Country
France
City
SOLAIZE
Workplace location
SOLAIZE-CHEMIN DU CANAL(FRA)
Domain
Research Innovation&Developpt
Type of contract
Internship
Duration of contract
6
Duration unit
Months
Experience
Less than 3 years

Context & Environment

To successfully integrate the electricity and renewable energies businesses, TotalEnergies has created a new entity, OneTech, which brings together all the technical and R&D expertise of the Exploration & Production, Refining & Chemicals, Marketing & Services and Gas, Renewables & Power divisions.


With nearly 3,400 engineers and technicians at several sites in Europe, OneTech is organized around 3 divisions: an industrial division to support the Company's growth in gas, renewable energies, power and CO2 emissions reduction; a Research & Development division to pursue the transformation of TotalEnergies, giving priority to a low-carbon mix; and a support functions division.


OneTech is one of the pillars of TotalEnergies' transformation into a multi-energy company.



Activities

The missions you will be entrusted with:

To achieve the environmental goals set for the ecological transition, innovative approaches are essential for making roads more sustainable. Current research focuses on two main strategies: designing roads with an extended lifespan and selecting materials that have a lower carbon footprint while maintaining the required mechanical properties. Within the road infrastructure field, TotalEnergies commercializes bitumen binders. Asphalt materials are a combination of 5 % bitumen binder and 95% of mineral aggregates. 

The binder is a key technological product that ensures the mechanical cohesion between the aggregates within a wide service temperature range. One strategy to make bitumen asphalt more sustainable is to use predictive tools to forecast bitumen asphalt’s lifespan in order to optimize its composition in term of durability. 

While predictive tests at the asphalt bitumen level are both material and time intensive, efficient tests were developed at the binder level. These tests predict road rutting and fatigue based on rheological tests. However, discrepancies were reported between the two test scales for fatigue predictions. This is attributed to the fact that binder-level tests do not account for binder-mineral interfacial interactions. To increase the accuracy of fatigue predictions, rheological tests can be performed on mastics1 , which are blends of pure binder and fine aggregates. 

Another strategy to make bitumen asphalt more sustainable is to replace conventional petroleum based binders with bio sourced alternatives 2 , or to recycle the asphalt material with the view of developing a circular economy. Few studies however have addressed the rheological properties of biosourced mastics, and the relationship between the fatigue of recycled asphalt material and the fatigue of the corresponding bitumen asphalt remains to be investigated. 

The focus of this internship will therefore be to investigate the rheological properties of mastics prepared with sustainable binders, with a focus on fatigue predictions.

  • 1. Liao, M.-C. et al. Characterization of Viscoelastic Properties of Bitumen-Filler Mastics, Asian Transport Studies, 3, (2014). https://doi.org/10.11175/eastsats.3.312 
  • 2. Castro-Alonso, M. J. et al. Physicochemical and aging characterisation of bio-binders from pine wood resin for paving applications. Road Mater. Pavement Des. 24, 229–244 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2023.2180306

 The selected candidate will :

  • Perform a literature review. 
  • Formulate the mastics. 
  • Prepare the samples for further analysis (microscopy, rheology..)
  •  Be in charge of performing the rheological tests and analyzing the data. 
  • Present his results to scientific audience and business partners when required. 
  • Write a formal report with a concrete conclusion.


THE INTERNSHIP AT TOTALENERGIES

By joining the Solaize Research Center (CRES), you'll be contributing to the co-construction of a multi-energy company! You'll join an ambitious team and benefit from real support in a friendly working environment.

 Some advantages of joining us?

A site accessible by public transport via the TCL network

An attractive salary

A wide range of meals at our company restaurant

Flexible working hours

Are you interested in this vacancy and would like to apply? Don't hesitate to send us your CV AND cover letter.

Candidate Profile

Are you looking for a 6-month internship as part of your studies starting in March 2025? Start your career with a stimulating experience at the heart of international teams committed to the energy transition!

 The Solaize Research Center (CRES One Tech), part of TotalEnergies, is looking for its future intern!

Do you have a 4/5-year university degree in engineering with a specialization in materials science? 

The profile and skills we're looking for: 

  • Material sciences 
  • Civil engineering 
  • Rheology 
  • Experimental skills
  • You have a very good level of English (read). 

Your behavioral skills :

  • Motivation for experimental work and applied research 
  • Autonomy 
  • Good interpersonal skills

Additional Information

TotalEnergies values diversity, promotes individual growth and offers equal opportunity careers.

TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy production and supply company: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gas, renewables and electricity. Its 105,000 employees are committed to making energy ever more affordable, clean, reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Present in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies places sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of populations.