1.

Energy
Introduction

In this module, we will begin by defining what actually is energy and its different forms; how to classify each
form of energy and learn how to assess the main and secondary sources of energy; be briefed with the
importance of electrochemical and nuclear energy in the aviation community and how these two forms will be
used to its maximum capacity in order to minimize consumption cost. Fuel oils and lubricating oils are also
included because aviation industries usually uses these and the students will be able to know the cheapest yet
very effective fuel and lubricating oils found in the market locally or internationally.

Learning Objectives

After completing this module on Energy, learners should be able to:

• Identify the different forms of energy.

• Distinguish main and secondary sources of energy.
• Differentiate electrochemical energy from nuclear energy
• Characterize fuel oil and lubricating oil.
• Identify what type of best quality of fuel and lubricating oils are being used in aviation industry.

1.1. Different Forms of Energy

Energy exists in many different forms. Examples of these are: light energy, heat energy, mechanical energy,
gravitational energy, electrical energy, sound energy, chemical energy, nuclear or atomic energy and so on.
Each form can be converted or changed into the other forms.
Although there are many specific types of energy, the two major forms are Kinetic Energy and Potential
Energy.

• Kinetic energy is the energy in moving objects or mass. Examples include mechanical energy, electrical
energy etc.
• Potential energy is any form of energy that has stored potential that can be put to future use.
Examples include nuclear energy, chemical energy, etc.

Chemical energy is energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds (atoms and molecules).Chemical
energy is released in a chemical reaction, often in the form of heat. For example, we use the chemical energy
in fuels like wood, coal by burning them.

Electrical energy is the energy carried by moving electrons in an electric conductor. It is one of the most
common and useful forms of energy.
Example – Lightning. Other forms of energy are also converted to electrical energy. For example, power plants
convert chemical energy stored in fuels like coal into electricity through various changes in its form.

Mechanical energy is the energy a substance or system has because of its motion. For example machines use
mechanical energy to do work.

Thermal energy is the energy a substance or system has related to its temperature, i.e., the energy of moving
or vibrating molecules. For example, we use the solar radiation to cook food.
Nuclear energy is the energy that is trapped inside each atom. Nuclear energy can be produced either by the
fusion (combining atoms) or fission (splitting of atoms) process. The fission process is the widely used
method.

Uranium is the key raw material. Uranium is mined from many places around the world. It is processed (to get
enriched uranium, i.e. the radioactive isotope) into tiny pellets. These pellets are loaded into long rods that are
put into the power plant's reactor. Inside the reactor of an atomic power plant, uranium atoms are split apart
in controlled chain reaction. Other fissile material includes plutonium and thorium.
In a chain reaction, particles released by the splitting of the atom strike other uranium atoms and split them.
The particles released by this further split other atoms in a chain process. In nuclear power plants, control
rods are used to keep the splitting regulated, so that it does not occur too fast. These are called moderators.
The chain reaction gives off heat energy. This heat energy is used to boil heavy water in the core of the
reactor. So, instead of burning a fuel, nuclear power plants use the energy released by the chain reaction to
change the energy of atoms into heat energy. The heavy water from around the nuclear core is sent to
another section of the power plant. Here it heats another set of pipes filled with water to make steam. The
steam in this second set of pipes rotates a turbine to generate electricity.
Pros and cons of nuclear power

Advantages:
• Nuclear power generation does emit relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). The contribution of
nuclear power plants to global warming is therefore relatively little.
• It is possible to generate a high amount of electrical energy in one single plant.
Disadvantages:
• The problem of safe disposal of radioactive waste exists
• There exists high risks and the consequences of damage is great when accidents happen
• The raw material Uranium is a scarce resource. Its supply is estimated to last only for the next 30 to 60
years, depending on the actual demand.

