Fabrication of ternary oxide, (U, Ce, Gd)O2

MOX(Mixed Oxide), (U, Pu)O2, is an alternative nuclear fuel to increase uranium efficiency and to use recycled plutonium in the nuclear power reactors. The increased content of PuO2 leads to a high burn-up. Gadolinia, Gd2O3, is an efficient neutron absorber, and the solid solution type of UO2-Gd2O3 has been widely used as a burnable poison in most nuclear power reactors. However, few study on the fabrication of MOX-Gd2O3 fuel has been reported. In this work, feasibility of fabrication of ternary system oxide, UO2-10wt%CeO2-Gd2O3(4, 6wt%) is examined. CeO2 powder was used as surrogate of PuO2, owing to its high temperature material properties