US 5,288,207 AGranted

Internally cooled turbine airfoil

AssigneeUnited Technologies Corporation

InventorIndrik Linask

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Abstract

A turbine airfoil having a baffleless cooling passage for directing cooling fluid toward a trailing edge is disclosed. Various construction details are developed which provide axially oriented, interrupted channels for turning a flow of cooling fluid from a radial direction to an axial direction. In a particular embodiment, a turbine airfoil has a cooling passage including a plurality of radially spaced walls, a plurality of radially spaced dividers downstream of the walls, and a plurality of radially spaced pedestals positioned axially between the walls and dividers. The walls and dividers define channels having an axial interruption permitting cross flow between adjacent channels. The cross flow minimizes the adverse affects of a blockage within a subchannel between adjacent walls. The pedestals are aligned with the subchannels such that cooling fluid exiting a subchannel impinges upon the pedestal.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A turbine airfoil for a gas turbine engine having a longitudinal axis and a source of cooling fluid, the turbine airfoil having a pressure wall, a suction wall, a trailing edge and a cooling fluid flow passage, the cooling fluid flow passage in fluid communication with the source of cooling fluid and providing means for directing cooling fluid to the trailing edge, the flow passage including:

a plurality of axially extending walls, each of the walls extending laterally between the pressure wall and suction wall, the plurality of walls being radially spaced within the flow passage such that adjacent pairs of walls define a subchannel, wherein the plurality of walls turn the flow of fluid towards the trailing edge;
a plurality of axially extending dividers, each of the dividers extending laterally between the pressure wall and the suction wall, being axially spaced downstream of one of the walls, and extending over the trailing edge, the plurality of dividers being radially spaced within the flow passage such that a second plurality of subchannels is defined between adjacent dividers, wherein the walls and dividers define a plurality of axially extending flow channels,
a plenum upstream of the plurality walls, the plenum defined in part by the pressure wall, the suction wall, and a radially canted partition extending therebetween, wherein the plenum defines a converging passage in the direction of flow of the cooling fluid entering the flow passage, wherein the converging passage maintains a positive flow velocity through the plenum to evenly distribute cooling fluid to the flow channels;
and
wherein the axial spacing between the walls and the dividers defines an interruption within the channels, the interruption permitting cross flow of the cooling fluid flowing through adjacent channels.

2 more elements

A turbine airfoil for a gas turbine engine having a longitudinal axis and a source of cooling fluid, the turbine airfoil having a trailing edge and a cooling fluid flow passage, the cooling fluid flow passage in fluid communication with the source of cooling fluid and providing means for directing cooling fluid to the trailing edge, the flow passage including:

a plurality of axially extending walls, the walls being radially spaced within the flow passage, wherein the plurality of walls turn the flow of fluid towards the trailing edge;
a plurality of axially extending dividers, each of the dividers spaced downstream of one of the walls, the dividers being radially spaced within the flow passage, wherein the walls and dividers define a plurality of axially extending flow channels, and wherein the axial spacing between the walls and the defines an interruption within the channels, the interruption permitting cross flow of the cooling fluid flowing through adjacent channels;
and
a plurality of trip strips disposed within the flow channels, the trip strips adapted to trip the flow of cooling fluid within the flow channels such that the rate of heat transfer between the cooling fluid and the surfaces of the channel is increased immediately downstream of the trip strip.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.