Lesson 8 Energy Conversions
Completion requirements
Energy Conversion Technologies
There are past and current technologies that work solely on the idea that energy can be transformed from one form to another.
C8.9 solar cells for water heating system
We know that energy exists in many forms and can be found and used in natural and technological systems. The discovery of these many forms of energy, as well as the understanding of the laws of thermodynamics, has led to many different technologies
over the years.
The Indigenous people of Alberta used applications of thermodynamics in their tool making, structure designs, and cooking long before the development of the modern steam engine.
The Indigenous people of Alberta used applications of thermodynamics in their tool making, structure designs, and cooking long before the development of the modern steam engine.
Bison was by and far, the main source of food for Indigenous people in northern Alberta. Deer, moose, and elk, along with wolves, coyotes, lynx, rabbits, gophers, and prairie chickens, were also hunted for food.
The Indigenous people had to have sturdy and effective weapons and tools to hunt and prepare their food. They had to use the resources they had available to them, which were primarily stones. They did not have the technology to use metal, nor could they always depend on finding wood.
Some Indigenous people believe that all parts of the bison must be used, with nothing going to waste. The hide of the bison was used, for example, to create a warrior’s shield, for example.
A circular section of hide was cut from the hide of the buffalo bull. The hide was then fastened down with wooden pegs over a round hole in the ground. One edge of the hide was then left loose so that it could be lifted to allow red-hot stones to be dropped into the hole. Water was poured on the hot stones until the hot steams cause the hide to shrink. They were putting thermodynamics to work before it was even defined. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat travels from a hot object (stones) to cold object (water). The heated water was converted into steam.
The Indigenous people had to have sturdy and effective weapons and tools to hunt and prepare their food. They had to use the resources they had available to them, which were primarily stones. They did not have the technology to use metal, nor could they always depend on finding wood.
Some Indigenous people believe that all parts of the bison must be used, with nothing going to waste. The hide of the bison was used, for example, to create a warrior’s shield, for example.
A circular section of hide was cut from the hide of the buffalo bull. The hide was then fastened down with wooden pegs over a round hole in the ground. One edge of the hide was then left loose so that it could be lifted to allow red-hot stones to be dropped into the hole. Water was poured on the hot stones until the hot steams cause the hide to shrink. They were putting thermodynamics to work before it was even defined. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat travels from a hot object (stones) to cold object (water). The heated water was converted into steam.
Many bands of Indigenous people needed to travel to follow and find their food sources. Animal hide shelters, in the form of tipis, were easily constructed and portable, and therefore provided them with shelter and homes.
Tipis were a tall, cone-like structure made from hides, so the tipi was waterproof and could stand up to the weather elements. The tipi was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The hide prevented the transfer of heat into the tipi in the summer and prevented heat from escaping out of the tipi in the winter. This is an example of the second law of thermodynamics, as the hide prevented the transfer of heat from hot to cold.
Fur-lined hides covered the ground, keeping the tipi warm. Then, the fire pit was built just behind the centre of the tipi, towards the back.
The door always faced the rising sun, which acted as an alarm clock for the Indigenous people as it rose each morning.
Tipis were a tall, cone-like structure made from hides, so the tipi was waterproof and could stand up to the weather elements. The tipi was warm in the winter and cool in the summer. The hide prevented the transfer of heat into the tipi in the summer and prevented heat from escaping out of the tipi in the winter. This is an example of the second law of thermodynamics, as the hide prevented the transfer of heat from hot to cold.
Fur-lined hides covered the ground, keeping the tipi warm. Then, the fire pit was built just behind the centre of the tipi, towards the back.
The door always faced the rising sun, which acted as an alarm clock for the Indigenous people as it rose each morning.
Not only was fire a source to keep some Indigenous people who lived in colder climates warm, it was also their source of heat for cooking. In some Indigenous cultures, bison meat was dried or cooked and made into soups and pemmican. Bannock
was a type of bread that was cooked over a fire.
Pemmican is a mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food. Commonly, the bark of dried willow branches was scraped off and the branches seared with a flame. The branches were then tied together. Bison meat was cut into strips, and hung to dry. Then the meat was pounded into shreds with a stone, mixed with hot bison fat and berries, poured into a rawhide pouch, and then left to cool and harden. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat travels from a hot object (warm pemmican mixture) to a cold object (surrounding air).
