The simulated DUPIC fuel provides a convenient way to investigate fuel properties and behaviours such as thermal conductivity, thermal expansion, fission gas release, leaching and so on. Several pellets simulating the composition and microstructure of the DUPIC fuel were fabricated from resintering powder through the OREOX process of the simulated spent fuel pellets, which were prepared from the mixture of stable forms of constituent nuclides. This study describes the powder treatment, OREOX, compaction and sintering to fabricate simulated DUPIC fuel using the simulated spent fuel. The homogeneity of additives in the powder was observed after attrition milling. The microstructure of the simulated spent fuel was in agreement with the previous studies. The densities and the grain size of simulated DUPIC fuel was pellets are higher than those of simulated spent fuel pellets. Small metallic precipitates and oxide precipitates were observed on matrix grain boundaries.

The oxidation behavior of the simulated spent fuel of burn up 33 MWD/kgU was investigated to predict that of the spent fuel in the temperature ranges of 400 to and was compared with those of . The forms of uranium oxides after the oxidation were conformed by XRD analyses. The oxidation rate at each the temperature and the activation energy were obtained. After complete oxidation, the simulated spent fuel was converted to and pulverized to powder due to the density difference between the simulated spent fuel and uranium oxides. The activation energies were 85.35 and 30.77kJ/mol in the temperature ranges of 400T()500 and 500T()700, respectively.