Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Shale gas:
Natural gas produced from wells that are open to shale formations. Shale
is a fine-grained, sedimentary rock composed of mud from flakes of clay
minerals and tiny fragments (silt-sized particles) of other materials. The
shale acts as both source and reservoir for the natural gas.
Short ton:
A measure of weight equal to 2000 pounds or 0.9072 metric tons.
Silicon:
A semiconductor material made from silica, purified for photovoltaic
applications.
Silviculture:
Tending and regenerating forest stands to realize sought-after benefits
and to sustain them over time.
Single-crystal silicon (Czochralski):
An extremely pure form of crystalline silicon
produced by the Czochralski method of dipping a single crystal seed into a
pool of molten silicon under high vacuum conditions and slowly withdraw-
ing a solidifying single crystal boule rod of silicon. The boule is sawed into
thin wafers and fabricated into single-crystal photovoltaic cells.
Skylight:
A window located on the roof of a structure to provide interior building
spaces with natural daylight, warmth, and ventilation.
Slim hole:
Drill holes that have a nominal inside diameter of less than about 6 inches.
Slotted liner:
Liner that has slots or holes in it to let fluid pass between the wellbore
and surrounding rock.
Sludge:
A dense, slushy, liquid-to-semifluid product that accumulates as an end
result of an industrial or technological process designed to purify a sub-
stance. Industrial sludges are produced from the processing of energy-
related raw materials, chemical products, water, mined ores, sewerage, and
other natural and man-made products. Sludges can also form from natural
processes, such as the runoff produced by rain fall, and accumulate on the
bottom of bogs, streams, lakes, and tidelands.
Smart tracer:
Tracer that is useful in determining the flow path between a well
injecting fluid into the subsurface and a well producing fluid from an adja-
cent well and can also be used to the determine temperature along the flow
path, surface area contacted by the tracer, volume of rock that the tracer
interacts with, and relative velocities of separate phases (gas, oil, and water
in petroleum fields; steam and liquid water in geothermal systems).
Solar energy:
The radiant energy of the sun which can be converted into other forms
of energy, such as heat or electricity.
Solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC):
Measures how well a product blocks heat
caused by sunlight. The SHGC is expressed as a number between 0 and 1.
The lower the SHGC, the less solar heat the product transmits.
Solar thermal collector:
Device that receives solar radiation and converts it into ther-
mal energy. Normally, a solar thermal collector includes a frame, glazing,
and an absorber, together with the appropriate insulation. The heat collected
by the solar thermal collector may be used immediately or stored for later use.
Solar thermal collector, special:
An evacuated tube collector or a concentrating
(focusing) collector. Special collectors operate in the temperature range
from just above ambient temperature (low concentration for pool heating)
to several hundred degrees Fahrenheit (high concentration for air-condi-
tioning and specialized industrial processes).
