Turbine stator vane segments having combined air and steam cooling circuits

A stator vane segment, comprising:

• inner and outer walls spaced from one another;
• a vane extending between said inner and outer walls and having leading and trailing edges, said vane including a plurality of discrete cavities between the leading and trailing edges and extending lengthwise of said vane;
• said inner and outer walls defining respective chambers and an impingement plate in each said chamber, an inlet into said outer wall for flowing steam into the outer wall chamber through the impingement plate in said outer wall chamber for impingement steam cooling another surface of said outer wall;
• an insert in one of said cavities for receiving spent impingement steam from said outer wall and having impingement openings for directing the steam received from said outer wall against interior wall surfaces of said one cavity for impingement cooling of the vane about said one cavity;
• said inner wall having an opening for receiving the spent impingement steam from said one cavity into the inner wall chamber for flow through the impingement plate therein and impingement cooling of the inner wall;
• an insert in another of said cavities for receiving spent impingement steam from said inner wall and having impingement openings for directing the steam received from said inner wall against interior wall surfaces of said another cavity for impingement cooling of the vane about said inner cavity;
• an outlet for receiving the spent impingement steam from said another cavity, whereby the steam flow through said inner and outer walls, said one cavity and said another cavity constitutes a closed circuit through said vane;
• and
• a trailing edge cavity through said vane for receiving air from an air inlet and passing the air through openings in the trailing edge for cooling the trailing edge.

A turbine vane segment, comprising:

• inner and outer walls spaced from one another;
• a vane extending between said inner and outer walls and having leading and trailing edges, said vane including a plurality of discrete cavities between the leading and trailing edges and extending lengthwise of said vane for flowing a cooling medium;
• said outer wall having a plurality of ribs along an outer surface thereof defining a plurality of compartments outwardly of said outer surface for receiving the cooling medium and forming structural connections with said vane;
• a cover for each said compartment, impingement plates in said compartments between said covers and said outer surface defining outer and inner chambers on opposite sides of said impingement plates and in said compartments, a cooling medium inlet for said segment, said ribs having openings for enabling passage of the cooling medium from said inlet into said outer chambers of said compartments, said impingement plates having openings enabling passage of the cooling medium from said outer chambers into said inner chambers for impingement cooling of said outer wall;
• said vane having a first opening through a side wall thereof in communication with at least one compartment of said outer wall and one of said cavities to enable passage of the cooling medium between said one compartment and said one cavity.

A stator vane segment for forming part of a stage of a turbine, comprising:

• inner and outer walls spaced from one another;
• a stator vane extending between said inner and outer walls and having leading and trailing edges, said vane including a plurality of discrete cavities between the leading and trailing edges and extending lengthwise of said vane for flowing a cooling medium;
• said inner wall having a plurality of ribs along an inner surface thereof defining a plurality of compartments inwardly of said inner surface for receiving the cooling medium and forming structural connections with said vane;
• a cover for one of said compartments, an impingement plate in said one compartment between said cover and said inner surface defining inner and outer chambers on opposite sides of said impingement plate and in said one compartment, said vane having an opening through a side wall thereof in communication with said inner chamber and one of said cavities for flowing the cooling medium between said one cavity and said inner chamber, said impingement plate having openings enabling passage of the cooling medium from said inner chamber into said outer chamber for impingement cooling of said inner wall.

A stator vane segment for forming part of a stage of a turbine and connection with an inner shell of the turbine, comprising:

• inner and outer walls spaced from one another;
• a stator vane extending between said inner and outer walls and having forward leading and aft trailing edges, said vane including a plurality of discrete cavities between the leading and trailing edges and extending lengthwise of said vane for flowing a cooling medium;
• a forward hook connected to said vane and spaced radially outwardly of said outer wall for supporting said stator vane from the inner turbine shell, said inner and outer walls, said vane and said hook being formed of an integral casting;
• said outer wall having a pair of ribs along an outer surface thereof defining a pair of compartments outwardly of said outer surface for receiving the cooling medium and forming structural connections with said vane;
• said inner wall having at least one rib along an inner surface thereof defining a pair of compartments inwardly of said inner surface for receiving the cooling medium and forming a structural connection with said vane;
• said vane having a first opening through a side wall thereof in communication with at least one compartment of said outer wall and one of said cavities to enable passage of the cooling medium between said one compartment and said one cavity;
• and
• said vane having a second opening through a side wall thereof in communication with at least one compartment of said inner wall and said one cavity to enable passage of the cooling medium between said one cavity and said one compartment of said inner wall.

