Method and apparatus for cooling a wall within a gas turbine engine

A cooling circuit disposed within a wall, said cooling circuit comprising:

• a passage having a first end, a second end, and a width, said passage disposed between a first wall portion and a second wall portion;
• a plurality of pedestals disposed within said passage, extending between wall portions;
• an inlet aperture, providing a cooling air flow path between a first side of wall and said first end of said passage;
• and
• a plurality of exit apertures extending through said second wall portion, providing a cooling air flow path between said second end of said passage and a second side of said wall;
• wherein said cooling circuit has a flow area within a plane extending widthwise across said passage, and wherein said flow area decreases within said cooling circuit from said inlet aperture to said exit apertures.

A method for cooling a wall comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a cooling circuit within said wall, said cooling circuit including:
• a passage having a first end, a second end, and a width, said passage disposed between a first wall portion and a second wall portion;
• a plurality of first pedestals disposed within said passage, extending between wall portions;
• an inlet aperture that provides a cooling air flow path between a first side of wall and said first end of said passage;
• and
• a plurality of exit apertures that extend through said second wall portion and provide a cooling air flow path between said second end of said passage and a second side of said wall;
• (b) providing operating conditions that include a thermal load profile adjacent said cooling circuit to which said wall is likely to be exposed;
• and
• (c) selectively tuning said cooling circuit to provide a heat transfer profile under said operating conditions that substantially offsets said thermal load profile adjacent said cooling circuit.

A cooling circuit disposed within a wall, said cooling circuit comprising:

• a passage having a first end, a second end, and a width, said passage disposed between a first wall portion and a second wall portion;
• a plurality of first pedestals disposed within said passage, extending between wall portions;
• a plurality of T-shaped second pedestals;
• a third pedestals of third pedestals, wherein said pedestals and said third pedestals are alternately disposed and said third pedestals nest between adjacent second pedestals;
• an inlet aperture, providing a cooling air flow path between a first side of wall and said first end of said passage;
• and
• a plurality of exit apertures extending through said second wall portion providing a cooling air flow path between said second end of said passage and a second side of said wall, said exit apertures formed between said second pedestals and said third pedestals.