An Ethical Argument on Fracking

The recent technological advancements in energy extracting processes have proven to be a double edge sword that has caused a massive controversy in the past decade, specifically about hydraulic fracturing. Fracking is complex processes that demonstrates a simple principle of physics. Take water, sand, and chemicals and force the mixture into the ground to force out the raw energy sources.

Economically, fracking is a brilliant innovation in natural gas extraction. There is now a much larger source of natural energy that Americans can benefit from, which creates many hundreds of thousands of jobs, keeps energy bills for consumers lower, and keeps the nation independent from countries the United States has relied on for these energy sources. According to Dr. Scott A. Elias, professor of Quaternary Science at the University of London, "more than a third of natural gas burned in the US is coming from fracking wells, and shale gas is now cheaper than coal in the US."

Nearly everybody is on the same page when it comes to fracking when understanding its value economically, but the meat of the controversy is about the potential health and environmental effects. By actual scientific evidence, the effects of fracking have proven to better the environment. According to the US Energy Information Administration, just under half of the fall in greenhouse gas emissions are due to replacing the burning of coal with shale gas. However, Opponents believe that fracking negatively affects ground water reserves. Steve Everly of Energy in Depth has found dozens of experts and regulators including the US Dept. of Energy, US Geological Survey, the EPA, as well as a long list of others who have acknowledged that there is little or no evidence that fracking has ever contaminated groundwater.

Hydraulic fracturing has a long and prosperous history which is inconvenient for opponents to acknowledge. According to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, commercial fracking has been used by natural gas extracting companies since 1949.  History shows that we have little to worry about fracking procedures which produce economic growth as well as a clean and healthy environment.

To fully understand the importance of energy in our everyday lives, we must consider a simple scenario. The environment would remain perfectly unchanged should we quit driving cars that are fueled by carbon based products, stopped using electricity since generating it causes a large component of greenhouse emissions, and stopped using water and sewage systems since these operations have leached more cancer causing chemicals into the ground since the EPA has founded in 1970 than the EPA has totaled in every Resource Conservation Recovery Act super site cleanup recorded to date. Maybe not so simple after all, since few individuals cannot imagine life without cars, electricity, and indoor plumbing.

The works of Plato and Aristotle have manifested their importance in Western civilization today. Engineers continue to take what we know and apply it to real world situations with the guidance of morality and ethics. The role of ones character and virtues that determine and evaluate ethical behavior is known as virtue ethics, which place an emphasis on being rather than doing. Since morality stems from the identity and character of individuals rather than due to their actions, engineers embody virtue ethics in their daily work.

Virtue ethics will continue to guide engineers who will keep working on new products and processes. Engineers designs inventions and innovations with intrinsic values that will better humankind, and they will continue to be on the forefront of it all by finding technologies that satisfy both sides of the hydraulic fracturing issue. Energy is the key to everything, and it is intuitively obvious that we should frack. There are many government and state regulations on it that protect all citizens and America will continue to remain free, not being bounded by foreign energy bonds.

A News Analysis on Wind Power

Earlier this year The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) posted a news article titled "Environmental Impacts of Wind Power". The UCS did a great job in evaluating the pros and cons of wind power and provided factual data supported by credible sources. While the article goes into detail why wind power is a great source of renewable energy, it also lists current issues that must be overcome in order to further enhance the technology. The UCS was able to establish their credibility and logical consistency throughout the news article while considering the needs of the audience.

The UCS shows why wind technology is important to the nation by laying out some knowledge. Each year, the United States requires more energy to power products and devices that are used in commercial, industrial, and recreational settings. This increase in energy consumption requires more energy to be locally produced. With the shift toward a lesser impact on the environment, the energy sector is shifting from traditional fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy. However, all energy sources have some form of environmental impact. While it is true that fossil fuels cause a larger environmental footprint than renewable sources, it is important to understand the environmental impacts associated with generating power from renewable sources. This impact varies based on the type of technology utilized and geographic location.

