50-yr research nuke reactor CIRUS shuts down forever

CIRUS (Canada India Reactor Utility Services), refurbished in 2003, has been shut down permanently by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre(BARC) as per our commitment under Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement, BARC director R K Sinha said.

It played an important role in the development of the country’s indigenous nuclear power programme and also in the first nuclear test in Pokhran in 1974 using the plutonium from its spent fuel as part of strategic programme of the Department of Atomic Energy.

Supplied by Canada, CIRUS, which used the indigenous uranium fuel, has been fully utilised. It attained criticality (first nuclear chain reaction) on July 10, 1960. “The scientists had worked out a way by which they were able to utilise the fuel fully before the reactor was shut down,” Sinha said.

Although it could have operated for few more years, the research reactor had to be shut down permanently because of India’s commitment—-purely a political one. “We are not attaching any significance to the process,” Sinha said, adding “it is like any other long-term shutdown of any reactor for thosee who work with reactors.”

The most important step in shutting down is the slow draining out of heavy water moderator, Sinha said. The pumps in the reactor will be on for quite some time to remove the decay heat and all other systems will be kept operational to maintain the process condition, commensurate with the residual heat released from the core of the reactor.

He said the whole process of shifting the fuel and decontamination will take at least one year. Therefore, the scientists, engineers and others  will continue to be occupied with it for at least a year more or so, he added.