Nuclear engineering plays a strategic role in Brazil’s technological, medical, and energy sectors. As the global demand for clean, reliable baseload energy and advanced industrial technologies grows, Brazil has been advancing several key nuclear projects. This Panel Discussion aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and future perspectives of Brazilian nuclear engineering, exploring both power generation and applied nuclear technologies.

The session will cover a wide range of strategic national initiatives. Discussions will highlight the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (RMB), a milestone project designed to ensure national autonomy in radioisotope production for nuclear medicine, industry, and scientific research. The panel will also explore the design and development of the Brazilian nuclear microreactor, an innovative solution with potential applications for remote off-grid regions and specific industrial needs. In the context of large-scale baseload energy generation, the ongoing development, challenges, and prospects associated with the Angra 3 nuclear power plant will be analyzed. Furthermore, the session will showcase the interdisciplinary impact of nuclear engineering by detailing the development and application of radiotracers for leak detection in oil production lines, illustrating a vital synergy between nuclear technology and the robust Brazilian oil and gas sector.

MODERATOR

Prof. Tiago Augusto Moreira, University of Campinas (UNICAMP)

Dr. Tiago Augusto Moreira is a Professor at the Department of Energy in the School of Mechanical Engineering (FEM) at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. He is the founder and head of the High Operating Temperature Energy Systems Laboratory (HOTeS Lab), which focuses on experimental and modeling studies in thermal hydraulics for high-temperature advanced energy systems. His research spans liquid sodium heat pipes for nuclear microreactors and solar applications; advanced heat exchangers (such as Triply Periodic Minimal Surface – TPMS and printed circuit heat exchangers); two-phase flows under prototypical PWR and BWR conditions; and the use of supercritical fluids in power cycles. Prof. Moreira has significant expertise in advanced flow and temperature instrumentation, including distributed thermal sensing optical fibers and X-ray flow imaging, with notable experimental research conducted in connection with the Thermal Hydraulics Laboratory and Solar Energy Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.


PANELISTS

Horus Ibrahim Orlandi, Diamante Energia/Terminus

Dr. Horus Ibrahim Orlandi holds a PhD in Physics from the Federal University of ABC (UFABC), with expertise in plasma physics applied to nuclear fusion and complex systems modeling. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia: Física Nuclear e Aplicações (INCT-FNA) in nuclear engineering, focusing on neutronics, heat transfer, heat pipes, and HALEU fuel integration. He has professional experience in process and project management, as well as research, development, and innovation (R&D&I), and currently works at Terminus S. A. as Project Manager for developing and testing critical technologies for nuclear microreactors focused on the Brazilian Microreactor Project.

Patricia da Silva Pagetti de Oliveira, National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN)

Dr. Patrica da Silva Pagetti de Oliveira earned her Bachelor’s degree in Statistics in 1983 from the Institute of Mathematics and Statistics of the University of Sao Paulo (IME-USP). In 1989, she obtained her Master’s degree in Statistics from IME-USP, with a concentration in Reliability Theory. In 2014, she earned her Ph.D. in Nuclear Technology from IPEN-USP. She has more than 39 years of experience in the nuclear field, acting mainly in the safety analysis of nuclear facilities and reliability analysis of systems for both nuclear and conventional industrial facilities. From 1987 to mid-2022, she was a member of the expert team for Probabilistic Safety Assessment of nuclear facilities at the Nuclear Engineering Center (CEENG) of the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute of the Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission (IPEN-CNEN). She also served on the CEENG management team from 2015 to 2022. Since 2008, she has been involved in developing the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (RMB) project. In 2022, she left IPEN and was appointed Technical Advisor to the CNEN Research and Development Directorate (DPD/CNEN) for RMB affairs. In 2025, she was appointed Coordinator of the Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor, a role linked to the General Coordination of Strategic Nuclear Programs and Projects within the CNEN Research and Development Directorate.

Luís Brando, Institute of Nuclear Energy (IEN)

Dr. Luis Brandao is Bachelor in Physics (UFRJ, 1981), Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering (COPPE/UFRJ, 2001). He is the Head of the Radiotracers Laboratory at the Institute of Nuclear Energy (IEN), developing radiotracer methodologies for industry and the environment. His current work focuses on technological innovations for the oil and natural gas industry using advanced nuclear techniques.

Leon Matos, Eletronuclear

Dr. Leon Matos is a Mechanical Engineer, graduated from Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) in 2008. He holds a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering in thermal sciences, which he received in 2016 from UERJ. Since 2010, he has been working as a Process Engineer at Eletronuclear in the Systems Engineering Department, where he is involved in the design of the power cycle (secondary circuit) of Angra 2 and 3 Nuclear Power Plants, as well as in the design of spent fuel cooling systems. Dr. Leon also collaborates with the Group for Experiments and Simulations in Reservoir Environments (GESAR, Portuguese acronym), at UERJ, conducting research on passive cooling systems.