Interior cooling circuits in turbine blades
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJason Douglas Herzlinger, Bradley Taylor Boyer, Harish Bommanakatte, Anthony Louis Giglio
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A rotor blade comprising an airfoil portion and a root portion, and an internal cooling circuit having flow passages in the root portion and the airfoil portion, wherein the internal cooling circuit includes: a first flow passage; and a non-integral plug. The plug may include a plug channel configured to correspond to a desired level of coolant flow through the first cooling passage. The plug may be connected to the rotor blade in a fixed blocking position relative to the first flow passage.
Claims22
A method of manufacturing a blade having an internal cooling circuit, the blade configured for use in an combustion turbine engine, wherein the turbine blade comprising an airfoil portion and a root portion, the method comprising the steps of:
- casting the internal cooling circuit using a core that includes an oversized supporting connection configured for enhanced core robustness, wherein the oversized supporting connection forms a first flow passage in the internal cooling circuit and is oversized relative to a desired level of coolant flow through the first flow passage during operation;
- forming a plug;
- forming a plug channel through the plug, the plug channel configured to correspond to the desired level of coolant flow through the first flow passage;
- and
- connecting the plug to the blade so that the plug is fixed in a blocking position relative to the first flow passage.
A rotor blade comprising an airfoil portion and a root portion, and an internal cooling circuit having flow passages in the root portion and the airfoil portion, wherein the internal cooling circuit includes:
- a first flow passage;
- and
- a non-integral plug;
- wherein the plug comprises a plug channel configured to correspond to a desired level of coolant flow through the first cooling passage;
- and
- wherein the plug is connected to the rotor blade in a fixed blocking position relative to the first flow passage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.