Abstract:
A cooling system for a turbine airfoil of a turbine engine having at least one diffusion film cooling hole positioned in an outer wall defining the turbine airfoil is disclosed. The diffusion film cooling hole includes first and second sections. The first section may function as a metering section, and the second section may function as a diffusion section. The second section may include flow restriction ribs that direct the flow of cooling fluids in disproportionately larger amounts proximate to the downstream side of the diffusion film cooling hole.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/097,332, filed Sep. 16, 2008, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention is directed generally to turbine airfoils, and more particularly to cooling systems in hollow turbine airfoils. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Typically, gas turbine engines include a compressor for compressing air, a combustor for mixing the compressed air with fuel and igniting the mixture, and a turbine blade assembly for producing power. Combustors often operate at high temperatures that may exceed 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Typical turbine combustor configurations expose turbine blade assemblies and turbine vanes to these high temperatures. As a result, turbine airfoils must be made of materials capable of withstanding such high temperatures. In addition, turbine airfoils often contain cooling systems for prolonging the life of the turbine airfoils and reducing the likelihood of failure as a result of excessive temperatures. 
     Typically, turbine airfoils contain an intricate maze of cooling channels forming a cooling system. Turbine airfoils include turbine blades and turbine vanes. Turbine blades are formed from a root portion having a platform at one end and an elongated portion forming a blade that extends outwardly from the platform coupled to the root portion. The blade is ordinarily composed of a tip opposite the root section, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. Turbine vanes have a similar configuration except that a radially outer and is attached to a shroud and a radially inner end meshes with a rotatable rotor assembly. The cooling channels in a turbine airfoil receive air from the compressor of the turbine engine and pass the air through the airfoil. The cooling channels often include multiple flow paths that are designed to maintain all aspects of the turbine airfoil at a relatively uniform temperature. However, centrifugal forces and air flow at boundary layers often prevent some areas of the turbine airfoil from being adequately cooled, which results in the formation of localized hot spots. Localized hot spots, depending on their location, can reduce the useful life of a turbine airfoil and can damage a turbine blade to an extent necessitating replacement of the airfoil. 
     In one conventional cooling system, diffusion orifices have been used in outer walls of turbine airfoils. Typically, the diffusion orifices are aligned with a metering orifices that extends through the outer wall to provide sufficient cooling to turbine airfoils. The objective of the diffusion orifices is to reduce the velocity of the cooling fluids to create an effective film cooling layer. Nonetheless, many conventional diffusion orifices are configured such that cooling fluids are exhausted and mix with the hot gas path and become ineffective. In addition, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the diffusion orifices often suffer from hot gas ingestion at upstream surfaces of the orifices. The hot gas ingestion causes shear mixing of the hot gases with the cooling fluids, which results in a reduction of film cooling effectiveness. Further, the diffusion orifices also suffer from separation at the downstream surface at the intersection between the change in angle of the linear surfaces forming the downstream surface. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a turbine airfoil cooling system for a turbine airfoil used in turbine engines. In particular, the turbine airfoil cooling system is directed to a cooling system having an internal cavity positioned between outer walls forming a housing of the turbine airfoil. The cooling system may include a diffusion film cooling hole in the outer wall that may be adapted to receive cooling fluids from the internal cavity, meter the flow of cooling fluids through the diffusion film cooling hole, and release the cooling fluids into a film cooling layer proximate to an outer surface of the airfoil. The diffusion film cooling hole may be curved and include an ever increasing cross-sectional area across that allow cooling fluids to diffuse to create better film coverage and yield better cooling of the turbine airfoil. The diffusion film cooling hole may also include one or more flow restriction ribs that direct the flow to minimize hot gas ingestion and to foster cooling fluid film creation at the outer surface. 
     The turbine airfoil may be formed from a generally elongated airfoil having a leading edge, a trailing edge and at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the airfoil. An outer wall forming the generally elongated airfoil may have at least one diffusion film cooling hole positioned in the outer wall and providing a cooling fluid pathway between the at least one cavity forming the cooling system and an environment outside of the airfoil. The diffusion film cooling hole may include a first section extending from an inlet into the outer wall and a second section extending from the first section and terminating at an outlet on an outer surface of the outer wall. The second section may have an ever increasing cross-sectional area moving from the first section to the outlet. The first section may have any appropriate cross-sectional configuration, and in at least one embodiment, may have a constant cross-sectional area and function as a metering device. A ratio of length to orthogonal distance of the first section may be between about 1.5:1 to 2.5:1. 
