Cooling system for a showerhead of a turbine blade

A turbine blade, comprising:

• a generally elongated blade formed from an outer wall and having leading edge, a trailing edge, a tip at a first end, a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc, a longitudinal axis extending from the tip to the root, and at least one cooling cavity forming at least a portion of a cooling system;
• a plurality of exhaust orifices in the leading edge of the blade forming a showerhead and extending nonorthogonally from an outer surface of the turbine blade to the at least one cooling cavity and in a chordwise direction;
• wherein the exhaust orifices form at least one first row of orifices positioned along the longitudinal axis of the blade and offset from a second row of orifices in a direction generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis;
• and
• wherein at least a portion of the orifices forming the first row of orifices extend at a first anal relative to a longitudinal axis of the blade in a plane generally orthogonal to the chordwise direction through the outer wall to the at least one cooling cavity that differs from a second angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the blade in a plane generally orthogonal to the chordwise direction at which at least a portion of the second row of orifices extends through the outer wall;
• wherein the first angle is measured moving from the longitudinal axis in a first direction, and the second angle is measured moving from the longitudinal axis in a second direction that is generally opposite to the first direction;
• wherein at least a portion of the orifices forming the at least one first row of orifices form an alternating pattern of orifices having the following pattern, an orifice positioned at the first angle relative to the longitudinal axis in a plane generally orthogonal to the chordwise direction, an orifice positioned generally along the longitudinal axis, and an orifice positioned at the second angle relative to the longitudinal axis in a plane generally orthogonal to the chordwise direction.

A turbine bade, comprising:

• a generally elongated blade formed from an outer wall and having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a tip at a first end, a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc, a longitudinal axis extending from the tip to the root and at least one cooling cavity forming at least a portion of a cooling system;
• a plurality of exhaust orifices in the leading edge of the blade forming a showerhead and extending nonorthogonally from an outer surface of the turbine blade to the at least one cooling cavity and in a chordwise direction;
• wherein the exhaust orifices form at least one first row of orifices positioned alone the longitudinal axis of the blade and offset from a second row of orifices in a direction generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis;
• and
• wherein at least a portion of the orifices forming the first row of orifices extend at a first ankle relative to a longitudinal axis of the blade in a plane generally orthogonal to the chordwise direction through the outer wall to the at least one cooling cavity that differs from a second angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the blade in a plane generally orthogonal to the chordwise direction at which at least a portion of the second row of orifices extends through the outer wall;
• wherein the exhaust orifices form a third row of orifices offset along the longitudinal axis relative to the first row of orifices.

A turbine blade, comprising:

• a generally elongated blade formed from an outer wall and having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a tip at a first end, a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc, a longitudinal axis extending from the tip to the root, and at least one cooling cavity forming at least a portion of a cooling system;
• a plurality of exhaust orifices in the leading edge of the blade forming a showerhead and extending nonorthogonally from an outer surface of the turbine blade to the at least one cooling cavity;
• wherein the exhaust orifices format least one first row of orifices positioned along the longitudinal axis of the blade and offset from a second row of orifices in a direction generally orthogonal to the longitudinal axis and offset in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis;
• and
• wherein at least a portion of the orifices forming the first row of orifices alternate between extending at a first angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the blade through the outer wall to the at least one cooling cavity, wherein the first angle is measured moving from the longitudinal axis in a first direction in a plane generally orthogonal to a chordwise direction, and extending at a second angle relative to th outer wall, wherein the second angle is measured moving from the longitudinal axis in a second direction that is generally opposite to the first direction in a plane generally orthogonal to the chordwise direction.