# US 10,370,978 B2 · Turbine blade > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,370,978 B2 - Document ID: US10370978B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/884,114 - Filed: 2015-10-15 - Published: 2017-04-20 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2015-10-15 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: Matthew Lee Krumanaker; Steven Robert Brassfield; Robert Frederick Bergholz; Aaron Ezekiel Smith; Weston Nolan Dooley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10370978B2 ## CPC - F01D 5/187: {Convection cooling} - F01D 5/3007: {of axial insertion type} - F01D 9/041: {using blades (F01D5/148 takes precedence)} - F01D 25/12: Cooling - F05D 2220/32: in gas turbines - F05D 2240/303: related to the leading edge of a rotor blade - F05D 2250/185: serpentine-like - F05D 2260/202: by film cooling - F05D 2260/221: Improvement of heat transfer - Y02T 50/60: Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft - F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D) - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An airfoil comprises one or more internal cooling circuits. The cooling circuits can be fed with a flow of cooling fluid from one or more cooling air inlet passages in fluid communication with the cooling circuits. The cooling circuits can further comprise a leading edge cooling circuit defined by a supply passage, a pin bank passage divided into one or more sub-circuits by pin banks disposed within the pin bank passage, and at least first and second cooling passages. The cooling circuits can provide the cooling fluid flow within the airfoil to cool the airfoil, as well as provide a cooling fluid to a plurality of film holes to create a cooling film on the external surface of the airfoil. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An airfoil for a gas turbine engine, the airfoil comprising: an outer surface defining a pressure side and a suction side extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge and extending radially between a root and a tip; and a cooling circuit located within the airfoil and comprising: a supply passage extending from the root toward the tip and fluidly coupled to the cooling air inlet passage at the root, a pin bank passage in fluid communication with the supply passage and extending between the root and the tip, with a plurality of pins located within the pin bank passage and functionally dividing the pin bank passage into at least first and second sub-circuits, and at least first and second cooling passages fluidly coupled to a corresponding one of the first and second sub-circuits and arranged on opposite sides of the pin bank passage; wherein cooling air from the cooling air inlet passage travels through the supply passage in a first radial direction, returns through the sub-circuits in a second radial direction, opposite the first radial direction, and then flows through the first and second cooling passages in the first radial direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The airfoil according to claim 1 wherein the pin bank passage and the first and second cooling passages are located between the supply passage and the outer surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The airfoil according to claim 2 wherein the pin bank passage and the first and second cooling passages are located adjacent the outer surface to define a near-surface cooling zone. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The airfoil according to claim 3 wherein the near surface cooling zone is located adjacent at least one of the pressure side and suction side. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The airfoil according to claim 4 wherein the near surface cooling zone is located adjacent the suction side. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The airfoil according to claim 4 wherein the near surface cooling zone is located adjacent the leading edge. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The airfoil according to claim 6 wherein the cooling circuit further comprises a leading edge cooling passage fluidly coupled to the supply passage and extending along the leading edge. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The airfoil according to claim 7 wherein the leading edge cooling passage is adjacent one of the first and second cooling passages. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The airfoil according to claim 8 further comprising a plurality of film holes extending from the first and second passages to the outer surface. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The airfoil according to claim 9 wherein the pin bank passage has no film holes extending to the outer surface. ### Claim 11 A blade for a gas turbine engine having a turbine rotor disk, the blade comprising: a dovetail having at least one cooling air inlet passage and configured to mount to the turbine rotor disk; an airfoil extending radially from the dovetail and having an outer surface defining a pressure side and a suction side extending axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge and extending radially between a root and a tip, with the root being adjacent the dovetail; and a leading edge cooling circuit located within the airfoil adjacent the leading edge and comprising: a supply passage extending from the root toward the tip and fluidly coupled to the cooling air inlet passage at the root, a pin bank passage in fluid communication with the supply passage and extending between the root and the tip, with a plurality of pins located within the pin bank passage, and at least first and second cooling passages fluidly coupled to the pin bank passage and arranged on opposite sides of the pin bank passage; wherein the pin bank passage, and first and second cooling passages define a near surface cooling zone and are located between the supply passage and the outer surface adjacent the outer surface, and cooling air from the cooling air inlet passage travels through the supply passage in a first radial direction from root-to-tip, returns through the pin bank in a second radial direction, opposite the first radial direction, and then flows through the first and second cooling passages in the first radial direction. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The blade according to claim 11 and further comprising a leading edge cooling passage fluidly coupled to the supply passage and extending along the leading edge and located between the supply passage and the leading edge. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The blade according to claim 12 wherein the near surface cooling zone is located adjacent at least one of the pressure side and suction side. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The blade according to claim 13 wherein the near surface cooling zone is located adjacent the suction side. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The blade according to claim 14 wherein the supply passage is adjacent the pressure side. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The blade according to claim 11 further comprising a plurality of film holes extending from the first and second passages to the outer surface. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The blade according to claim 16 wherein the pin bank passage has no film holes extending to the outer surface. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The blade according to claim 11 wherein the dovetail comprises a second cooling air inlet passage and further comprising a trailing edge cooling circuit having a second supply passage fluidly coupled to the second cooling air inlet passage, and at least one second near surface cooling passage fluidly coupled to the second supply passage and located adjacent the outer surface. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The blade according to claim 18 wherein the dovetail comprises a third cooling air inlet passage and further comprising a mid-chord cooling circuit, located chord-wise between the leading edge and trailing edge cooling circuits, and having a third supply passage fluidly coupled to the third cooling air inlet passage, and at least one third near surface cooling passage fluidly coupled to the third supply passage and located adjacent the outer surface. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The blade according to claim 19 wherein the third near surface cooling passage is located adjacent an opposite one of the pressure side and suction side than the near surface cooling zone of the leading edge circuit.