     At least one flow restriction rib may be positioned in the second section and extend in a direction generally from the first section towards the outlet. The flow restriction rib may be tapered having a wider leading edge closer to the first section than trailing edge that is closer to the outlet. As such, the flow restriction rib enables the cooling fluids to diffuse such that the velocity of the cooling fluids is reduced. The flow restriction rib may also be tapered with a wider outward edge than inward edge. As such, a larger portion of the cooling fluid flow flows proximate to the inward surface, which creates a better cooling film immediately proximate the outer surface of the outer wall. In at least one embodiment, the diffusion film cooling hole may include a plurality of flow restriction ribs. The plurality of flow restriction ribs may be positioned generally beside each other, and a first flow restriction rib may extend closer to the first section than the other flow restriction ribs. 
     The diffusion film cooling hole may be configured such that an inward surface of the second section may be curved away from a longitudinal axis of the at least one diffusion film cooling hole to increase the size of the outlet. The inward surface of the second section may be curved away from the longitudinal axis of the at least one diffusion film cooling hole such that the curved inward surface begins at the first section and an intersection of the inward surface and the outer surface of the outer wall may be positioned between about 15 degrees and about 25 degrees from the longitudinal axis. Similarly, a first side surface of the second section may be curved away from a longitudinal axis of the at least one diffusion film cooling hole, and a second side surface of the second section that is generally opposite to the first side surface may be curved away from the longitudinal axis of the at least one diffusion film cooling hole. In particular, the first side surface of the second section may be curved away from the longitudinal axis of the at least one diffusion film cooling hole such that the curved first side surface begins at the first section and an outermost point of the first side surface is positioned between about 7 degrees and about 15 degrees from the longitudinal axis. The second side surface of the second section may be curved away from the longitudinal axis of the at least one diffusion film cooling hole such that the curved first side surface begins at the first section and an outermost point of the second side surface is positioned between about 7 degrees and about 15 degrees from the longitudinal axis. 
     In another embodiment, the diffusion film cooling hole may be positioned such that the longitudinal axis of the diffusion film cooling hole may be at an angle with the direction of flow of the hot gases outside of the turbine airfoil. In particular, the diffusion film cooling hole may be positioned nonparallel and nonorthogonal to a direction aligned with the streamwise flow of the hot gases. The first side surface of the second section may be curved away from the longitudinal axis of the at least one diffusion film cooling hole such that the curved first side surface begins at the first section and an outermost point of the first side surface is positioned between about 0 degrees and about 7 degrees from the longitudinal axis. The second side surface of the second section may be curved away from the longitudinal axis of the at least one diffusion film cooling hole such that the curved first side surface begins at the first section and an outermost point of the second side surface is positioned between about 15 degrees and about 25 degrees from the longitudinal axis. 
     During operation, cooling fluids, such as gases, are passed through the cooling system. In particular, cooling fluids may pass into the internal cavity by entering the inlet and enter the first section in which the flow of cooling fluids is metered. The cooling fluids then pass into second section and begin to diffuse whereby the velocity of the cooling fluids is reduced. The cooling fluids pass through the openings created by the flow restriction ribs where larger fluid flow occurs proximate to the inward surface than the outward surface. As such, the cooling fluids form a more efficient film and invasion into the hot gas flow path is limited. Therefore, the diffusion film cooling hole minimizes film layer shear mixing with the hot gas flow and thus, yields a higher level of cooling fluid effectiveness. 
     An advantage of the diffusion film cooling hole is that the divergent cooling hole includes curved divergent side walls configured to create efficient use of cooling fluids in forming film cooling flows. 
     Another advantage of the diffusion film cooling hole is that the flow restriction ribs direct cooling fluids against the inward surface, thereby forming a more efficient film with reduced effects on the hot gas flow. 
     Yet another advantage of the diffusion film cooling hole is a larger outlet at the outer surface of the outer wall is created by the first and second sidewalls and the inward surface being curved, which enables cooling fluids to spread out in multiple directions. 
     Another advantage of the diffusion film cooling hole is that the flow restriction ribs eliminate hot gas ingestion at the upstream side of the outlet. 
