hydroelectric power is generated through the building of a dam to rap water usually in a
valley where a lake already exists.Water is allowed to flow through tunnels in the bottom of
the dam which turns a turbine.The turbine then functions the same as when harvesting
wind power.
• The dam has to be thicker towards the bottom as the water pressure increases with depth.
• The greatest advantage of hydroelectric power is that electricity can be constantly
generated for free and with no waste products.
• The largest disadvantage is the cost of building a dam even though they can be used for
multiple purposes other than power generation for example flood control.

13. Geothermal Power
• Geothermal power harnesses heat stored underground to produce steam. A power
station will have multiple routes to send water down into the hot region and then
have return routes for the generated steam to rise and turn generators. From this
point the power station functions like a fossil fuel station.
• The main advantages are that there is no pollution caused while generating energy
and that power stations do not leave as large a footprint than a fossil fuel station.
• The main drawbacks are that there are not many places where a geothermal power
station will be useful as they rely on areas with naturally stored heat and it is also
possible for the areas to cool down after prolonged periods of generating energy.

14. Biofuels
• Bio fuels are burned within a power station the same way as fossil fuels the are and
the power generation is exactly the same.The difference is that the fuels come
from a renewable resource for example biomass can be anything from wood to
plant.
• The main advantages are that a lot of biofuels used are waste materials from
different sectors reducing the demand for fossil fuels.
• The main drawback is that collecting or growing biofuels in sufficient quantities for
power generation can be difficult and that biofuels still leave an impact on the
environment.

15. References (Images)
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• https://encrypted-
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• https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR1dQh48GsT-
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16. References (content)
• darvill. 2016. alternate energy. [ONLINE] Available
at: http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/index.htm. [Accessed 3
October 2016].