Gas turbine airfoil

• US 8,231,349 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2009
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ansaldo Energia IP UK Limited (Ansaldo Energia SPA)
• Original Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Inventors: Naik, Shailendra, Wardle, Brian Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Ha Tran T
• Assistant Examiner(s): NEWTON, VALERIE N
• Application Number:
  US12/400,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20100254824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 416/97.R
• US Class Current: 416/97.R
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/186 Film cooling F01D5/187 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/187 Convection cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/201 by impingement of a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/202 by film cooling
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2260/22141 using fins or ribs
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/60 Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft

Abstract

A turbine component (25) includes a root (21), a tip (22), and an airfoil portion (7) having a leading and a trailing edge (8,9), an external suction side and pressure side wall (13, 14) between the leading and trailing edge. The walls enclose a central cavity (1-6) for the passage of cooling air, the cavity being partitioned into a leading edge- and a trailing edge region (7a, 7b) by at least one longitudinally extending first web (15) connecting the suction side wall with the pressure side wall and a second longitudinally extending web (16), connecting the first web with the suction side wall, thereby defining a first and second entry chamber (2, 3). The first web (15) is provided with at least one cross-over hole (H1) between the first entry chamber and the leading edge chamber (1), whereas the second web has no openings.

Claims

1. A gas turbine engine component comprising:

a root and a tip separated along a longitudinal axis;

an airfoil portion having a leading edge, a trailing edge, an external suction side wall, and an external pressure side wall, the external walls extending between said leading edge and said trailing edge, said external walls enclosing a central cavity for the passage of cooling air between the root and the tip;

at least one longitudinally extending first web connecting said suction side wall with said pressure side wall, said at least one first web partitioning said cavity into a leading edge region and a trailing edge region and defining a leading edge chamber in the leading edge region;

a second longitudinally extending web connecting said at least one first web with the suction side wall and defining a first entry chamber on the suction side of the second web and a second entry chamber for cooling air in the trailing edge region;

wherein said at least one first web comprises at least one cross-over hole between the first entry chamber and the leading edge chamber, and wherein the second web is devoid of openings;

wherein the at least one cross-over hole in the at least one first web between the first entry chamber and the leading edge chamber comprises a longitudinally extending row of holes, and wherein the cross-sectional area of the holes of said row is larger in a region of the tip than in a region of the root.

2. The component of claim 1, wherein the at least one first web is partitioned into two longitudinal wall portions by said second web.

3. The component of claim 2, wherein the second web partitions the at least one first web at a region along the at least one first web between 30% and 70% of the distance between the suction side wall and the pressure side wall.

4. The component of claim 2, wherein the second web partitions the at least one first web at a region along the at least one first web between 40% and 60% of the distance between the suction side wall and the pressure side wall.

5. The component of claim 2, wherein the second web partitions the at least one first web at a region along the at least one first web approximately half the distance between the suction side wall and the pressure side wall.

6. The component of claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the holes of said longitudinally extending row of holes successively increases from the root to the tip.

7. The component of claim 1, wherein said at least one first web further comprises at least one cross-over hole between the second entry chamber and the leading edge chamber.

8. The component of claim 7, wherein said at least one cross-over hole between the second entry chamber and the leading edge chamber comprises a longitudinally extending row of holes.

9. The component of claim 1, wherein the suction side wall, the pressure side wall, or both, comprises at least one exit hole configured and arranged for the exhaust of cooling air.

10. The component of claim 1, further comprising:

a third web connecting the suction side wall with the pressure side wall on the trailing edge side of the second entry chamber, the third web separating the second entry chamber from the trailing edge.

11. The component of claim 10, further comprising:

a first intermediate chamber between the third web and the trailing edge.

12. The component of claim 11, further comprising:

at least one cross-over hole in the third web.

13. The component of claim 12, further comprising:

a fourth web connecting the suction side wall with the pressure side wall, the fourth web positioned between the first intermediate chamber and the trailing edge, the fourth web comprising at least one cross-over hole.

14. The component of claim 13, wherein the at least one cross-over hole in the third web, in the fourth web, or in both, comprises at least two cross-over holes.

15. The component of claim 13, wherein the at least one cross-over hole in the fourth web comprises a longitudinally extending row of holes.

16. The component according to claim 13, wherein the at least one cross-over hole in the third web, in the fourth web, or in both, comprises at least two cross-over holes arranged in a longitudinal row, the cross-sectional area of the at least two cross-over holes being larger in a region of the tip than in a region of the root.

17. The component of claim 16, wherein the cross-sectional area of the at least two cross-over holes successively increases from the root to the tip.

18. The component of claim 1, wherein said trailing edge region comprises a trailing edge chamber and at least one exit hole in the suction side wall or the pressure side wall of the airfoil portion.

19. The component of claim 1, wherein at least one of the chambers comprises a channel disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis in a region of the root, of the tip, or of both, such that the cooling air can pass through said channel and have a flow direction opposite that of the chamber from which the flow came.

20. The component of claim 19, wherein the channel is configured and arranged such that the air flow is directed to change its flow direction by approximately 180 degrees.

21. The component of claim 15, wherein, in at least one row of said at least one row of longitudinally extending holes in the fourth web, the holes have a cross-section with a first main axis in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the component or of the fourth web different in length from a second main axis in a direction perpendicular to the first main axis.

22. The component of claim 21, wherein the length of the first main axis is larger than that of the second main axis.

23. The component of claim 1, wherein the second web is at least as thick as the first web.

24. The component of claim 1, wherein the length of the first web from the pressure side wall to the suction side wall is between about 50 and about 90 percent of the maximum distance from the suction side to the pressure side within the airfoil portion measured perpendicular to a central plane in a cross-sectional view.

25. The component of claim 1, wherein the length of the first web from the pressure side wall to the suction side wall is between about 60 and about 80 percent of the maximum distance from the suction side to the pressure side within the airfoil portion measured perpendicular to a central plane in a cross-sectional view.

26. The component of claim 1, wherein a portion of the suction side wall, of the pressure side wall, or of both, bordering at least one side of the leading edge chamber comprises at least one exit hole configured and arranged to discharge cooling medium into the hot air path.

27. The component of claim 26, wherein the at least one exit hole comprises at least one longitudinally extending row of exit holes.

28. The component of claim 27, wherein the at least one longitudinally extending row of exit holes comprises at least two longitudinally extending rows of exit holes.

29. The component of claim 26, wherein at least the second entry chamber comprises at least one exit hole in a bordering portion of the suction side wall, of the pressure side wall, or of both.

30. The component of claim 29, wherein the at least one exit hole in the second entry chamber comprises at least one row of exit holes.

31. The component of claim 1, wherein at least one of the chambers comprises at least one turbulence promoter.

32. The component of claim 31, wherein the at least one turbulence promoter comprises ribs configured and arranged to obstruct or deviate a flow path.

33. The component of claim 1, wherein the at least one first web is arranged at an angle of approximately 60-120 degrees with respect to a central plane longitudinally dividing the airfoil portion into a suction side half and a pressure side half.

34. The component of claim 1, wherein the at one first web is arranged at an angle of approximately 75-100 degrees with respect to a central plane longitudinally dividing the airfoil portion into a suction side half and a pressure side half.

35. The component of claim 1, wherein the second web extends from the at least one first web at an angle of approximately 60-120 degrees.

36. The component of claim 1, wherein the second web extends from the at least one first web at an angle of approximately 75-100 degrees.