Turbine airfoil with a bifurcated counter flow serpentine path

Abstract

The present invention is a serpentine cooling circuit for a turbine blade, where a pressure side 3-pass serpentine cooling passage flowing generally toward the trailing edge of the blade provides cooling for the pressure side of the blade, and a suction side 3-pass serpentine cooling passage flowing generally toward the leading edge of the blade provides cooling of the suction side of the blade. The pressure side serpentine passage is separate from the suction side serpentine passage in order than a lower pressure can be used in the suction side serpentine passage. A leading edge cooling channel supplies cooling air to a leading edge shower head arrangement of cooling holes, the leading edge channel being supplied with cooling air from the first leg of the pressure side serpentine cooling passage. A plurality of trailing edge discharge holes are supplied with cooling air from the first leg of the suction side serpentine cooling passage. A tip cooling channel is positioned between the third legs of the pressure side and the suction side serpentine passages to separate the two legs.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.