There are thirty five countries including India in the world which generate electricity from nuclear source.
According to the data published in March 2017, by Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) of International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), India is ranked at 13th position in terms of power generation. However, it stood
at 7th position in terms of number of reactors in operation country- wise, globally.
The current installed nuclear power capacity is 6780 MWe. At present there are 22 nuclear power reactors.
The installed capacity is expected to increase gradually, to 22,480 MW (including PFBR, 500 MW being
implemented by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited [BHAVINI]) by 2031 on progressive completion of
projects under construction and accorded administrative approval & financial sanction by the Government of
India. The average tariff of nuclear power in the financial year 2016-17 was Rs 2.95 per unit.

Gravitational energy is that energy held by an object in a gravitational field. Examples include water flowing
down a waterfall.
1.2. SOURCES OF ENERGY

Primary energy sources take many forms, including nuclear energy, fossil energy -- like oil, coal and natural
gas -- and renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower. These primary sources are
converted to electricity, a secondary energy source, which flows through power lines and other transmission
infrastructure to your home and business.

Main/Primary energy sources:

• Sun - Solar Energy.
• Core of the earth
• Radioactive elements like uranium and plutonium
Secondary Source:
• Photosynthesis microbes in stagnant lagoons millions of years ago which stored away solar energy became
fossilized and became what we know today as natural gas and oil.
• Coal
• Electricity
• Voltaic cells/ batteries
1.3. Electrochemical Energy

Electrochemical energy is what we normally call the conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy or
vice versa. This includes reactions transferring electrons, redox reactions (reduction- oxidation). Reduction,
when a substance receives one or more electrons. Oxidation when a substance gives away one or more
electrons. The electrochemical energy is related to fuel cells, photo electrochemical, and energy storage
systems such as batteries, super capacitors or ultra-capacitors. Fuel cell is a device which converts chemical
energy obtained from fuel to electrical energy. A "photoelectrochemical cell" is one of two distinct classes
of device. The first produces electrical energy similarly to a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell, which meets the
standard definition of a photovoltaic cell. The second is a photoelectrolytic cell, that is, a device which uses
light incident on a photosensitizer, semiconductor, or aqueous metal immersed in an electrolytic solution to
directly cause a chemical reaction, for example to produce hydrogen via the electrolysis of water.

ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL BATTERIES

SUPER CONDUCTOR
 ULTRA CONDUCTORS

Some examples of electrochemical energy:

1. In a car battery, the chemical reaction creates an electron which has the energy to move in an electric
current.

2. A lamp is plugged into a wall outlet. The electric current moves from the wall outlet into the light bulb in
the lamp supplying electrical energy.

3. Batteries in a cell phone supply chemical energy to electric charges to generate electrical energy.

1.4. Nuclear Chemistry and Energy

Nuclear chemistry is the subfield of chemistry dealing with radioactivity, nuclear processes and nuclear
properties. It is the chemistry of radioactive elements such as the actinides, radium and radon together with the
chemistry associated with equipment which are designed to perform nuclear processes. Two notable types
of nuclear reactions are nuclear fission reactions and nuclear fusion reactions. The former involves the
absorption of neutrons (or other relatively light particles) by a heavy nucleus, which causes it to split into two
(or more) lighter nuclei. Modern nuclear chemistry, sometimes referred to as radiochemistry, has become very
interdisciplinary in its applications, ranging from the study of the formation of the elements in the universe to
the design of radioactive drugs for diagnostic medicine.

Nuclear Energy is the energy in the core of an atom, where an atom is a tiny particle that constitutes every
matter in the universe. Normally, the mass of an atom is concentrated at the center of the
nucleus. Neutrons and Protons are the two subatomic particles that comprehend the nucleus. There exist a
massive amount of energy in bonds that bind atoms together. Nuclear Energy is discharged by nuclear reactions
either by fission or fusion. In nuclear fusion, atoms combine together to form a larger atom. In nuclear fission,
the division of atoms takes place to form smaller atoms by releasing energy. Nuclear power plants produce
energy using nuclear fission. Sun produces energy using mechanism of nuclear fusion.