The news article describes that wind power has been gradually added to the United States’ energy profile for the last two decades and due to advancements in technology and the increasing cost of energy today, described why wind power is quickly becoming a more prominent source of renewable energy. The logos of the article convinces the audience that harnessing wind power is a clean and sustainable way to generate electricity since no hazardous byproducts are produced. Wind is plentiful and inexhaustible which makes it an effective alternative to fossil fuels. While wind energy is a step in the right direction, there are many environmental impacts associated with power generation from wind that must be understood and alleviated.

The UCS is able to integrate pathos into the article by discussing that land is impacted by the wind power generating facilities. Since the turbine is located above the surface of the earth the only part of wind facilities that impact the earth is the base, roads, and transmission lines. Since wind turbines mostly directly affect farmers and ranchers, the UCS is able to discuss logical solutions. Wind farms can be strategically placed to minimize loss of land and productivity. For example, "A survey conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of large wind facilities in the United Sates found that they use between 30 and 141 acres per megawatt of power output capacity. However, less than 1 acre per megawatt is disturbed permanently."

The article uses more pathos by showing the impact of wind turbines on wildlife. In order to minimize the technological impact on the environment, research has been conducted to determine how wind facilities directly affect wildlife. Due to the spacing and features of wind turbines, habitat has been mostly unchanged. Ethos is established by providing the results of research that has been conducted. A study done by the National Wind Coordinating Committee found that in some locations, an increased number of bat and bird deaths have been reported. Fortunately, these impacts pose no serious threat to populations of species. Logos is also included to show that engineers are designing wind farms to minimize the impact on nature. To reduce the number of wildlife incidents, careful consideration must be taken in determining the best location for wind facilities.

The UCS shows more pathos by demonstrating that important engineering considerations in the design of the wind turbines to positively affect the public in health and safety. The two most common concerns are the visual impact and sound associated with operating these large mechanical devices. Individuals that live in close proximity to wind facilities have complained about the sound. According to government sponsored studies in Canada and Australia, these concerns do not adversely affect public health. Although safe, engineers continue to exercise good practices in order to satisfy those closely affected by sound. Advances in technology are minimizing blade issues and are using sound reducing materials in designs to better quell people’s concerns.   

The article continues to use logos and pathos by informing the audience that engineers all across the globe are reviewing these concerns and are designing newer and better wind facilities. Wind farms are being placed on farmland and pastures in remote areas that can support the network of facilities. These areas can continue to be nearly one hundred percent productive. The intrinsic values imbued within these marvelous apparatuses make them valuable to all while alleviating the environmental impact that people have on the world. The UCS wrote an effective article on the importance of wind turbines and where technology is moving while convincing the audience why.

A Review of Pipeline Enhancements

With recent movement towards a more environment friendly way of transporting oil and natural gas, the pipeline industry is under the watchful eyes of the government and the public. Since large amounts of petroleum and natural gas are moved through pipelines, accidents involving these devices give possibility to large natural disasters. The energy industry is always trying to find ways to enhance the systems that are employed to transport energy. Advanced engineering practices are yielding innovative solutions to these historic leaking problems. 

The cause of most pipeline failure is due in part to the reduced integrity of the pipeline. Mechanical engineers design flanges, studs, bolts, and pipeline that adequately deal with mechanical processes such as pressure, and strain while chemical engineers historically protect pipelines with chemical coatings. In recent years a new way of protecting pipelines has gotten electrical engineers involved in the pipeline industry and is proving to be a very successful method of protection. This method is known as cathodic protection.

When different metals are in electrical contact through an electrolyte, galvanic corrosion may take place. This simple process is due to a direct current cell making one metal more active than the other. The metal with enhanced activity becomes the anode and corrodes, while the other metal experiences diminished activity, creating a cathode which is protected by the suppression of corrosion. This method of electrochemical corrosion control can be applied to pipeline systems in order to reduce the corrosion of the outer wall of the pipe from the elements of the earth.

There are two ways that cathodic protection can be used to inhibit the corrosive effects of nature on steel pipeline. Coupling a structure with a more active metal produces a galvanic cell where the more active metal becomes an anode and provides an electron flux to the other metal which becomes cathodic. The result is that the cathode is protected while the sacrificial anode corrodes overtime. Alternatively, the second but more complicated method involves inducing a direct current between an inert anode and the structure that is to be protected. Electrons still flow to the structure and is protected from being the source of electrons. Induced current systems bury the anode and a small direct current is applied between the anode and the cathode.

