The
precursor was kept at 600 C for 2.5 h, cooled and ground to produce
UO2eGd2O3eCaO powder, which was pressed by 4 ton cm2
pressure into cylindrical powder bulks with the diameter of about
8 mm and the height of about 10 mm. The pressed powder bulks
were sintered in the reducing atmosphere into CaO-doped UO2-
10 wt% Gd2O3 ceramic fuel pellets. The sintering atmosphere was
H2, the sintering temperature was 1650 C, and the hold time was
3.5 h.