Master´s Thesis: Proportional Piezo Valve for Electric Propulsion Feed Systems (m/f/d)

deltaVision GmbH; München; On-site; EUR 10,000 - 15,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible entry date

Above average remuneration

Werkstudenten-/THesis-Möglichkeit

Zusatzliche Laborressourcen und Open-?

Job summary

deltaVision GmbH sucht Studierende in einem relevanten Ingenieurstudiengang zur Mitwirkung an der Entwicklung eines proportionalen Piezo-Ventils zur präzisen Massenstromregelung in Antriebssystemen.

Sie modellieren, bauen und charakterisieren piezo-basierte Konzepte, evaluieren Steuerungsstrategien und arbeiten an einem breadboard-Modell mit Laboraufbau und Messaufnahmen.

Qualifications

• Im Studium in einem relevanten Ingenieurstudiengang eingeschrieben.
• Fundierte Kenntnisse in Fluidmechanik oder Gasdynamik; Regelungserfahrung von Vorteil.
• Praktische Labor- bzw. Messtechnik-Erfahrung aus Projekten oder Werkstudententätigkeiten.
• Programmierkenntnisse in Julia, Python oder MATLAB/Simulink werden erwartet.
• Motiviert, pragmatisch und selbstorganisiert.
• Fließendes Englisch; Deutschkenntnisse sind von Vorteil.

Responsibilities

• Review der aktuellen Massendurchflussregelung in der Elektroantriebs- bzw. Raumfahrttechnik.
• Untersuchung piezoelektrischer Aktuatoren und Architekturen.
• Charakterisierung des Piezoaktors und Einfluss auf das Ventilvolumen.
• Entwurf eines Laboraufbaus inklusive Messungen mit Gasen
• Darstellung eines möglichen Closed-Loop-Regelungsansatz (z. B. PID) und Bewertung der Performance.

Skills

Julia

Python

MATLAB/Simulink

Education

Student in relevant engineering program

Job description

Deine Mission

Join our fluid control equipment development team and help develop a proportional piezo valve for precise mass flow control in electric propulsion feed systems. Electric thrusters such as Hall-effect and gridded ion thrusters need a very stable, finely resolved propellant flow (typically xenon or krypton) in the low mg/s range.
Piezoelectric actuators offer fast response, high resolution, and low power use, which makes them a promising alternative to conventional thermal throttles and bang-bang solenoid regulation. However, effects such as hysteresis, creep, and temperature dependence must be understood and compensated. You will model, build up, and experimentally characterize a piezo-based flow control concept, and develop a control strategy for closed-loop mass flow regulation.

Your Responsibilities

• Review the state of the art in mass flow control for electric propulsion, including thermal throttles, solenoid-based pressure regulation, and piezo valves
• Research state of the art of piezo actuators and trade different architectures (e.g. stacked, amplified, piezo motors) for the given application
• Characterize the piezo actuator (stroke, force, hysteresis, creep, temperature behavior) and its effect on the valve’s flow area
• Assess the concept against typical electric propulsion requirements (flow range, leak rate, power consumption, operating temperature range)
• Build a physical flow model of the valve that links actuator stroke, inlet pressure, and gas properties to mass flow, covering the relevant flow regimes (e.g., choked and transitional flow)
• Integrate the actuator into a valve architecture and design a breadboard model
• Review existing test bench infrastructure with pressure sensors and a mass flow meter, adapt if necessary, and carry out flow characterization with inert gases
• Optionally, develop and implement a closed-loop control strategy (e.g., PID with hysteresis compensation) and evaluate its performance in terms of accuracy, resolution, response time, and stability
• Optionally, derive design recommendations for a flight-representative valve

Dein Profil

• Currently enrolled in a relevant engineering program, ideally Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, or a similar field
• Solid knowledge of fluid mechanics or gas dynamics; experience with control engineering is a plus
• Hands-on experience with lab work, test setups, or measurement technology (e.g., from working student jobs, engineering projects, or student teams)
• Programming skills in Julia, Python or MATLAB/Simulink for modeling, data analysis, and controller design
• Motivated, pragmatic, and self-organized
• Fluent in English; German and other languages are a plus

Wir bieten

• Internship can be mandatory or voluntary
• Above average remuneration
• Guided but self-determined problem solving to realize your ideas
• Deep dive into the domain of commercial spaceflight and mobility
• Opportunity for an adjacent employment as working student or for thesis
• Flexible entry date, the sooner the better with flexible working hours
• Holiday entitlement above German standards