Method of making a UO2 fuel pellet.

摘要

A nuclear fuel pellet is made by the process of dry blending the uranium dioxide sintering powder, which may contain enrichment and other additives, with aluminum distearate in the amount of 0.1 to 0.4 percent of the weight of the uranium dioxide sintering powder to obtain a blended mix. The mix is then pressed into green pellets which are fired into sintered pellets containing aluminum oxide as a residual constituent of the aluminum distearate. The aluminum distearate serves as a lubricant in the pressing process, while the residual aluminum oxide serves as a grain size control agent during sintering.