     Still another advantage of the diffusion film cooling hole is that the diffusion film cooling hole has reduced stress concentrations where the surfaces of the second section intersect with the outer surface of the outer wall because of the elimination of sharp corners at the intersection. 
     Yet another advantage of the diffusion film cooling hole is that the configuration of the diffusion film cooling hole does not include a sharp corner within the hole at the intersection between the first and second sections, thereby preventing flow separation. 
     Another advantage of the diffusion film cooling hole is that the diffusion film cooling hole exhausts cooling fluids at a lower angle than conventional configurations, thereby forming a better film layer and higher film effectiveness. 
     These and other embodiments are described in more detail below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the presently disclosed invention and, together with the description, disclose the principles of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional turbine airfoil. 
         FIG. 2  is cross-sectional, detailed view of a perspective view of a conventional exhaust orifice shown in  FIG. 1  taken along section line  2 - 2 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a turbine airfoil having features according to the instant invention. 
         FIG. 4  is cross-sectional, detailed view, referred to as a filleted view, of a diffusion film cooling hole of the turbine airfoil shown in  FIG. 3  taken along section line  4 - 4 . 
         FIG. 5  is a detailed view of the outlet of the diffusion film cooling hole at detail  5 - 5  is  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a detailed view of the outlet of an alternative configuration of the diffusion film cooling hole at detail  5 - 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional, detailed view of flow restriction ribs taken along section line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 8  is a detailed view of a flow restriction rib in  FIG. 5 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3-8 , this invention is directed to a turbine airfoil cooling system  10  for a turbine airfoil  12  used in turbine engines. In particular, the turbine airfoil cooling system  10  is directed to a cooling system  10  having an internal cavity  14 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , positioned between outer walls  16  forming a housing  18  of the turbine airfoil  12 . The cooling system  10  may include a diffusion film cooling hole  20  in the outer wall  16  that may be adapted to receive cooling fluids from the internal cavity  14 , meter the flow of cooling fluids through the diffusion film cooling hole  20 , and release the cooling fluids into a film cooling layer proximate to an outer surface  22  of the airfoil  12 . The diffusion film cooling hole  20  may be curved and include an ever increasing cross-sectional area that allows cooling fluids to diffuse to create better film coverage and yield better cooling of the turbine airfoil. The diffusion film cooling hole  20  may also include one or more flow restriction ribs  24  that direct the flow to minimize hot gas ingestion and to foster cooling fluid film creation at the outer surface  22 . 
     The turbine airfoil  12  may be formed from a generally elongated airfoil  25 . The turbine airfoil  12  may be a turbine blade, a turbine vane or other appropriate structure. In embodiments in which the turbine airfoil  12  is a turbine blade, the airfoil  25  may be coupled to a root  26  at a platform  28 . The turbine airfoil  12  may be formed from other appropriate configurations and may be formed from conventional metals or other acceptable materials. The generally elongated airfoil  25  may extend from the root  26  to a tip  30  and include a leading edge  32  and trailing edge  34 . Airfoil  25  may have an outer wall  16  adapted for use, for example, in a first stage of an axial flow turbine engine. Outer wall  16  may form a generally concave shaped portion forming a pressure side  36  and may form a generally convex shaped portion forming a suction side  38 . The cavity  14 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , may be positioned in inner aspects of the airfoil  25  for directing one or more gases, which may include air received from a compressor (not shown), through the airfoil  25  and out one or more holes  20 , such as in the leading edge  32 , in the airfoil  25  to reduce the temperature of the airfoil  25  and provide film cooling to the outer wall  16 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the orifices  20  may be positioned in a leading edge  32 , a tip  30 , or outer wall  16 , or any combination thereof, and have various configurations. The cavity  14  may be arranged in various configurations and is not limited to a particular flow path. 
