Comparative pyrolysis and combustion kinetics of oil shales

In this research, thermal characteristics and kinetic parameters of eight T urkish oil shale samples were determined by thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) at no n-isothermal heating conditions both for pyrolysis and combustion processes . A general computer program was developed and the methods are compared wit h regard to their accuracy and the ease of interpretation of the kinetics o f thermal decomposition. Activation energies of the samples were determined by five different methods and the results are discussed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.