The pyrolysis characteristics of oil sand at different heating rate was investigated by using a thermogravimetric analyzer. The results showed that the mass loss of oil sand sample contained four processes: desorption

low temperature pyrolysis

main pyrolysis and char condensation. The evolution order of CO2

CO

C2H6

CH4 and H2 was determined via the micro fixed bed reactor coupled with mass spectra analyzer

and the corresponding initial releasing temperature were 155

178

146

174 and 354℃

respectively. The composition and chemical structure parameters of liquid and solid products in different temperature ranges were studied by NMR spectroscopy and IR spectrometry. The results showed that the principle reaction before 350℃ was desorption of light oil

in which the aromatic carbon ratio amounted to 7.92% including the breaking of carboxylic and alkyl side chains. The oil sand pyrolysis process mainly occurred in the temperature range of 350—520℃. The aromatic carbon ratio of the obtained pyrolysis oil was 23.51%. By using Coats-Redfern method

the corresponding activation energy of low temperature pyrolysis and main pyrolysis process were 27.63 and 90.30 kJ·mol-1

respectively

indicating that the activation energy of ring-opening and cracking reaction was higher than that of desorption of oil sand

decomposition of carboxyl and breaking of the weak bonds.