Pemmican is a mixture of fat and protein used as a nutritious food. Commonly, the bark of dried willow branches was scraped off and the branches seared with a flame. The branches were then tied together. Bison meat was cut into strips, and hung to dry. Then the meat was pounded into shreds with a stone, mixed with hot bison fat and berries, poured into a rawhide pouch, and then left to cool and harden. According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat travels from a hot object (warm pemmican mixture) to a cold object (surrounding air).
In Alberta, common technologies that have been developed, which are based around the laws of thermodynamics, are hydroelectric generators, coal-burning generators, solar heating panels, windmills, and fuel cells.
Let’s look at each of these technologies and how they transform energy from one form to another, and the way the energy transfer produces measurable changes.
C8.13 hydroelectric dam in Alberta, Canada
Water was first used as an energy source for water-powered technology in the form of waterwheels: rushing water (kinetic energy) performed work on a bladed wheel, causing it to spin. The mechanical energy gained by the turning wheel was often used to turn a millstone to grind grain into flour.
Waterwheels were not used as much once the steam-powered engine was developed and used extensively. As people became more aware that resources that are burned to produce steam for steam engines are in limited supply, the development and use of hydroelectric generators to create electricity became more popular.
The hydraulic turbines that produce power at modern hydroelectric dams operate on the same principles that powered waterwheels. The water behind a dam flows through an intake and pushes against blades in a turbine, causing them to turn. The turbine spins a generator to produce electricity.
The amount of electricity that is generated depends on how far the water drops and how much water moves through the system. The electricity, once generated, can be transported over long distances through electric lines to wherever electricity is needed.
Waterwheels were not used as much once the steam-powered engine was developed and used extensively. As people became more aware that resources that are burned to produce steam for steam engines are in limited supply, the development and use of hydroelectric generators to create electricity became more popular.
The hydraulic turbines that produce power at modern hydroelectric dams operate on the same principles that powered waterwheels. The water behind a dam flows through an intake and pushes against blades in a turbine, causing them to turn. The turbine spins a generator to produce electricity.
The amount of electricity that is generated depends on how far the water drops and how much water moves through the system. The electricity, once generated, can be transported over long distances through electric lines to wherever electricity is needed.
By the 1950s, oil and natural gas deposits were discovered in Alberta, and many industries converted from coal to the other fossil fuels. The use of oil and natural gas as a fuel source was cheaper, more efficient, and easier to acquire
from the environment.
The switch from coal also lead to a great impact on many of Alberta’s coal mining communities such as Bellevue, Canmore, East Coulee, Rosebud, Nordberg and Forestburg. Concerns about the environmental impacts of mining coal have lead the federal and provincial governments to pass strict regulations surrounding the removal of coal from coal deposits.
As of 2017, the only coal-burning power station in Alberta is the Keephills Generating Station in Keephills, Alberta (70 kilometres west of Edmonton).
The switch from coal also lead to a great impact on many of Alberta’s coal mining communities such as Bellevue, Canmore, East Coulee, Rosebud, Nordberg and Forestburg. Concerns about the environmental impacts of mining coal have lead the federal and provincial governments to pass strict regulations surrounding the removal of coal from coal deposits.
As of 2017, the only coal-burning power station in Alberta is the Keephills Generating Station in Keephills, Alberta (70 kilometres west of Edmonton).
C8.15 solar cells for water heating system
Passive use of the sun, known as passive solar heating, has been used for centuries. In Alberta, people have developed strategies to use the warmth from the sun in the winter while avoiding excess heat in the summer. These strategies include
using roof eaves, and window location to either block the sun or allow the sun’s warmth into the house.
Solar heating panels are different from solar cells in that solar cells are used to generate electricity from the sun’s energy. Solar thermal systems, which use solar heating panels, are made of flat metallic plates, coated in black (maximizes heat absorption), and thin transparent glass (to help trap the heat), and embedded pipes that are filled with a liquid (usually a water and glycol antifreeze solution).
