Gas turbine engines, turbine components having airfoil cooling slots, and methods for producing the same

A method, comprising:

• forming a turbine component that includes an airfoil having an upper end, a lower end, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side surface, and a suction side surface;
• forming a cooling system that includes a plurality of passages within the airfoil that are configured to flow a cooling fluid therethrough;
• and
• forming slots in the airfoil open to the pressure side surface of the airfoil adjacent the trailing edge thereof, the slots in fluidic communication with the plurality of passages and configured to discharge the cooling fluid therefrom, wherein the slots are each defined by a slot upper side wall and an oppositely disposed slot lower side wall, the pressure side surface, and a slot bottom defined by the suction side surface, wherein the pressure side surface includes a pressure side upper wall fillet coupled to the slot upper side wall and a pressure side lower wall fillet coupled to the slot lower side wall, wherein a first portion of an edge of the pressure side surface at an exit of the plurality of passages is defined at a first intersection of the pressure side surface and the pressure side upper wall fillet and a second portion of the edge of the pressure side surface at the exit of the plurality of passages is defined at a second intersection of the pressure side surface and the pressure side lower wall fillet, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the edge have a combined dimension equal to or greater than 30 percent of a total dimension of the edge, wherein the slots are formed to be separated by lands,
• wherein the slot upper side wall and the slot bottom are formed to couple with an upper slot side wall fillet and the slot lower side wall and the slot bottom are coupled with a lower slot side wall fillet, and both the upper slot side wall fillet and the lower slot side wall fillet have monotonically increasing radii of curvature from the exit of the plurality of passages to a trailing edge of the slot to promote a reduction in entrainment of vorticities rolling off the lands into the upper slot side wall fillet and the lower slot side wall fillet thus enhancing the cooling of the trailing edge of the airfoil.

A gas turbine engine, comprising:

• a compressor section;
• a combustor section;
• and
• a turbine section having a turbine component that includes:
• an airfoil having an upper end, a lower end, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side surface, and a suction side surface;
• a cooling system that includes a plurality of passages within the airfoil that are configured to flow a cooling fluid therethrough;
• and
• slots open to the pressure side surface of the airfoil adjacent the trailing edge thereof, the slots in fluidic communication with the plurality of passages and configured to discharge the cooling fluid therefrom,
• wherein the slots are each defined by a slot upper side wall and an oppositely disposed slot lower side wall, the pressure side surface, and a slot bottom defined by the suction side surface, wherein the pressure side surface includes a pressure side upper wall fillet coupled to the slot upper side wall and a pressure side lower wall fillet coupled to the slot lower side wall, wherein a first portion of an edge of the pressure side surface at an exit of the plurality of passages is defined at a first intersection of the pressure side surface and the pressure side upper wall fillet and a second portion of the edge of the pressure side surface at the exit of the plurality of passages is defined at a second intersection of the pressure side surface and the pressure side lower wall fillet, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the edge have a combined dimension equal to or greater than 30 percent of a total dimension of the edge,
• wherein the slots are coupled to the plurality of passages by metering sections, and the pressure side upper wall fillet and the pressure side lower wall fillet, in combination, extend the metering sections aft toward the trailing edge of the airfoil,
• wherein each of the slots has a central axis extending from the exit of the plurality of passages to a trailing edge of the slot, wherein edges of the slot upper side wall and the slot lower side wall flare outward from the central axis, and the slots are separated by tapering teardrop-shaped lands, wherein the slot upper side wall and the slot bottom are coupled with an upper slot side wall fillet and the slot lower side wall and the slot bottom are coupled with a lower slot side wall fillet, and both the upper slot side wall fillet and the lower slot side wall fillet have monotonically increasing radii of curvature from the exit of the plurality of passages to a trailing edge of the slot to promote a reduction in entrainment of vorticities rolling off the lands into the upper slot side wall fillet and the lower slot side wall fillet thus enhancing the cooling of the trailing edge of the airfoil.