High Temperature, High Frequency Fuel Metering Valve, Phase I

Active Signal Technologies and its subcontractor Moog propose to develop a high-frequency actuator driven valve intended to achieve TRL 6 by the end of Phase II. This active control component will be capable of modulating fuel flow at multiple injection locations with minimum fuel pressure drop and thus enable critical improvements in aerospace vehicle turbine engine combustion dynamics, notably mitigation of thermo-acoustic instabilities. These instabilities have impeded development of advanced lean-burning combustors for reduction of NOx emissions and improvements in combustion efficiency. While passive approaches to control combustion instability have been successful on particular new engine designs, the ultimate solution is active combustion control where the greatest challenges are the bandwidth (1 kHz) and system temperature requirements. The Phase-I goal is to demonstrate that these are achievable by designing and building a proof-of-principle system complete with high-frequency, high-temperature actuator and valve. Active Signal has selected Terfenol as the most suitable actuator material and will apply 25 plus years of actuator, valve and pump experience to meet the goals. The system will be tested against pressure and flow requirements to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach before fabricating a prototype suitable for the GRC test stand in Phase II.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.