Fuel pellet manufacturing method

Hydrous silicate material (for example, kaolin) is heated in a reducing atmosphere to scatter water of crystallization into anhydrous silicate. It is heated to a high temperature, cooled and then pulverized into an amorphous powder. The powder is admixed with uranium dioxide power or a mixed oxide fuel powder. The mixture is place in a molding die and compression-molded into pellets by using a press. The molding product is heated to a high temperature in a reducing atmosphere and then cooled into sintered pellets. This can avoid the reduction of silicate material by scattering in the production step of the fuel pellets and reliably attain the effect of improving the creep characteristics of fuel pellets with the silicate material. (I.N.)