Glossaire :Fermentation [...] Futures market

Fermentation (see the French definition ): Fermentation is a biochemical reaction during which certain organic substances transform under the action of micro-organisms. It is particularly useful for producing renewable energies, especially by means of biomass (e.g. burning waste).
Firedamp explosion (see the French definition ): Free methane gas can be found in coal mines. It will explode if it interacts with the air and comes into contact with a spark. This has caused many fatal accidents in coal mines.
Fisher-Tropsch Process (see the French definition ): An expensive yet effective chemical process used to convert coal or natural gas into a range of different hydrocarbons, by producing the intermediate “synthetic gas” (a mixture of carbon monoxide [CO] and hydrogen [H2]).
Flag of convenience (see the French definition ): Flags of convenience are a means of registration granted by some countries to all commercial vessels (including oil tankers) to avoid paying tax in their country. The vessel owners can then benefit from low taxes in the countries in which the vessels are registered. But on the other hand these countries do not carry out any in-depth technical or human checks on the vessels.
Flat-plate collector (see the French definition ): Solar collector device without concentration where the surface of the absorber is flat.
Flotation (see the French definition ): Separation of chemical compounds based on how they behave in water e.g. coal floats while the other ore components, called tails, sink to the bottom.
Fox effect (piping) (see the French definition ): The term “fox effect” describes the situation when dam water infiltrates the dam itself or enters underneath the dam.
FPSO (see the French definition ): Floating Production Storage Offloading. When oil from an offshore deposit reaches the surface and it is not cost-effective to pipe the oil to land via a pipeline (because this is very expensive), the oil has to be processed onsite. An FPSO vessel is used for this purpose, i.e. a processing and storage vessel. It works independently at sea. An FPSO contains a unit for processing and stabilizing the oil, as well as the pumps, generators, storage tanks and a unit for processing seawater.
Fractional distillation (see the French definition ): Fractional distillation is a means of processing crude oil by separating lighter molecules from the heavier molecules. The oil is heated in a 60m high tower and the heating causes the oil to start evaporating. The majority evaporates, only leaving behind the heaviest molecules, which are bitumen. Different oil products are collected at outlets located at different points on the tower. The last and lightest gases to be collected are petroleum gases which are collected at the highest outlet on the tower. This method means that many different products can be collected.
Fuel (see the French definition ): A fuel is a liquid or gas from which combustion energy is obtained (i.e., the energy produced when the liquid or gas is ignited). This is the process used to run vehicles, for example. In the car industry, a distinction is made between fossil fuels (derived from refined crude oil) and biofuels (produced from organic plant or animal matter).
Fuel assembly (see the French definition ): Fuel assemblies are located in the core of nuclear reactors, where fission occurs and energy is generated. Each assembly is made up of fuel rods that are bundled together (tubes comprising uranium oxide pellets) and in total has 200-500kg of nuclear fuel.
Fuel cell (see the French definition ): A fuel cell can continuously convert energy released by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. A fuel cell can, for example, power a vehicle engine without producing any greenhouse gas emissions or other pollutants.
Fuel rod (see the French definition ): In nuclear power stations, a fuel rod is a long metal tube where the fuel pellets are placed (enriched uranium-235).
Futures market (see the French definition ): A futures market is a special kind of market where, in the oil sector, a trader can buy and sell quanities of oil which do not exist yet (“paper oil”). This mechanism means that the trader can protect himself against the financial risks involved in oil price fluctuations.