The practical tryout of a PLC controlled automation process is a well known problem. This paper presents a process simulation tool, developed under the windows operating system, which can be used with any type of programmable logic controller. The process editor is comprehensive and is easy to use. An inexpensive hardware interface is established between the serial port of a personal computer and the digital and analog inputs/outputs of the PLC.

The development of existing technologies and the emergence of new technologies aiming at the total decarbonization of the buildings sector by 2050 requires and encourages upskilling and reskilling of existing professionals as well as the development of new subjects from higher education courses to be able to respond to the demands of these challenges. In responding to those challenges, the main objective of the research is to design, implement, and evaluate a novel, integrated, and transnational educational approach aimed at equipping professionals and students in the construction sector with the necessary skills to achieve sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. This study aligns with the European Union’s 2050 decarbonization goals by developing innovative methodologies that address the multidisciplinary challenges of sustainable building design, operation, and renovation. The proposed educational approach was developed in the framework of an Erasmus+ project entitled “Training for Sustainable and Healthy Building for 2050 (BUILD2050)”. Six higher education institutions from five European countries joined forces to create transversal skills in the building sector knowledge for emerging challenges through an integrated training composed of eight training courses for students and professionals of the construction area. In this work, the pedagogical approach used to develop the course contents, curricular development issues, technology, and infrastructure, as well as student support, the results obtained from the evaluation carried out after the pilot training of the eight training courses, and best practices and lessons learned, are presented and discussed. The courses’ learning objectives, the learning material, and the assessment activities were well-accomplished. However, based on the feedback of students and teachers, some improvements for future editions of the courses are required.

This paper presents an analytical function approach to determine the flux-linkage characteristics for an 8/6 switched reluctance motor. The design of the proposed model is based on experimental magnetization curves. In order to achieve less expense and time, regarding the simulation and implementation proposes, the model curves are calculated from main parameters normally available or easily measured. Simulation is used to evaluate the model operation. The developed model was experimentally verified and results are presented in this paper.

The switched reluctance machine (SRM) was, during the last decade, target of the attention of researchers. Some studies stand out the application potentialities of the machine, another's developed the machine design for better performance in terms of efficiency, good torque and speed behavior. Others denote the possibility of good machine functioning without the position sensor and there are still others presenting a way to reduce the noise produced in dynamic regimen. However, there are very few works about the analysis of the machine behavior regarding its shaft position. This work presents some results in this thematic, studying and analyzing its geometry and torque values necessary to develop when a shaft position is intended. Some methodologies are presented in order to be applied to obtain a shaft position. One of them is based on experimental results taking into account the two phases that are necessary to excite simultaneously in order to produce the immobilization of the motor shaft in one determined position.