Air separator for a turbine engine

An air separator for a turbine engine, the air separator comprising:

• an aft air separator member constrained by an anchoring structure from movement along a radial direction;
• and
• a forward air separator member comprising at an aft end thereof a flange that engages the aft air separator member, the forward air separator member being constrained from outward radial movement along the radial direction by way of a recess constructed in a portion of the aft air separator member, wherein the aft air separator member and the forward separator member in combination extend over a predefined radial height, wherein a radially outward end of the flange of the forward separator extends to a flange radial height which is no more than approximately 60 percent of the predefined radial height,
• wherein the aft air separator member comprises an annular frame which defines a chamber configured to engage disc shoulders configured in a first stage of the turbine engine, wherein the disc shoulders engaged in the chamber of the air separator member constitute the anchoring structure that constrains movement along the radial direction, and wherein the annular frame comprises a radially inward portion comprising a plurality of openings for radially conveying cooling fluid to respective cooling disc channels.