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Date May 2019 Marks available 1 Reference code 19M.3.sl.TZ1.11
Level SL Paper 3 Time zone TZ1
Command term Calculate Question number 11 Adapted from N/A

Question

Natural gas is an energy source composed mainly of methane.

Natural gas is burned to produce steam which turns turbines in an electricity generating power plant.

The efficiency of several sources for power plants is given below.

Calculate the specific energy of methane, in MJ kg−1, using sections 1, 6 and 13 of the data booklet.

[1]
a.

Calculate the maximum electric energy output, in MJ, which can be obtained from burning 1.00 kg of methane by using your answer from (a).

[1]
b(i).

Hydroelectric power plants produced 16 % of the world’s energy in 2015, down from 21 % in 1971.

Suggest why hydroelectric power production has a higher efficiency than the other sources given in (b) and why its relative use has decreased despite the high efficiency.

 

Reason for higher efficiency:

Reason for decreased use:

[2]
b(ii).

Methane can also be obtained by fractional distillation of crude oil.

Draw a circle on the diagram to show where the methane fraction is withdrawn.

[1]
c(i).

List the following products, which are also obtained by fractional distillation, according to decreasing volatility: asphalt, diesel, gasoline, lubricating motor oil.

[1]
c(ii).

Explain how methane absorbs infrared (IR) radiation by referring to its molecular geometry and dipole moment.

[3]
d(i).

Compare methane’s atmospheric abundance and greenhouse effect to that of carbon dioxide.

[1]
d(ii).

Markscheme

« 891 kJmo l 1 16 .05gmo l 1 = 55.5 kJ g–1 =» 55.5 «MJ kg–1»  [✔]

a.

«55.5 MJ × 58 % =» 32.2 «MJ»  [✔]

b(i).

Reason for higher efficiency:
no heat/energy loss in producing steam
OR
no need to convert chemical energy of the fuel into heat and then heat into mechanical energy
OR
direct conversion of «gravitational» potential energy to mechanical energy  [✔]

Note: Accept “less energy lost as heat” but do not accept "no energy lost”.

 

Reason for decreased use:
limited supply of available hydroelectric sites
OR
rapid growth of electrical supply in countries with little hydroelectric potential
OR
not building «new hydroelectric» dams because of environmental concerns  [✔]

Note: Accept “new/alternative/solar/wind power sources «have taken over some of the demand»”.
Accept “lower output from existing stations due to limited water supplies”.

b(ii).

    []

c(i).

gasoline > diesel > lubricating motor oil > asphalt  [✔] 

 

Note: Accept products written in this order whether separated by >, comma, or nothing.

c(ii).

methane is tetrahedral
OR
methane has zero dipole moment/is non-polar/bond polarities cancel  [✔]

Any two of:
IR absorption can result in increased vibrations/bending/stretching  [✔]

only modes that cause change in dipole absorb IR [✔]

for methane this is asymmetric bending/stretching [✔]

d(i).

methane is less abundant AND has a greater effect «per mol»  [✔]

d(ii).

Examiners report

About half the candidates were able to locate the appropriate data and use it to calculate the specific energy of methane.

a.

Many students were aware that methane is the major component of natural gas and could use the efficiency data to calculate the electrical energy available from methane.

b(i).

This seemed to cause quite a lot of difficulties, especially as some students appeared totally unaware of what hydroelectric power was, with a number discussing it as if it were some kind of fuel. The most usual mark gained was from discussing environmental concerns as a reason for its decreased use.

b(ii).

Having been given it is a gas, it is difficult to know why probably only about a third of the candidates could identify where methane would appear on a fractionating column.

c(i).

Again surprisingly poorly done. Firstly there appeared to be some confusion about the term “volatility” with listing in the reverse order being quite common. Secondly many seemed unaware of the nature of “asphalt” as it was the one most frequently misplaced.

c(ii).

Comprehensive answers were rare. Many students gained a mark for correct statements about methane’s molecular geometry or polarity, though quite a few totally disregarded the instruction to refer to these. Some seemed aware of the link to vibrational motion and the better ones also identified the need for a change in dipole moment.

d(i).

Quite a few candidates were aware of the relative atmospheric abundances of carbon dioxide and methane as well as their relative potency for enhancing the greenhouse effect.

d(ii).

Syllabus sections

Options » C: Energy » C.1 Energy sources
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