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A small-scale hydrothermal process (CHTP) system for converting swine manure into oil was developed to evaluate the technical feasibility of a continuous mode process. The CHTP unit has a capacity to process up to 3.6 kg of raw manure per hour and is mainly composed of a manure pre-processor, a low-flow rate high-pressure slurry feeder, a process gas feeding system, a hightemperature high-pressure reactor, gas and liquid products separation vessel, and process controllers. The effect of temperature, pressure, retention time, and process gas on oil yield and quality was evaluated. Experiment results showed oil yields as high as 70% (based on volatile solids content of the swine manure feedstock) when using an operating temperature of 305C, operating pressure of 1,500 psi, and hydraulic retention time of 80 minutes. The average heating value of the oil product was 28,312 kJ/kg (12,205 Btu/lb). An energy balance showed that the process is a net energy producer.