2018 | AFC ACCOMPLISHMENTS 51 powder that has been size reduced and exposed to air or prolonged exposure (e.g., 2 weeks) in a glove box atmosphere will decrease the theoretical density (TD) of the pellets from 98% to 79% of the theoretical density.This effect has been difficult to study given that benchtop techniques (i.e., dilatom- etry) expose oxygen sensitive green pellets to air prior to the experi- ment, which convolutes the analysis of sintering kinetics. In order to overcome this technical challenge, a dilatometer was installed within an inert atmosphere glove box to allow transfer of the samples to the instru- ment without exposure to oxygen. In doing so, this study provides fundamental sintering kinetic data that can be used by industrial teams to efficiently develop furnace sched- ules while scaling up fuel fabrication of this class of fuels. Accomplishments: The impact of atmosphere on the sintering kinetics of U3Si2 was investigated for the first time using a dilatometer installed within an inert glove box. A glove box was installed at the Fuels Research Laboratory in Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) with a high temperature (