Standard thermogravimetric apparatuses offer highly desirable conditions for the study of the chemical kinetics of oil shale pyrolysis and combustion, such as controlled temperature and simultaneous weighing of the sample. The thermogravimetric analyses must be carried out in such conditions that the observed reaction rate is identical to the rate of the chemical kinetics. This study investigated the effects of key parameters which could affect this identity, such as: the gas flow rate, the gas purity, the gas nature, the particle sizes and sample sizes. The paper suggests values for these parameters.Standard thermogravimetric apparatuses offer highly desirable conditions for the study of the chemical kinetics of oil shale pyrolysis and combustion, such as controlled temperature and simultaneous weighing of the sample. The thermogravimetric analyses must be carried out in such conditions that the observed reaction rate is identical to the rate of the chemical kinetics. This study investigated the effects of key parameters which could affect this identity, such as: the gas flow rate, the gas purity, the gas nature, the particle sizes and sample sizes. The paper suggests values for these parameters.1012151156Haddadin, R.A., Mizyed, F.A., Thermogravimetric analysis kinetics of Jordan oil shale (1974) Ind. Eng. Chem. Process Des. Dev., 13 (4), pp. 332-336Campbell, J.H., Koskinas, G.H., Stout, N.D., Kinetics of oil generation from Colorado oil shale (1978) Fuel, 57, pp. 372-376Rajeshwar, K., The kinetics of the thermal decomposition of green river oil shale Kerogen by non-isothermal thermogravimetry (1981) Thermochimica Acta, 45, pp. 253-263Thakur, D.S., Nuttall H.E., Jr., Kinetics of pyrolysis of Moroccan oil shale by thermogravimetry (1987) Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 26, pp. 1351-1356Capudi, G., (1990) Kinetics and Mechanism of Thermal Decomposition of Oil Shale from Irati Formation, , MSc Thesis, Instituto de Quimica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, in PortugueseHubbard, A.B., Robinson, W.E., A Thermal Decomposition Study of Colorado Oil Shale (1950) USA Bureau of Mines Report of Investigations, 4744. , USADiricco, L., Barrick, P.L., Pyrolysis of oil shale (1956) Ind. Eng. Chem., 48 (8), pp. 1316-1319Allred, V.D., Kinetics of oil shale pyrolysis (1966) Chem. Eng. Prog., 62 (8), pp. 55-60Shih, S.M., Sohn, H.Y., Nonisothermal determination of the intrinsic kinetics of oil generation from oil shale (1980) Ind. Eng. Chem. Process Des. Dev., 19, pp. 420-426Yang, H.S., Sohn, H.Y., Kinetics of oil generation from oil shale from Liaoning Province of China (1984) Fuel, 63, pp. 1511-1514Lisboa, A.C.L., (1997) Investigations on Oil Shale Particle Reactions, , PhD Thesis, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver