Turbine blade tip with offset squealer
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorRonald Scott Bunker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An industrial turbine assembly comprises a plurality of rotating blade portions in a spaced relation with a stationary shroud. The rotating blade includes a root section, an airfoil having a pressure sidewall and a suction sidewall defining an outer periphery and a tip portion having a tip cap. An offset squealer is disposed on the tip cap. The offset squealer is positioned inward from the outer periphery of the rotating blade. The offset squealer increases the flow resistance and reduces the flow of hot gas flow leakage for a given pressure differential across the blade tip portion so as to improve overall turbine efficiency.
Claims12
A turbine assembly comprising:
- at least one rotor blade comprising a root portion, an airfoil having a pressure sidewall and a suction sidewall defining an outer periphery and a tip portion having a tip cap;
- an outer shroud concentrically disposed about said at least one rotor blade, said shroud in combination with said tip portions defining a clearance gap therebetween;
- and
- an offset squealer disposed on said tip cap of said tip portion, wherein said offset squealer is positioned inward from said outer periphery of said at least one rotor blade to create a shelf around the entirely periphery of said blade so as to reduce hot gas flow leakage through said clearance gap.
A method of reducing hot gas flow leakage through a clearance gap between a rotating blade and a stationary shroud, said method comprising the step of:
- positioning an offset squealer inward from the outer periphery of said rotating blade so as creating a separated flow region and a flow resistance element and reduction of hot gas flow leakage therethrough.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.