Solar heating panels capture the heat from the sunlight and transfer the heat to the liquid in the pipes. The pipes run into a building, where the heat in the liquid is used to either to provide heat for space heating in the building or to connect to a water-heating system.
Solar heating panels are different from solar cells in that solar cells are used to generate electricity from the sun’s energy. Solar thermal systems, which use solar heating panels, are made of flat metallic plates, coated in black (maximizes heat absorption), and thin transparent glass (to help trap the heat), and embedded pipes that are filled with a liquid (usually a water and glycol antifreeze solution).
Solar heating panels capture the heat from the sunlight and transfer the heat to the liquid in the pipes. The pipes run into a building, where the heat in the liquid is used to either to provide heat for space heating in the building or to connect to a water-heating system.
C8.16 windmills in Alberta
Wind is one of the oldest sources of power used by humans. Wind was first used for transportation—sails on boats helped early humans explore the world. Wind was soon harnessed using windmill technology to grind grain and pump water.
Wind is generated by the spinning of Earth, the fact that Earth’s surface has an irregular shape, and by solar radiation from the sun. When air is heated by the sun, the air expands, becomes less dense, and rises. You will learn more about the cause of winds on Earth in Unit D.
The strong and consistent winds prevalent in southern Alberta have made it a perfect site for the use of wind power. There are currently major wind farms in the Alberta towns of Halkirk, Wainwright, Taber, and Fort Macleod. It is thought that Alberta will be one of the major leaders in wind power technology in the future.
Wind is generated by the spinning of Earth, the fact that Earth’s surface has an irregular shape, and by solar radiation from the sun. When air is heated by the sun, the air expands, becomes less dense, and rises. You will learn more about the cause of winds on Earth in Unit D.
The strong and consistent winds prevalent in southern Alberta have made it a perfect site for the use of wind power. There are currently major wind farms in the Alberta towns of Halkirk, Wainwright, Taber, and Fort Macleod. It is thought that Alberta will be one of the major leaders in wind power technology in the future.
A fuel cell converts chemical energy from a fuel into heat and electricity through a chemical process. The benefit of all types of fuel cells is that they reduce, and in some cases almost eliminate, pollutants commonly released when fuels
are burned.
Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) have become a solution in Alberta to issues surrounding plants that burn natural-gas to generate electricity.
One of the products of the burning of fossil fuels is carbon dioxide (CO2). Excess CO2(g) released into the atmosphere contributes to the enhanced greenhouse effect. You will learn more about the greenhouse effect in Unit D.
MCFCs capture the carbon dioxide within the smokestack of a natural gas power plant before it is released into the environment. The CO2 is then used to produce electricity.
Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) have become a solution in Alberta to issues surrounding plants that burn natural-gas to generate electricity.
One of the products of the burning of fossil fuels is carbon dioxide (CO2). Excess CO2(g) released into the atmosphere contributes to the enhanced greenhouse effect. You will learn more about the greenhouse effect in Unit D.
MCFCs capture the carbon dioxide within the smokestack of a natural gas power plant before it is released into the environment. The CO2 is then used to produce electricity.
Read This
Please read pages 221 to 223 in your Science 10 textbook. Make sure you take notes on your readings to study from later. You should focus on the different types of energy sources and how the concept of thermodynamics is involved in the use of the energy source. Remember, if you have any questions, or do not understand something, ask your teacher!
Practice Questions
Complete the following practice questions to check your understanding of the concept you just learned. Make sure you write complete answers to the practice questions in your notes. After you have checked your answers, make corrections to your responses
(where necessary) to study from.
- What are the two main sources of energy that are used to boil water into steam for the steam turbines that drive electrical generators in Alberta?
coal and natural-gas
- What are three ways (other than burning fossil fuels) that electricity is generated in Alberta?
hydroelectricity, fuel cells, and windmills
- Describe two ways that Indigenous people in Alberta used thermodynamics to meet their daily needs.
Your answer should be a variation of two of the following.
- Tool making: Heat used to convert water into steam helped dry a buffalo hide to create a taunt material for shields.
- Structure designs: The material that tipis were constructed from—animal hides—helped keep heat in and cold out in winter and heat out and cool air in in the summer.
- Cooking: Heat from the combustion of wood was used in the cooking of food as well as the creation of pemmican.