TURBINE AIRFOIL WITH SINGLE AFT FLOWING THREE PASS SERPENTINE COOLING CIRCUIT

• US 20020119047A1
• Filed: 02/23/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Starkweather, John Howard
• Granted Patent: US 6,471,479 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 416/97R
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/187 Convection cooling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A gas turbine engine hollow airfoil includes an airfoil outer wall having width wise spaced apart pressure and suction side walls joined together at chordally spaced apart leading and trailing edges of the airfoil and extending radially outward from a base to a tip. The airfoil includes a single three pass aft flowing serpentine cooling circuit and a straight through leading edge cooling channel extending radially through the airfoil and bounded in part by the leading edge. The exemplary embodiment includes a trailing edge cooling plenum and a straight through single pass trailing edge feed channel for providing cooling air to the trailing edge cooling plenum.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine airfoil comprising:

an airfoil outer wall having width wise spaced apart pressure and suction side walls joined together at chordally spaced apart leading and trailing edges of said airfoil and extending radially from a radially inner base to a radially outer airfoil tip,

a plurality of radially extending internal ribs extending width wise between said pressure and suction side walls;

an internal single three pass serpentine cooling circuit having radially extending first, second, and third serpentine channels between, in axially aft succession, first, second, third, and fourth ribs of said radially extending internal ribs;

said first, second, and third serpentine channels bounded by said first, second, third, and fourth ribs of said plurality of radially extending internal ribs and said pressure and suction side walls;

said serpentine cooling circuit including an entrance and a terminal end wherein said terminal end is positioned aft of said entrance so as to have a chordal flow direction aftwards from said leading edge to said trailing edge within said serpentine circuit;

a straight through single pass leading edge cooling channel located between said first rib, said leading edge, and said outer wall; and

said first serpentine channel and said leading edge cooling channel extending radially through said the base.

2. An airfoil as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:

a trailing edge cooling plenum located between an aftwardmost one of said plurality of internal transverse ribs and said trailing edge, and said pressure and suction side walls;

a straight through single pass trailing edge feed channel located between said aftwardmost one of said internal transverse ribs and said fourth rib and extending radially through said base,

cooling air discharge apertures disposed in said aftwardmost one of said plurality of internal transverse ribs, said discharge apertures disposed between said trailing edge feed channel and said trailing edge cooling plenum.

3. An airfoil as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a plurality of leading edge cooling apertures extending out from said leading edge cooling channel through said outer wall and a plurality of trailing edge cooling apertures extending out of said trailing edge cooling plenum through said outer wall at said trailing edge.

4. An airfoil as claimed in claim 3 wherein said leading edge cooling apertures are gill holes and said trailing edge cooling apertures are trailing edge film cooling holes.

5. An airfoil as claimed in claim 4 further comprising a squealer tip having a squealer wall extending radially outward from and peripherally around said outer tip wall forming a squealer tip cavity therein.

6. An airfoil as claimed in claim 5 further comprising at least one tip cooling hole extending through a radially outer tip wall of said tip.

7. An airfoil as claimed in claim 2 further comprising a first plurality of side wall film cooling holes leading from at least one of said first, second, and third serpentine channels.

8. A gas turbine engine blade comprising:

a hollow airfoil extending radially outwardly from a root;

said airfoil comprising;

an airfoil outer wall having width wise spaced apart pressure and suction side walls joined together at chordally spaced apart leading and trailing edges of said airfoil and extending radially from a radially inner base to a radially outer airfoil tip,

a plurality of radially extending internal ribs extending width wise between said pressure and suction side walls;

an internal single three pass serpentine cooling circuit having radially extending first, second, and third serpentine channels between, in axially aft succession, first, second, third, and fourth ribs of said radially extending internal ribs;

said first, second, and third serpentine channels bounded by said first, second, third, and fourth ribs of said plurality of radially extending internal ribs and said pressure and suction side walls;

said serpentine cooling circuit including an entrance and a terminal end wherein said terminal end is positioned aft of said entrance so as to have a chordal flow direction aftwards from said leading edge to said trailing edge within said serpentine circuit;

a straight through single pass leading edge cooling channel located between said first rib, said leading edge, and said outer wall; and

said first serpentine channel and said leading edge cooling channel extending radially through said base and root.

9. A blade as claimed in claim 8 further comprising:

a trailing edge cooling plenum located between an aftwardmost one of said plurality of internal transverse ribs and said trailing edge, and said pressure and suction side walls;

a straight through single pass trailing edge feed channel located between said aftwardmost one of said internal transverse ribs and said fourth rib and extending radially through said base and said root,

cooling air discharge apertures disposed in said aftwardmost one of said plurality of internal transverse ribs, said discharge apertures disposed between said trailing edge feed channel and said trailing edge cooling plenum.

10. A blade as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a plurality of leading edge cooling apertures extending out from said leading edge cooling channel through said outer wall and a plurality of trailing edge cooling apertures extending out of said trailing edge cooling plenum through said outer wall at said trailing edge.

11. A blade as claimed in claim 10 wherein said leading edge cooling apertures are gill holes and said trailing edge cooling apertures are trailing edge film cooling holes.

12. A blade as claimed in claim 11 further comprising a squealer tip having a squealer wall extending radially outward from and peripherally around said outer tip wall forming a squealer tip cavity therein.

13. A blade as claimed in claim 12 further comprising at least one tip cooling hole extending through a radially outer tip wall of said tip.

14. A blade as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a first plurality of side wall film cooling holes leading from at least one of said first, second, and third serpentine channels.