Patent ID: 8821111
Filing Date: 2014-09-02
Classification: F01D,F05D

Abstract:
1. A vane structure for a gas turbine engine, said vane structure comprising: a radially outer platform including an inner surface defining a portion of a hot gas path through said gas turbine engine and an opposing outer surface in communication with a cooling fluid source; a radially inner platform including an outer surface defining a portion of said hot gas path and an opposing inner surface; an airfoil including an airfoil outer wall extending radially between said outer platform and said inner platform, said outer wall including chordally spaced leading and trailing edges, and spaced pressure and suction sidewalls extending between and joined at said leading and trailing edges; a cooling passage defined within said outer wall and having a plurality of radially extending channels including an upstream channel, a downstream channel and a medial channel between said upstream channel and said downstream channel; said upstream channel being defined between said pressure and suction sidewalls where they join at said leading edge, and said upstream channel conducts cooling fluid from said cooling fluid inlet in a radially inward direction toward said inner platform, said medial channel conducts cooling fluid from said upstream channel in a radially outward direction toward said outer platform and said downstream channel conducts cooling fluid from said medial channel in said radially inward direction; an outer end turn structure extending radially outwardly from said outer surface of said outer platform to conduct cooling fluid in a chordal direction between said medial channel and said downstream channel; including a cooling fluid inlet for providing cooling fluid from said cooling fluid supply to said upstream channel, said cooling fluid inlet extending through said outer end turn structure from a location radially outwardly from said outer surface to said upstream channel; said outer end turn structure including an enlarged portion wherein said enlarged portion is formed by an internal passage wall defining an enlarged dimension, in a direction transverse to said chordal direction and perpendicular to the radial direction, for conducting cooling fluid between said medial channel and said downstream channel; and at chordal sections comprising sections taken radially through each of said medial channel and said downstream channel, and viewed in the chordal direction, said enlarged dimension is greater than a dimension of each of said medial and downstream channels, as determined at each said chordal section and measured in said direction transverse to said chordal direction and perpendicular to the radial direction, at a location adjacent to said enlarged portion.