Nuclear Reactions
Nuclear reactions cause changes in the nucleus of atoms which in turn leads to changes in atom itself. Nuclear
reactions convert 1 element into a completely different element. Suppose if a nucleus interacts with any other
particles then separates without altering the characteristics of other nuclei than the process is called as nuclear
scattering rather than specifying it as a nuclear reaction. This does not imply to radioactive decay.
One of the most evident nuclear reaction is nuclear fusion reaction that occurs in fissionable materials producing
induced nuclear fission.

Nuclear Energy Cycle

Nuclear Reactions – Types
• Inelastic scattering: This process takes place when a transfer of energy occurs. It occurs above threshold
energy.i.e Et = ((A+1)/A)* ε1, where Et is called as the inelastic threshold energy and ε1 is the energy of
the first excited state.
• Elastic Scattering: It occurs when there is energy transfer between a particle and intends nuclei. It is the
most vital process for slowing down neutrons. In the case of an elastic scattering total kinetic energy of any
system is conserved.
• Transfer Reactions: The absorption of particle followed by discharge of 1 or 2 particles is referred as
transfer reactions.
• Capture Reactions: When nuclei capture neutral or charged particles followed by discharge of ˠ-rays, it is
termed as capture reactions. Radioactive nuclides are produced by neutron capture reactions.

Applications of Nuclear Energy

1. Nuclear technology
2. Nuclear medicine
3. Nuclear Technology is used in Industries
4. Agricultural uses of nuclear technology
5. Environmental uses of nuclear technology
6. Biological Experimentations
7. Medical diagnosis and treatments
8. Scientific Investigations
9. Engineering Projects
10. Neutron Activation Analysis

1.5. Fuel Oils

Fuel oil (also known as heavy oil, marine fuel or furnace oil) is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation,
either as a distillate or a residue. In general terms, fuel oil is any liquid fuel that is burned in
a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils
having a flash point of approximately 42 °C (108 °F) and oils burned in cotton or wool-wick burners. Fuel oil is
made of long hydrocarbon chains, particularly alkanes, cycloalkanes, and aromatics. The term fuel oil is also
used in a stricter sense to refer only to the heaviest commercial fuel that can be obtained from crude oil, i.e.,
heavier than gasoline and naphtha.
Small molecules like those in propane, naphtha, gasoline for cars, and jet fuel have relatively low boiling
points, and they are removed at the start of the fractional distillation process. Heavier petroleum products
like diesel fuel and lubricating oil are much less volatile and distill out more slowly, while bunker oil is literally
the bottom of the barrel; in oil distilling, the only things denser than bunker fuel are carbon black feedstock
and bituminous residue (asphalt), which is used for paving roads and sealing roofs.
Fuel oil is classified into six classes, numbered 1 through 6, according to its boiling point, composition and
purpose. The boiling point, ranging from 175 to 600 °C, and carbon chain length, 20 to 70 atoms, of the fuel
increases with fuel oil number. Viscosity also increases with number, and the heaviest oil has to be heated to
get it to flow. Price usually decreases as the fuel number increases.

• No. 1 fuel oil, No. 2 fuel oil and No. 3 fuel oil are variously referred to as distillate fuel oils, diesel fuel oils,
light fuel oils, gasoil or just distillate. For example, No. 2 fuel oil, No. 2 distillate and No. 2 diesel fuel oil
are almost the same thing (diesel is different in that it also has a cetane number limit which describes the
ignition quality of the fuel). Distillate fuel oils are distilled from crude oil.

