<p>CIRUS (Canada India Reactor Utility Services), refurbished in 2003, can operate for a few more years but "as per our commitment under Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement, we will be shutting it down on December 31," top nuclear scientists said at a function organised to mark 50 years of CIRUS and 25 years of another research reactor Dhruva here today.<br /><br />However, one more research reactor will come up at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)'s new campus at Visakhapatnam in the next few years to take India's nuclear programme to greater heights, they said.<br /><br />The indigenous fuel used in CIRUS will be allowed to cool and will be taken to the reprocessing plant in BARC complex here, BARC Director R K Sinha said at the function.<br /><br />The rest of the facility, after decontamination, can be used for students' training, he said.<br />"The reactor will, however, not be decommissioned," Sinha said and added it can be used in a variety of ways.<br /><br />"The structure of CIRUS could be converted into a neutron producing system for doing sub-critical experiments," Sinha said, adding discussions are going on for making best use of this landmark research reactor post-shutdown.<br /><br />He said the whole process of shifting the fuel and decontamination will take at least one year.</p>
<p>CIRUS (Canada India Reactor Utility Services), refurbished in 2003, can operate for a few more years but "as per our commitment under Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement, we will be shutting it down on December 31," top nuclear scientists said at a function organised to mark 50 years of CIRUS and 25 years of another research reactor Dhruva here today.<br /><br />However, one more research reactor will come up at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)'s new campus at Visakhapatnam in the next few years to take India's nuclear programme to greater heights, they said.<br /><br />The indigenous fuel used in CIRUS will be allowed to cool and will be taken to the reprocessing plant in BARC complex here, BARC Director R K Sinha said at the function.<br /><br />The rest of the facility, after decontamination, can be used for students' training, he said.<br />"The reactor will, however, not be decommissioned," Sinha said and added it can be used in a variety of ways.<br /><br />"The structure of CIRUS could be converted into a neutron producing system for doing sub-critical experiments," Sinha said, adding discussions are going on for making best use of this landmark research reactor post-shutdown.<br /><br />He said the whole process of shifting the fuel and decontamination will take at least one year.</p>