Turbine cooling system

A turbine cooling system for a turbine, comprising:

• a compressor supplying a cooling air;
• a forward turbine rotor wheel space cooled by the cooling air supplied by the compressor;
• a high-pressure packing seal (HPPS) bypass cavity in fluid communication with and receiving a portion of the cooling air from the compressor, the HPPS bypass cavity in fluid communication with and supplying the cooling air to the forward turbine rotor wheel space;
• a metering device in operable communication with the forward turbine rotor wheel space and the HPPS bypass cavity to modulate the cooling air supplied to the forward turbine rotor wheel space from the HPPS bypass cavity, the metering device modulating the cooling air based on at least one operating condition of the turbine;
• and
• a control module in communication with the metering device, the control module including control logic for sending a control signal to the metering device to modulate the cooling air based on the at least one operating condition of the turbine.

A turbine having a turbine cooling system, comprising:

• a compressor supplying a cooling air;
• a forward turbine rotor wheel space cooled by the cooling air supplied by the compressor;
• a high-pressure packing seal (HPPS) bypass cavity in fluid communication with and receiving a portion of the cooling air from the compressor, the HPPS bypass cavity in fluid communication with and supplying the cooling air to the forward turbine rotor wheel space;
• a metering device in operable communication with the forward turbine rotor wheel space and the HPPS bypass cavity to modulate the cooling air supplied to the forward turbine rotor wheel space from the HPPS bypass cavity, the metering device modulating the cooling air based on at least one operating condition of the turbine;
• and
• a control module in communication with the metering device, the control module including control logic for sending a control signal to the metering device to modulate the cooling air based on the at least one operating condition of the turbine cooling system, and the control module including a control logic for sending a control signal to the metering device to increase the amount of cooling air to the forward turbine rotor wheel space.