Philippe SCHMITZ
Philippe SCHMITZ
Professor
- +33 (0)5 61 55 94 35
- schmitz@insa-toulouse.fr
Actual position and research subject
My research activities mainly focus on (bio)particle accumulation on surfaces. They include particle adhesion and removal, biofilm formation, filtration cake and membrane fouling. To this end both experimental technics at local scale using optical and confocal microscopy, dedicated sensors and numerical simulations performed with COMSOL Multiphysics software are used. In the past years I designed and developed a shear flow chamber to characterize the physicochemical interactions between particles and surfaces. This device is still widely used in the TIM team. More recently, we developed in collaboration with LAAS a microfluidic device to observe the formation of microorganism deposits on a model filter and characterize its morphological properties. This study is the subject of Kevin Demont’s thesis, co-supervised by Mickaël Castelain. Other works on filtration performance in collaboration with Luc Fillaudeau aims to better understand the mechanisms that contribute to limiting membrane clogging in a system implementing dynamic filtration (RVF module).
My research activities are also dedicated to heat and mass transfer in porous media. Several studies on industrial applications were performed. A present study on the modelling of a fixed bed catalytic reactor is the subject of Liantsoa Randriambololona’s thesis, co-supervised by Arnaud Cockx and Marie-José Huguet (LAAS).
Education and Diploma
Fluid Mechanics Engineer
from the National School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Hydraulics of Toulouse (ENSEEIHT)
PhD
National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse (INPT),
Title: Interaction Mechanisms: Hydrodynamics and Aggregation in particle deposition in Crossflow Filtration
HDR
National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse (INPT)
Teaching
I am a Professor at Biochemical Engineering Department of INSA Toulouse.
I was Deputy Director (2013-2016) then Director (2016-2022) of the Biochemical Engineering Department at INSA Toulouse.
I deliver lectures, tutorials, and practical work in various chemical engineering disciplines at Batchelor and Master levels: fluid mechanics and heat and mass transfers, hydraulics, and process control. I also participate in a course called Energy Mix and Transition, which raises students’ awareness of the energy transition in relation to global warming.
List of selected publications
Ben Hassan, Ines, et al. “In Situ 3D Characterization of Bidisperse Cakes Using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy.” Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 466, no. 0, Sept. 2014, pp. 103–13, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2014.04.041.
Boulbene, Benjamin, et al. “A Combined Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Experimental Approach to Quantify the Adhesion Force of Bacterial Cells Attached to a Plane Surface.” AIChE Journal, vol. 58, no. 12, Dec. 2012, pp. 3614–24, https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.13747.
Cheng, Ming, et al. “Investigation of Instantaneous and Local Transmembrane Pressure in Rotating and Vibrating Filtration (RVF) Module: Comparison of Three Impellers.” Separation and Purification Technology, vol. 280, Jan. 2022, p. 119827, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2021.119827.
Degrave, Robin, et al. “Multiscale Analysis and Modelling of Fluid Flow within a Photocatalytic Textile.” Chemical Engineering Science, vol. 130, July 2015, pp. 264–74, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2015.03.021.
Frederic, Elsa, et al. “Modelling of Fluid Flow Distribution in Multichannel Ceramic Membrane: Application to the Filtration of Produced Water.” Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 567, décembre 2018, pp. 290–302, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2018.09.021.
Günther, Jan, et al. “Modeling the Effect of Packing Density on Filtration Performances in Hollow Fiber Microfiltration Module: A Spatial Study of Cake Growth.” Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 389, 2012, pp. 126–36, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2011.10.055.
Mercier-Bonin, M., et al. “Orientation and Detachment Dynamics of Bacillus Spores from Stainless Steel under Controlled Shear Flow: Modelling of the Adhesion Force.” International Journal of Food Microbiology, vol. 146, no. 2, Mar. 2011, pp. 182–91, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2011.02.025.
Valencia, Alberto, et al. “Direct Observation at the Microscale of Particle Deposition during the First Stage of the Microfiltration Process.” Journal of Membrane Science, vol. 599, Apr. 2020, p. 117823, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2020.117823.
Xie, Xiaomin, et al. “Local Hydrodynamic Investigation by PIV and CFD within a Dynamic Filtration Unit under Laminar Flow.” Separation and Purification Technology, Apr. 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2017.04.009