Homogeneity characterisation of sintered (U,Gd)O2 pellets by X-ray diffraction

(U,Gd)O-2 sintered pellets are fabricated by different methods. The homogeneity characterisation of the Gd content seems to be necessary for a production control to qualify the process and the final product obtained, In this paper. we propose an analysis of the X-ray diffraction powder patterns through the Rieveld method. in which the differences between the experimental and the calculated data proposed from a crystalline structure model are evaluated. This result allows us to determine the cell parameters, that can be correlated with the Gd concentration, and the existence of other phases with different Gd contents. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.