Gas oil refers to the process of distillation. The oil is heated, becomes a gas and then condenses. It
differentiates distillates from residual oil.
No. 1 is similar to kerosene and is the fraction that boils off right after gasoline.
No. 2 is the diesel that trucks and some cars run on, leading to the name "road diesel". It is the same
thing as heating oil.[citation needed]
No. 3 is a distillate fuel oil and is rarely used.
No. 4 fuel oil is usually a blend of distillate and residual fuel oils, such as No. 2 and 6; however, sometimes
it is just a heavy distillate. No. 4 may be classified as diesel, distillate or residual fuel oil.
No. 5 fuel oil and No. 6 fuel oil are called residual fuel oils or heavy fuel oils. As far more No. 6 than No. 5
is produced, the terms heavy fuel oil and residual fuel oil are sometimes used as synonyms for No. 6. They
are what remains of the crude oil after gasoline and the distillate fuel oils are extracted through distillation.
No. 5 fuel oil is a mixture of No. 6 (about 75-80%) with No. 2. No. 6 may also contain a small amount of
No. 2 to get it to meet specifications.

Residual fuel oils are sometimes called light when they have been mixed with distillate fuel oil, while
distillate fuel oils are called heavy when they have been mixed with residual fuel oil.
Heavy gas oil, for example, is a distillate that contains residual fuel oil. The ready availability of very heavy
grades of fuel oil is often due to the success of catalytic cracking of fuel to release more valuable fractions
and leave heavy residue.

Oil has many uses:

o It heats homes and businesses and fuels trucks, ships and some cars.
o A small amount of electricity is produced by diesel, but it is more polluting and more expensive
than natural gas. It is often used as a backup fuel for peaking power plants in case the supply of
natural gas is interrupted or as the main fuel for small electrical generators. In Europe the use of
diesel is generally restricted to cars (about 40%), SUVs (about 90%), and trucks. The market for
home heating using fuel oil, called heating oil, has decreased due to the widespread penetration of
natural gas. However, it is very common in some areas, such as the Northeastern United States.

1.6. Lubricating Oils

Lubricating oil, sometimes simply called lubricant/lube, is a class of oils used to reduce the friction, heat, and
wear between mechanical components that are in contact with each other. Lubricating oil is used in
motorized vehicles, where it is known specifically as motor oil and transmission fluid.
There are two basic categories of lubricating oil:

• Mineral lubricating oil - are lubricating oils refined from naturally occurring crude oil.
• Synthetic lubricating oil - are lubricating oils that are manufactured.
Mineral lubricating oils are currently the most commonly used type because of the low cost of extracting the oils
from crude oil. Additionally, mineral oils can be manufactured to have a varying viscosity, therefore making them
useful in a wide range of applications.
Lubricating oils of different viscosities can be blended together, and it is this ability to blend them that makes
some oils so useful. For example, common motor oil - shown in Figure 1 - is generally a blend of low viscosity
oil to allow for easy starting at cool temperatures and a high viscosity oil for better performance at normal
running temperatures.
• Use in Vehicles

The use of lubricating oils in vehicles is vital to their operation. When an engine is properly lubricated, it needs
to put less work into moving pistons as the pistons glide easily. In the long run, this means that the car is able
to operate while using less fuel and run at a lower temperature. Overall, the proper use of lubricating oil in a
car improves efficiency and reduces the amount of wear and tear on moving engine parts.
• Recycling

Since lubricating oils are such a valuable resource, there have been many efforts to recycle used oils. Used
lubricating oil is recycled at "re-refineries", where water is removed from the oil in a process of dehydration.
Impurities within the used oil - such as industrial fuel - are separated out and the oil is captured using vacuum
distillation. This leaves behind a heavy waste that contains oil additives and byproducts. The extracted lubricating
oil then undergoes a series of refining processes to remove other impurities. Once refined, the oil is separated
into three different viscosities for a variety of uses.
References:
Source: Time for Change
Related Resources

1. www.edugreen.teri.res.in
2. www.indiaenergyportal.org/
3. PRIS - World statistics/

Prepared by: Endorsed by: Noted by: Approved by:

ENGR. WENIFREDA
N. LIBIRAN
Instructor Course Director School Administrator Head of Training