The effects of retorting temperature of oil shale on the yield and properties of shale oil produced were studied in a batch reactor. US western oil shale was retorted at the temperatures of 400, 450, and 500 degrees C. During the retorting process, shale oil samples were collected at different time periods and their distillation characteristics were analyzed. The yield of shale oil was increased with increasing reaction temperature, but the ratio of oil/gas was reduced in the retorting at 500 degrees C. This implies that there exists an optimal retorting temperature for the maximum yield of liquid oil. It is noticeable that the boiling point of shale oil was lowest when the retorting was carried out at 450 degrees C and the shale oils obtained in the retorting at 400 and 500 degrees C showed similar boiling point distributions. In the analysis of shale oil collected at different time periods, high boiling point oils were produced initially, and later low boiling point oils were produced. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.