# US 10,480,328 B2 · Forward flowing serpentine vane

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- Number: US 10,480,328 B2
- Document ID: US10480328B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/414,103
- Filed: 2017-01-24
- Published: 2017-07-27
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2016-01-25
- Assignees: ROLLS-ROYCE plc; Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
- Applicants: Rolls-Royce Corporation; Rolls-Royce North American Technologies, Inc.
- Inventors: John Alan Weaver; Bradford John Riehle
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10480328B2

## CPC

- F01D 25/12: Cooling
- F01D 5/18: Hollow blades, {i.e. blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities (structure of hollow blades in general F01D5/147)}; Heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades
- F01D 5/187: {Convection cooling}
- F01D 9/041: {using blades (F01D5/148 takes precedence)}
- F05D 2240/121: related to the leading edge of a stator vane
- F05D 2240/127: Vortex generators, turbulators, or the like, for mixing
- F05D 2260/221: Improvement of heat transfer
- F05D 2260/22141: using fins or ribs
- 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

A vane adapted for use in a gas turbine engine includes a forward following serpentine cooling path having a plurality of divider walls to direct cooling airflow. The serpentine cooling path optionally includes one or more bifurcating walls in the cooling path to split the airflow. The serpentine cooling path is in communication with an aft inlet in the vane and air passing through the serpentine cooling path exits a forward outlet in the vane into a forward rotor/stator cavity.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vane adapted for use in a gas turbine engine, the vane comprising
an outer platform,
an inner platform, and
an airfoil that extends from the outer platform to the inner platform in a radial direction, the airfoil having a leading edge and a trailing edge and being formed to include a serpentine cooling passage with an inlet arranged through the outer platform at the trailing edge of the airfoil and an outlet arranged through the inner platform adjacent to the leading edge of the airfoil so that cooling air supplied to the inlet moves toward the leading edge of the airfoil during use in the gas turbine engine.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vane of claim 1, wherein the airfoil includes an outer skin and a plurality of interior divider walls that define at least an aft chamber arranged adjacent to the trailing edge of the airfoil, a forward chamber arranged adjacent to the leading edge of the airfoil, and a middle chamber arranged between the aft chamber and the forward chamber.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The vane of claim 2, wherein the aft chamber is fluidly coupled to the middle chamber adjacent to the inner platform and the forward chamber is fluidly coupled to the middle chamber adjacent to the outer platform to provide the serpentine cooling passage.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The vane of claim 3, wherein the bifurcation wall extends axially between a first divider wall separating the aft chamber from the middle chamber and a second divider wall separating the middle chamber from the forward chamber and the bifurcation wall is spaced apart radially from both the inner platform and the outer platform.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The vane of claim 2, wherein the middle chamber further comprises a bifurcation wall that separates cooling air passing through the middle chamber into suction side and pressure side passages.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The vane of claim 5, wherein the pressure side passage has smooth walls and the suction side passage has turbulator ribs to increase heat transfer to air that flows through the suction side passage.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The vane of claim 5, wherein the pressure side passage has turbulator ribs of a first geometry and the suction side passage has turbulator ribs of a second geometry, wherein the first geometry is different than the second geometry.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The vane of claim 2, wherein the aft chamber is fluidly coupled to the middle chamber adjacent to the inner platform by a first passageway that extends from the aft chamber to the middle chamber within the serpentine cooling passage and the forward chamber is fluidly coupled to the middle chamber adjacent to the outer platform by a second passageway that extends from the middle chamber to the forward chamber within the serpentine cooling passage to provide the serpentine cooling passage.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The vane of claim 1, wherein the outlet arranged through the inner platform comprises a nozzle with a preswirl feature.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The vane of claim 1, wherein the airfoil includes an outer skin and a plurality of interior walls that define at least an upper chamber arranged adjacent to the outer platform edge of the vane, a lower chamber arranged adjacent to inner platform of the vane, and a central chamber arranged between the upper chamber and the lower chamber.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The vane of claim 10, wherein the upper chamber is fluidly coupled to the central chamber adjacent to the leading edge and the lower chamber is fluidly coupled to the central chamber adjacent to the trailing edge to provide the serpentine cooling passage.

### Claim 12

A system for cooling stator cavities below a vane comprising
the vane having an outer platform,
an inner platform, and
an airfoil that extends from the outer platform to the inner platform in a radial direction, the airfoil having a leading edge and a trailing edge and being formed to include a serpentine cooling passage with an aft inlet arranged through the outer platform at the trailing edge of the airfoil, a forward inlet arranged through the outer platform adjacent to the forward edge of the airfoil, and an outlet arranged through the inner platform adjacent to the leading edge of the airfoil so that cooling air supplied to each inlet moves toward the leading edge of the airfoil during use in a gas turbine engine.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the outlet further comprises a nozzle with a preswirl feature.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, further comprising an aft outlet in the inner platform of the vane configured to direct a portion of the cooling air from the aft inlet into an aft stator cavity.

### Claim 15 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the serpentine cooling passage includes a plurality of divider walls and a bifurcation wall perpendicular to the plurality of divider walls.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of divider walls extend from the leading edge and the trailing edge of the airfoil and define at least an upper chamber arranged adjacent to the outer platform edge of the vane, a lower chamber arranged adjacent to inner platform of the vane, and a central chamber arranged between the upper chamber and the lower chamber.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality divider walls extend from the outer platform and inner platform and define at least an aft chamber arranged adjacent to the trailing edge of the airfoil, a forward chamber arranged adjacent to the leading edge of the airfoil, and a middle chamber arranged between the aft chamber and the forward chamber.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17 wherein the bifurcation wall is arranged in the middle chamber and separates cooling air passing through the middle chamber into suction side and pressure side passages.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The system of claim 15, wherein the serpentine cooling passage is defined entirely, radially between the inner platform and the outer platform.

### Claim 20 (depends on 12)

The system of claim 12, wherein the airfoil includes an outer skin and at least one interior divider wall extending radially between the inner platform and the outer platform and defining an aft chamber directly between the trailing edge of the airfoil and the first divider wall and the inlet of the serpentine cooling passage opens into the aft chamber.