Air Liquide is a world leader in gases, technologies and services for industry and health. Present in 60 countries with 66 300 employees, the Group serves more than 4 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are small molecules essential to life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide's scientific territory and have been at the heart of the
Group's business since its creation in 1902.
Air Liquide places diversity at the heart of its activities and is committed in particular to promoting professional equality and the employment of workers with disabilities.
The Paris Innovation Campus (78 - Les Loges en Josas) is Air Liquide's largest R&D center.
It develops innovative solutions for all of the Group's activities. More than 250 researchers work in 48 laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and experimental platforms, enabling them to explore numerous research

 

How will you CONTRIBUTE and GROW?

 

Air Liquide has historical expertise in the design, construction, and operation of cryogenic distillation units. Process optimization, as well as equipment robustness and reliability, are key factors for ensuring the sustainable performance of these production units.

In many of these cryogenic installations, the control of humidity levels in products and reactants is critical, both for process efficiency and for equipment longevity.

To achieve this, pressure vessels are used to adsorb and remove this moisture. These pieces of equipment typically operate in pairs because they follow a cyclic process alternating between two main phases:

The adsorption phase: The fluid (gas or liquid) passes through a fixed bed composed of an accumulation of solid particles (the adsorbent), which captures and retains the moisture.

The regeneration phase: Once the bed is saturated with water, it is taken offline to be regenerated. This step often involves increasing the temperature to cause the desorption of moisture (this is the principle of TSA - Thermal Swing Adsorption).

The core of this equipment is therefore constituted by these accumulations of solid particles, which are called "granular media" (milieux granulaires). From a mechanical perspective, these materials exhibit a complex, hybrid behavior, situated between that of a solid and that of a fluid.

The objective of this internship is to develop an advanced model for the mechanical integrity of this equipment, using a specific approach for granular media to precisely simulate the behavior of this environment. To do this, the intern will be required to:

• Analyze the literature on the modeling of desiccators and the mechanics of granular media (discrete vs. continuous approaches).

• Define the most relevant modeling strategy and implement it to capture the system's behavior (flow, contact forces, friction).

• Identify the model parameters from experimental data or the literature.

• Compare the model's predictions with field observations or pilot test data.

 

Are you a MATCH?

 

• Final-year engineering student ("Élève-ingénieur") or Master 2 student (Bac+5).

• Specialization: Mechanical Engineering, Granular Media Mechanics, Numerical Modeling, or Physics.

• Essential Skill: Strong knowledge of solid mechanics and/or fluid mechanics.

• Highly Valued Skill: A first experience or strong interest in granular media modeling (DEM).

• Tools: A first experience with simulation software.

• Qualities: Scientific rigor, autonomy, technical curiosity, and good analytical and synthesis skills.

Additional Information

Air Liquide has been awarded the Happy Trainees label.

The internship will be carried out at Campus Innovation Paris, Air Liquide's R&D center in France located in Loges-en-Josas (1, Chemin de la Porte des Loges).

• Geographical location: France / Ile de France / 78 - Les loges

• Desired start date: March 2026

• Duration of the internship : 6 months

To know more about our company and get some tips to join us, click here

 

Our Differences make our Performance

At Air Liquide, we are committed to build a diverse and inclusive workplace that embraces the diversity of our employees, our customers, patients, community stakeholders and cultures across the world.

We welcome and consider applications from all qualified applicants, regardless of their background. We strongly believe a diverse organization opens up opportunities for people to express their talent, both individually and collectively and it helps foster our ability to innovate by living our fundamentals, acting for our success and creating an engaging environment in a changing world.