# US 8,540,486 B2 · Apparatus for cooling a bucket assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,540,486 B2 - Document ID: US8540486B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/728,517 - Filed: 2010-03-22 - Published: 2011-09-22 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2010-03-22 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: David Martin Johnson - Inventors: David Martin Johnson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8540486B2 ## CPC - F01D 5/186: {Film cooling (F01D5/187 takes precedence)} - F01D 5/12: Blades ({specially adapted for radial flow machines or engines F01D5/04}; blade roots F01D5/30; rotors with blades adjustable in operation F01D7/00; stator blades F01D9/02) - F01D 5/18: Hollow blades, {i.e. blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities (structure of hollow blades in general F01D5/147)}; Heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades - F01D 5/181: {Blades having a closed internal cavity containing a cooling medium, e.g. sodium} - F01D 5/22: Blade-to-blade connections, {e.g. for damping vibrations} - F01D 5/24: using wire or the like - F01D 5/26: Antivibration means not restricted to blade form or construction or to blade-to-blade connections {or to the use of particular materials} - F01D 5/30: Fixing blades to rotors; Blade roots {; Blade spacers} - F01D 11/006: {Sealing the gap between rotor blades or blades and rotor} - F01D 25/12: Cooling - F05D 2260/202: by film cooling - F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D) - F05D: INDEXING SCHEME FOR ASPECTS RELATING TO NON-POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, GAS-TURBINES OR JET-PROPULSION PLANTS ## Abstract A bucket assembly cooling apparatus is provided. The bucket assembly includes a platform, an airfoil, and a shank. The airfoil may extend radially outward from the platform. The shank may extend radially inward from the platform. The shank may include a pressure side sidewall, a suction side sidewall, an upstream sidewall, and a downstream sidewall. The sidewalls may at least partially define a cooling circuit. The cooling circuit may be configured to receive a cooling medium and provide the cooling medium to the airfoil. The upstream sidewall may at least partially define an interior cooling passage and at least partially define an exterior ingestion zone. The cooling passage may be configured to provide a portion of the cooling medium from the cooling circuit to the ingestion zone of an adjacent bucket assembly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An arrangement of bucket assemblies assembly comprising: a platform; an airfoil extending radially outward from the platform; and a shank extending radially inward from the platform, the shank including a pressure side sidewall, a suction side sidewall, an upstream sidewall, and a downstream sidewall, the sidewalls at least partially defining an internal cooling circuit, the cooling circuit configured to receive a cooling medium and provide the cooling medium to the airfoil, the upstream sidewall at least partially defining an interior cooling passage and at least partially defining an exterior ingestion zone, the cooling passage configured to provide a portion of the cooling medium from the cooling circuit to the ingestion zone of an adjacent bucket assembly through an opening of the cooling passage defined in one of a pressure side surface or a suction side surface of the upstream sidewall. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 1, further comprising a dovetail extending radially inward from the shank, the dovetail configured to couple the bucket assembly to a shaft and to supply the cooling medium to the cooling circuit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 1, wherein the upstream sidewall includes an exterior surface, an interior surface, a pressure side surface, and a suction side surface, and wherein the ingestion zone is defined adjacent the suction side surface and the platform. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 1, further comprising a seal pin, the seal pin disposed adjacent the upstream sidewall and configured to provide a seal between the bucket assembly and the adjacent bucket assembly. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 4, wherein the bucket assembly and the adjacent bucket assembly further define the ingestion zone therebetween, and wherein the cooling medium provided to the ingestion zone interacts with at least a portion of the seal pin of the adjacent bucket assembly, cooling the seal pin. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 4, wherein the cooling passage includes an exterior cooling passage opening, the cooling passage opening positioned upstream of the seal pin with respect to a hot gas flow. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 4, wherein the cooling passage includes an exterior cooling passage opening, the cooling passage opening substantially aligned with the seal pin with respect to a hot gas flow. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 1, further comprising a damper pin disposed adjacent the platform, the damper pin including a leading end and a trailing end, the leading end disposed adjacent the upstream sidewall, the trailing end disposed adjacent the downstream sidewall, the damper pin configured to dampen vibrations between the bucket assembly and the adjacent bucket assembly. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 8, wherein the bucket assembly and the adjacent bucket assembly further define the ingestion zone therebetween, and wherein the cooling medium provided to the ingestion zone interacts with at least a portion of the leading end of the damper pin of the adjacent bucket assembly, cooling the leading end. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 1, wherein the cooling medium mixes with a hot gas flow in the ingestion zone, cooling the hot gas flow. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The arrangement of bucket assemblies of claim 1, wherein the cooling medium provides an ingestion barrier, the ingestion barrier preventing a hot gas flow from entering the ingestion zone. ### Claim 12 A rotor assembly comprising: a shaft; a plurality of bucket assemblies, the bucket assemblies disposed circumferentially about the shaft and coupled to the shaft, each of the bucket assemblies comprising a platform, an airfoil extending radially outward from the platform, a shank extending radially inward from the platform, and a dovetail extending radially inward from the shank, the dovetail configured to couple the bucket assembly to the shaft, the shank including a pressure side sidewall, a suction side sidewall, an upstream sidewall, and a downstream sidewall, the sidewalls at least partially defining an internal cooling circuit, the cooling circuit configured to receive a cooling medium from the dovetail and provide the cooling medium to the airfoil, the upstream sidewall at least partially defining an interior cooling passage and at least partially defining an exterior ingestion zone, the cooling passage configured to provide a portion of the cooling medium from the cooling circuit to the ingestion zone of an adjacent bucket assembly through an opening of the cooling passage defined in one of a pressure side surface or a suction side surface of the upstream sidewall. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The rotor assembly of claim 12, wherein the upstream sidewall includes an exterior surface, an interior surface, a pressure side surface, and a suction side surface, and wherein the ingestion zone is defined adjacent the suction side surface and the platform. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The rotor assembly of claim 12, further comprising a seal pin, the seal pin disposed adjacent the upstream sidewall and configured to provide a seal between the bucket assembly and the adjacent bucket assembly. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The rotor assembly of claim 14, wherein the bucket assembly and the adjacent bucket assembly further define the ingestion zone therebetween, and wherein the cooling medium provided to the ingestion zone interacts with at least a portion of the seal pin of the adjacent bucket assembly, cooling the seal pin. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The rotor assembly of claim 14, wherein the cooling passage includes an exterior cooling passage opening, the cooling passage opening positioned upstream of the seal pin with respect to a hot gas flow. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The rotor assembly of claim 14, wherein the cooling passage includes an exterior cooling passage opening, the cooling passage opening substantially aligned with the seal pin with respect to a hot gas flow. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The rotor assembly of claim 12, further comprising a damper pin disposed adjacent the platform, the damper pin including a leading end and a trailing end, the leading end disposed adjacent the upstream sidewall, the trailing end disposed adjacent the downstream sidewall, the damper pin configured to dampen vibrations between the bucket assembly and the adjacent bucket assembly. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The rotor assembly of claim 18, wherein the bucket assembly and the adjacent bucket assembly further define the ingestion zone therebetween, and wherein the cooling medium provided to the ingestion zone interacts with at least a portion of the leading end of the damper pin of the adjacent bucket assembly, cooling the leading end.