Five decades of operation and utilisation of Apsara reactor

Apsara the first nuclear research reactor in Asia outside the then USSR was built within a record time by Indian scientists and engineers and went critical on 4th August 1956. The facility was named Apsara and dedicated to the nation by the first Prime Minister of India, Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru on 20th January 1957. Commissioning of Apsara laid the foundation stone for nuclear research and technology development programme in India. The reactor has completed 50 years of glorious service to the nation on 4th August 2006. It has an excellent record of operation with an average availability factor of over 85 % . It continuous to be an important tool for basic and applied research, covering a wide spectrum of areas investigation and utilization. This paper describes 50 years of operation and utilization of Apsara reactor and also of the proposal for life extension of the building and up-gradation of reactor systems for enhanced utilization for years to come. (author)