The hydrous thermo-simulation experiments on Liushuhe oil shale were conducted in autoclave.Consecutive first order reaction model involving bitumen as an intermediate product was developed to determine the kinetic parameters.It was found that the apparent activation energy of kerogen pyrolysis was about 110 kJ·mol-1
which was lower than the apparent activation energy of bitumen pyrolysis.According to the results
the mechanism of oil shale pyrolysis and the influence of aqueous medium were tentatively investigated.Compared to anhydrous pyrolysis
the maximum pyrolysis temperature under saturated condition was about 120℃ lower.