In order to study the relationship between the chemical structure and pyrolysis products of oil shale, a series of experiments with Huadian oil shale of China were performed at various heating rates (10, 20 and 50 degrees C/min) by using Thermogravimetric Analysis-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (TG-FTIR). The quantitative analysis of pyrolysis products, including CH4, CO, CO2, H2O and shale oil, was carried out. The results showed the temperature at which the evolution rate of pyrolysis products reached a peak value. Also, the evolution rate was found to increase with increasing heating rate. For the abovementioned pyrolysis products, the values of kinetic parameters such as activation energy (E) and pre-exponent factor (A) were between 183 and 270 kJ center dot mol(-1) and from 3.3 x 10(9) to 2.8 x 10(13) s(-1), respectively. The Functional Group-Depolymerization Vaporization Crosslinking (FG-DVC) pyrolysis model based on the chemical structure of fuel was employed to simulate the evolution process of CH4, CO, CO2, H2O and shale oil at three different heating rates: 10, 20 and 50 degrees C/min. The simulation results were in good agreement with TG-FTIR experimental data, indicating the applicability of the FG-DVC model to modelling the pyrolysis process of oil shale.