A stator vane segment for forming part of a stage of a turbine and connection with an inner shell of the turbine, comprising:

• inner and outer walls spaced from one another;
• a stator vane extending between said inner and outer walls and having forward leading and aft trailing edges, said vane including a plurality of discrete cavities between the leading and trailing edges and extending lengthwise of said vane for flowing a cooling medium;
• a forward hook connected to said vane and spaced radially outwardly of said outer wall for supporting said stator vane from the inner turbine shell, said inner and outer walls, said vane and said hook being formed of an integral casting;
• said outer wall having a plurality of ribs along an outer surface thereof defining a plurality of compartments outwardly of said outer surface for receiving a cooling medium and forming structural connections with said vane;
• a cover for said compartments of said outer wall, impingement plates in said compartments between said cover and said outer surface defining outer and inner chambers on opposite sides of said impingement plates and in said outer wall compartments, a cooling medium inlet for said segment, said ribs having openings enabling passage of the cooling medium from said inlet into said outer chambers of said compartments, said impingement plates having openings enabling passage of the cooling medium from said outer chambers into said inner chambers for impingement cooling of said outer wall;
• and
• said vane having a first opening through a side wall thereof in communication with at least one of said inner chambers and one of said cavities to enable passage of the cooling medium between said inner chamber and said one cavity.

A stator vane segment for forming part of a stage of a turbine and connection with an inner shell of the turbine, comprising:

• inner and outer walls spaced from one another;
• a stator vane extending between said inner and outer walls and having forward leading and aft trailing edges, said vane including a plurality of discrete cavities between the leading and trailing edges and extending lengthwise of said vane for flowing a cooling medium;
• a forward hook connected to said vane and spaced radially outwardly of said outer wall for supporting said stator vane from the inner turbine shell, said inner and outer walls, said vane and said hook being formed of an integral casting;
• said inner wall having at least one rib along an inner surface thereof defining a pair of compartments inwardly of said inner surface for receiving the cooling medium and forming a structural connection with said vane;
• and
• a cover for one of said compartments along said inner wall, an impingement plate in said one compartment between said cover and said inner surface defining inner and outer chambers on opposite sides thereof, said vane having an opening through a side wall thereof in communication with said inner chamber and one of said cavities to enable passage of the cooling medium between said one cavity and said inner chamber, said impingement plate in said one compartment having openings enabling passage of the cooling medium from said inner chamber into said outer chamber of said inner wall for impingement cooling of said inner wall.

A stator vane segment for forming part of a stage of a turbine and connection with an inner shell of the turbine, comprising:

• inner and outer walls spaced from one another;
• a stator vane extending between said inner and outer walls and having forward leading and aft trailing edges, said vane including a plurality of discrete cavities between the leading and trailing edges and extending lengthwise of said vane for flowing a cooling medium;
• a forward hook connected to said vane and spaced radially outwardly of said outer wall for supporting said stator vane from the inner turbine shell, said inner and outer walls, said vane and said hook being formed of an integral casting;
• and
• said outer wall having a plurality of ribs along an outer surface thereof defining a plurality of compartments outwardly of said outer surface for receiving the cooling medium and forming structural connections with said vane;
• a cover for each said compartment, impingement plates in said compartments between said cover and said outer surface defining outer and inner chambers on opposite sides of said impingement plates and in said compartments, a cooling medium inlet for said segment, said ribs having openings enabling passage of the cooling medium from said inlet into said outer chambers of said compartments, said impingement plates having openings enabling passage of the cooling medium from said outer chambers into said inner chambers for impingement cooling of said outer wall;
• said vane having a first opening through a side wall thereof in communication with at least one compartment of said inner chamber enabling passage of the cooling medium between said inner chamber and said one cavity;
• said inner wall having at least one rib along an inner surface thereof defining a pair of compartments inwardly of said inner surface for receiving the cooling medium and forming a structural connection with said vane;
• said vane having second openings through a side wall thereof in communication with respective compartments of said pair of compartments of said inner wall enabling passage of the cooling medium between said one cavity and said pair of compartments of said inner wall;
• and
• a cover for each said pair of compartments along said inner wall, impingement plates in said pair of compartments between said cover and said inner surfaces of said inner wall defining inner and outer chambers in each said compartment on opposite sides of said impingement plates, said second openings lying in communication with said inner chambers of said inner wall, respectively, said impingement plates in said pair of compartments having openings enabling passage of the cooling medium from said inner chambers of said inner wall into said outer chambers thereof for impingement cooling of said inner wall.

A stator vane segment for forming part of a stage of a turbine and connection with an inner shell of the turbine, comprising:

• inner and outer walls spaced from one another;
• a stator vane extending between said inner and outer walls and having forward leading and aft trailing edges, said vane including a plurality of discrete cavities between the leading and trailing edges and extending lengthwise of said vane for flowing a cooling medium;
• a forward hook connected to said vane and spaced radially outwardly of said outer wall for supporting said stator vane from the inner turbine shell, said inner and outer walls, said vane and said hook being formed of an integral casting;
• and
• said vane extending at least in part though said outer wall terminating in said hook.