The present paper deals with the reliability analysis of El Houareb earth dam (Tunisia). A conventional Three-dimensional limit equilibrium analysis has been performed for the dam using CLARA computer program. Also a simplified reliability associated with particular failure mechanism, is considered. The Spatial variability of soil properties is represented by a random field. The global probability of failure of El Houareb earth dam has been investigated.

Stability of the superconducting generator (SCG) is a key concern in developing this machine. The paper here presents a method for enhancing stability of a SCG connected to an infinite-bus system using one of FACTS devices. In this method, a static VAR compensator (SVC)-based stabilizer is designed in coordination with a governor controller (GC) to effectively damp the mechanical oscillations which arise in the system when subjected to a major disturbance. A time response-based objective function is defined and the design problem of an SVC-based stabilizer and GC is formulated into an optimization problem. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique is employed to find out an optimal set of parameters for the SVC-based stabilizer and GC. Simulation results and damping torque analysis show that the proposed PSO-based control scheme provides more damping to the SCG, and enhances its stability over a range of operating conditions.

This work aims to study the effective parameters on forced ventilation by which the fire can be put under control. There are many parameters which specify the forced ventilation such as ventilation factor, this parameter was investigated experimentally using a modified test rig in order to supply different ventilation rates into the compartment with different ventilation factors while different types of fuel with different masses were used (benzene" gasoline " of 4.4, 8.8 and 13.2 gm and wood particles of 5, 10 and 15 gm.

Solar desalination is a rapidly growing field of research. The coming global oil crisis implies that alternatives to the conventional desalination plants based on fossil fuels must be developed. Solar desalination can be either direct, with collectors and condensers integrated with each other, or indirect, with condensers externally connected to the condensers. Direct solar desalination requires large land areas and has a relatively low productivity compared to the indirect technologies. It is however competitive to indirect desalination plants in small-scale production due to its relatively low cost and simplicity. Indirect solar desalination usually means combining conventional desalination techniques, such as MSF, ME or RO, with solar collectors for heat generation. The main advantages of the investigation is providing for water purification process in the desert of K.A.S. The paper presents the performance evaluation of one- side vertical solar still tested under desert climatic conditions of K.A.S. Hourly and daily measurements of still productivity, temperatures of water film, glass cover, inlet of brackish water into solar still, ambient air temperature and solar radiation were recorded. The highest value of hourly still efficiency is 59 % recorded at 15:30.

In the last decades there have been a great increase in engineering knowledge and a rapid rate of what students should learn. Also, there has been a rising need for gaining different skills. This led education institutions to try some student-centered learning approaches such as problem-based learning (PBL). This approach showed many advantages. Nevertheless, it suffers from some problems and disadvantages. In the present paper, many of the PBL trials have been reviewed thoroughly. A model for applying PBL approach in engineering education has been proposed. The model enables benefiting from the advantages of this approach such as increasing the students' motivation and increasing their skills. Also, the model avoids the disadvantages and cures the problems of the PBL approach.