Energy Use: Fuels, Electricity, and Power Production
Form and Energy Use
Either to perform daily activities, energy use is required. In other times, people could only resort to physical effort, animals, firewood, the force of air, or water. But fossil fuels contribute the most.
Fuels
Special combustibles with high energetic power, from wood to fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or gas, are used directly for cooking, heating, etc.
Electricity
Most machines and devices that we commonly use work with electric power. Inside, it transforms into light, sound,
Read MoreUnderstanding Fluid Mechanics, Materials, and Earth Science
Fluid Mechanics is the branch of continuum mechanics (which in turn is a branch of physics) that studies the motion of fluids (gases and liquids) and the forces that cause them. A fundamental feature that defines a fluid is its inability to resist shear (which causes a lack of defined shape). It also studies the interactions between the fluid and the boundary that limits it.
The Strength of Materials is a discipline of mechanical engineering and structural engineering that studies deformable solids
Read MoreChemical Industry: Spain and Andalusia’s Production
The Chemical Industry
The chemical industry encompasses the extraction and processing of raw materials, both natural and synthetic, and their conversion into other substances with distinct characteristics. This process aims to meet people’s needs, improving their quality of life. The primary objective is to produce high-quality products at the lowest possible cost while minimizing environmental impact. Common products include fertilizers, dyes, explosives, plastics, rubber, detergents, insulation,
Read MoreRelief Units of Spain: Mountains and Plateaus
Spanish Relief Units
The Plateau and Indoor Units
The plateau exceeds an average height of 600 meters and is divided into two halves by the Sistema Central. The northern plains, with an average altitude over 700 meters, coincides geographically with the Duero basin. South of the Sistema Central extends the southern plains of the Meseta. Morphological traits are derived from its status as the old solid end of the Primary Era to the present Mediterranean, which was secondary. Alpine folding affected
Read MoreSpanish Mining and Industrial Expansion: A Historical Analysis
Mining and Industrial Expansion in Spain
Factors Driving Mining Expansion
The expansion of mining in Spain was driven by three key factors:
- International demand for Spanish products.
- Technological advancements in extraction techniques.
- Decreased harvesting costs due to concessions granted to foreign companies.
These concessions led to a dramatic increase in the holding of mining sites. Important deposits of lead and copper, previously inaccessible, were now exploited and exported. However, insufficient
Read MoreEnergy Resources, Technologies, and Perspectives
Energy Perspectives
Energy: The property of matter and radiation which is manifest as capacity to perform work. Primary energy: energy in the form that it is first accounted for in a statistical energy balance, before any transformation to secondary or tertiary forms of energy. For example, coal can be converted to synthetic gas, which can be converted to electricity: in this example, coal is primary energy, synthetic gas is secondary energy and electricity is tertiary energy. System: a part of the
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