Enhanced cooling apparatus for gas turbine engine airfoils

Abstract

An improved cooling passage configuration for a gas turbine engine airfoil is disclosed for enhancing convective cooling over that afforded by conventional wall turbulator ribs. An internal cooling passage bounded by pressure and suction side walls and at least one partition has raised turbulator ribs disposed on at least one side wall and the partition. A side wall turbulator rib extends over at least a portion of the side wall and abuts the partition. A turbulator rib disposed on the partition extends from a point spaced from the wall rib to the opposed side wall. The gap formed between the partition rib and wall rib accelerates a coolant flow passing therethrough, locally enhancing convective heat transfer. Partition ribs may be aligned with or offset from the wall ribs in the spanwise direction and may be normal to the primary direction of cooling flow or angled thereto. Convective heat transfer is particularly enhanced in flow passages having cavity height blockage due to wall ribs greater than about 10%.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.