Nearly all modern pipelines are coated and used in conjunction with cathodic protection systems to prevent corrosion at holidays. Holidays are holes or gaps in the protective coating that exposes the metal surface. Since the induced current systems are more complicated to install, the capital expenses needed to supply direct current to the system are higher than for a direct connection between the anode and cathode system. When weighed against the possibility of environmental disaster, engineers are reluctant overlook these protective systems. 

Various organizations overlook the pipeline industry and provide guidelines and regulations that all corporations must follow. The National Association of Corrosion Engineers specification for buried pipelines has adopted the following criteria for determining when a steel or cast iron structure is protected by means of cathodic protection.

• A voltage of -0.85 V relative to a copper/ saturated copper sulfate electrode
• A negative (cathodic) voltage shift of at least 300 mV caused by the application of cathodic protection current
• A minimum negative (cathodic) voltage shift of 100 mV determined by interrupting the current and measuring the voltage decay
• A voltage at least as negative (cathodic) as that originally established at the Tafel segment of the E-log I curve
• A net protective current from the electrolyte into the surface

The advent of cathodic protection in pipelines has already proven to reduce corrosion on pipeline and find damaged systems before they becomes a more serious issue. Cathodic protection benefits the environment by aiding in the prevention of major oil spills and resulting trauma to local ecosystems. Corporations in the energy business also benefit by better satisfying the needs and securities of their opponents. The consumer may find peace knowing that these corporations put the interests of society in mind before the prospects of profit. There is not a single person who will not benefit in some way by implementing cathodic protection in pipelines, even if they do not use petroleum and natural gas products.

What is Electrical Engineering?

In a world where technology dominates the growth and development of society, there is a need for technical specialists to design products and fix current issues. Engineering is the field that applies principles of science and mathematics to develop economical solutions to these technical problems. There are many branches of engineering today that focus on the development of every aspect of technology and society. While each branch of engineering is a dynamic field, electrical engineering is experiencing a massive and exciting shift to better fulfill the needs of the modern day consumer and the world in which we live.

Electrical engineers can choose to work in various sub disciplines such as power systems, controls, electronics, signal processing, telecommunications, and instrumentation. Power engineering deals with the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity and maintain the electrical networks known as power grids. Power grids are made up of transformers, substations, high and low voltage transmission lines, motors and generators. Consumers do not have to avoid the large costs associated in generating their own energy and can purchase it through a utility company. Control engineering focuses on modeling dynamic systems and controllers that cause systems to behave. Examples of this include propulsion systems in airliners and cruise controls in automobiles. Electronics engineers design and test circuits that use components that achieve specific functions. All cell phones, computers, and televisions are examples of electronic ingenuity. Signal processing is a very mathematically oriented area that is expanding with new applications including radar, audio processing, and broadcasting. Telecommunications focuses on transmission of information across channels such as a cable, optical fiber, or free space. By modulating the carrier wave an engineer can transmit and receive this data. Instrumentation engineering deals with designing devices that measure pressure, flow, and temperature. A background in physics is needed to design things like flight instruments on an aircraft such as wind speed and altitude devices.

The interests of engineers are as diverse as the field itself. Some choose electrical engineering because it is a diverse field with exciting opportunities. Engineers contribute to their communities, countries, and the future generations by creating products that help people improve their lives. Because engineers are on the forefront of invention and innovation they get to be a part of creating new and exciting products. Since engineers are in high demand, they may work anywhere, in large or small cities, and in populated areas or remote locations. Engineers get to travel around their communities and potentially around the world. Because engineers are flexible and have effective time management skills they can have a good work life balance. The growing skill shortages in the field of engineering generate higher graduate salaries and other benefits.

Engineers also share many values that make engineering a noble and highly regarded profession. Great engineers are concerned about performing the best technical excellence and desire to achieve excellence. Engineers respect the rich diversity of mankind and communicate effectively to uphold this respect. Social, civic, and political responsibilities build on the foundation of modern issues and commit to ethical conduct within their profession. Engineers are showing more environmental stewardship than in the past and strive to continue to learn throughout their lives. The betterment of humankind is the foundation of engineering and the safety of all is the primary concern for engineers.