Transition manifolds for cooling channel connections in cooled structures
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsDaniel Robert Burnos, Ibrahim Sezer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cooled structure of a gas turbine engine having a main body with a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first side portion, a second side portion, and a cavity. A first set of cooling air micro-channels extends from the cavity and are arranged along the first side portion. A second set of cooling air micro-channels extends from the cavity and are arranged along the second side portion. Each set of cooling air micro-channels has at least one transition manifold in fluid communication with an adjacent micro-channel and also in fluid communication with at least one of an intake end, an exhaust end, and mixtures thereof. The cooled structure described above is also embodied in a gas turbine.
Claims15
A cooled structure of a gas turbine engine, comprising;
- a main body having a leading edge, a trailing edge opposite the leading edge, a first side portion, a second side portion opposite the first side portion, and a cavity, wherein the first side portion and the second side portion extend axially between the leading edge and the trailing edge;
- first cooling air micro-channels extending from the cavity and arranged along the first side portion;
- second cooling air micro-channels extending from the cavity and arranged along the second side portion;
- and
- at least one transition manifold in fluid communication with each micro-channel of the first cooling air micro-channels and the second cooling air micro-channels, the at least one transition manifold being in fluid communication with at least one of an intake end and an exhaust end, the intake end being a loop-shaped intake end;
- wherein each cooling air micro-channel of the first cooling air micro-channels comprises a transition manifold of the at least one transition manifold positioned within a central portion of the loop-shaped intake end of a respective, adjacent cooling air micro-channel of the second cooling air micro-channels.
A gas turbine, comprising:
- a compressor section;
- a combustion section positioned downstream from the compressor section;
- a turbine section positioned downstream from the combustion section;
- wherein the gas turbine comprises a plurality of cooled structures, each cooled structure comprising:
- a main body having a leading edge, a trailing edge opposite the leading edge, a first side portion, a second side portion opposite the first side portion, and a cavity, wherein the first side portion and the second side portion extend axially between the leading edge and the trailing edge;
- first cooling air micro-channels extending from the cavity and arranged along the first side portion;
- second cooling air micro-channels extending from the cavity and arranged along the second side portion;
- and
- at least one transition manifold in fluid communication with each micro-channel of the first cooling air micro-channels and the second cooling air micro-channels, the at least one transition manifold being in fluid communication with at least one of an intake end and an exhaust end, the intake end being a loop-shaped intake end;
- wherein each cooling air micro-channel of the first cooling air micro-channels comprises a transition manifold of the at least one transition manifold positioned within a central portion of the loop-shaped intake end of a respective, adjacent cooling air micro-channel of the second cooling air micro-channels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.