The Oxygen-Deficient Demonstration Engine (TODDE)
In January 2022, Jack and I discussed the design of the methane-oxygen, pintle-injected, ablatively-cooled engine.
Just over 7 months later, on August 6th, 2022, we fired TODDE for 1.8 seconds at 400 psi chamber pressure at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry site in California’s Mojave Desert.
It was a grind to design and machine all components before we left campus that May, and we met every weekend over the summer in LA to complete the assembly of the feed-system.
I learned a ton about pressure-fed systems, proof-testing, design-for-desert-assembly-at-100°F and the different pains of machining copper and graphite. Incredibly satisfying to see it come together!
Manufacturing
My parts included turning of the nozzle (steel), throats (graphite), and pintle (copper). I designed the test stand and had it welded up. And then plenty of swaging of fluids lines…
