Patent ID: 8944763
Filing Date: 2015-02-03
Classification: F01D,F05D

Abstract:
1. A turbine blade, comprising: a generally elongated blade having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a tip section at a first end, a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc, and at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the blade; wherein the cooling system comprises at least one leading edge cooling channel positioned in close proximity to the leading edge of the generally elongated blade; a bifurcated mid-chord cooling chamber positioned between the at least one leading edge cooling channel and the trailing edge, wherein the mid-chord cooling chamber includes a pressure side serpentine cooling channel in contact with a pressure sidewall of the generally elongated blade and a suction side serpentine cooling channel in contact with a suction sidewall of the generally elongated blade and separated from the at least one pressure side serpentine cooling channel by a mid-chord rib; an aperture in the mid-chord rib providing a cooling fluid passageway between the pressure and suction side serpentine cooling channels; wherein the aperture is positioned in the mid-chord rib to exhaust cooling fluids from the pressure side serpentine cooling channel and to supply cooling fluids to the suction side serpentine cooling channel; wherein the suction side serpentine cooling channel is positioned relative to the pressure side serpentine cooling channel such that a cooling fluid flow direction through the suction side serpentine cooling channel is generally opposite to the cooling fluid flow in adjacent portions of the pressure side serpentine cooling channel, thereby forming cooling fluid counterflow between the pressure side and suction side serpentine cooling channels; wherein a first channel of the pressure side serpentine cooling channel includes an inlet for receiving cooling fluids; wherein a second channel of the pressure side serpentine cooling channel is positioned between the first channel and the leading edge of the generally elongated blade, thereby creating a cooling fluid flow in the pressure side serpentine cooling channel flowing in a direction from the trailing edge to the leading edge; and a leading edge supply chamber, wherein the leading edge supply chamber and the pressure side serpentine cooling channel are separated by a rib, thereby preventing cooling fluid movement between the leading edge supply chamber and the pressure side serpentine cooling channel, and wherein the leading edge supply chamber and the suction side serpentine cooling channel are separated by the rib, thereby preventing cooling fluid movement between the leading edge supply chamber and the suction side serpentine cooling channel.