Non-Isothermal Pyrolysis and Kinetics of Oil Shales

In this research, non-isothermal pyrolysis behavior and kinetics of three oil shales were studied by thermal analysis methods. All the thermal effects were endothermic and no exothermic region was observed in DSC curves. When oil shales are heated in nitrogen atmosphere in TG/DTG, two different mechanisms causing loss of mass were observed. The region between ambient temperature and 500 K was distillation. The second mechanism was visbreaking and cracking and it was observed between the region 500 and 800 K. Kinetic parameters of all the samples are determined by Coats and Redfern method and the results are discussed with regard to their accuracy and the ease of interpretation. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.