Patent ID: 7186082
Filing Date: 2007-03-06
Classification: F01D,F05D

Abstract:
1. A method for cooling a rotor blade, comprising the steps of: providing a rotor blade having a root, and a hollow airfoil, wherein the hollow airfoil has a cavity defined by a suction side wall, a pressure side wall, a leading edge, a trailing edge, a base, and a tip, and an internal passage configuration is disposed within the cavity, which configuration includes a serpentine passage having at least three radial segments connected to one another, an axially extending passage disposed between the tip and the serpentine passage, at least one aperture extending between the last radial segment and the axially extending passage, and one or more sink apertures disposed within one of the suction side wall or the pressure side wall of the last radial segment of the serpentine passage, and wherein the rotor blade includes at least one conduit disposed within the root that is operable to permit airflow through the root and into the internal passage configuration; providing cooling air into the internal passage configuration at a pressure of P providing cooling air into the axially extending passage at a pressure of P providing cooling air into the last radial segment of the serpentine passage at a pressure of P wherein the difference between P wherein the difference between P