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

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 - 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 - 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