     The cooling system  10  may include one or more diffusion film cooling holes  20  positioned in the outer wall  16  to provide a cooling fluid pathway between the internal cavity  14  forming the cooling system  10  and an environment outside of the airfoil  12 . As shown in  FIGS. 4-6 , the diffusion film cooling holes  20  may be formed from a first section  52  extending from an inlet  56  into the outer wall  16  and a second section  54  extending from the first section  52  and terminating at an outlet  48  on an outer surface  22  of the outer wall  16 . The first section  52  may be used to meter the flow of cooling fluids through the diffusion film cooling hole  20 . The first section  52  may have any appropriate cross-sectional configuration. In one embodiment, the first section  52  may have a generally cylindrical cross-section. In another embodiment, the first section  52  may be generally rectangular. The first section  52  may have a constant cross-sectional area through its length. The ratio of length to orthogonal distance of the first section  52  may be between about 1.5:1 to 2.5:1. In embodiments where the first section is cylindrical, the orthogonal distance may be a diameter to form a length to diameter ratio. The second section  54  may have an ever increasing cross-sectional area moving from the first section  52  to the outlet  48  to create a diffusion region. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the diffusion film cooling hole  20  may include a first sidewall  40  in the second section  54  having a radius of curvature relative to a longitudinal axis  42  generally aligned with a centerline  44  of cooling fluid flow through the diffusion film cooling hole  20 . The diffusion film cooling hole  20  may also include a second sidewall  46  in the second section  54  having a radius of curvature about the axis  42  generally aligned with the centerline  44  of cooling fluid flow through the diffusion film cooling hole  20 . The first and second sidewalls  40 ,  46  may each be positioned at between about 7 degrees and about 15 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis  42  to increase the size of the outlet  48  at the outer surface  22  to decrease the velocity of the cooling fluids. The first and second sidewalls  40 ,  46  may diverge from the longitudinal axis  42  and from each other to create a larger outlet  48  to create an effective cooling film at the outer surface  22 . In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the longitudinal axis  42  of the diffusion film cooling hole  20  may be generally aligned streamwise with the direction of hot gas flow. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the diffusion film cooling hole  20  may extend through the outer wall  16  such that the longitudinal axis  42  is positioned nonorthogonally relative to the outer surface  22 . 
     In another embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 6 , the longitudinal axis  42  of the diffusion film cooling hole  20  may be generally nonparallel and nonorthogonal with a streamwise direction that is aligned the direction of got gas flow. In this embodiment, the first sidewall  40  may be positioned between about 0 degrees and about 7 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis  42 , and the second sidewall  46  may be positioned at between about 15 degrees and about 25 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis  42  to increase the size of the outlet  48  at the outer surface  22  to decrease the velocity of the cooling fluids. The first sidewall  40  may be positioned at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis  42  less than the second sidewall  46  because the first sidewall  40  is positioned on the upstream side of the diffusion film cooling hole  20  at which cooling fluid diffusion is hampered by the hot gas flow. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , an inward surface  50  of the second section  54  may be curved away from the longitudinal axis  52  of the diffusion film cooling hole  20 . In one embodiment, the inward surface  50  of the second section  54  may be curved away from the longitudinal axis  42  of the diffusion film cooling hole  20  such that the curved inward surface  50  begins at the first section  52  and an intersection of the inward surface  50  and the outer surface  22  of the outer wall  16  may be positioned between about 15 degrees and about 25 degrees from the longitudinal axis  42 . The curved inward surface  50  further increases the size of the outlet  48  shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . 
     The turbine airfoil cooling system  10  may also include a flow restriction rib  24 . The flow restriction rib  24  may be positioned in the second section  54  and may be generally aligned with fluid flow through the diffusion film cooling hole  20 . The flow restriction rib  24  may extend from near the first section  52  to the outlet  48 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the flow restriction rib  24  may not protrude outwardly from the outlet  48 , instead, the flow restriction rib  24  may be flush with the outer surface  22 . The flow restriction rib  24  may be formed from a plurality of flow restriction ribs  24 , as shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . The plurality of flow restriction ribs  24  may be positioned generally beside each other, and a first flow restriction rib  68  may extend closer to the first section  52  than the other flow restriction ribs  24 . 
     The flow restriction rib  24  may be tapered, as shown in  FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  8 , such that the rib  24  may have a wider leading edge  58  closer to the first section  52  than a trailing edge  60  that is closer to the outlet  48 . Such configuration facilitates improved dispersion of the cooling fluids at the outlet  48 . In addition, as shown in  FIG. 7 , the flow restriction rib  24  may be tapered such that the flow restriction rib  24  may have a wider outward edge  62  than inward edge  64 . Such configuration reduces the cross-sectional area proximate to the outward surface  66 , where traditionally hot air ingestion occurs. Reducing the cross-sectional area at the outward surface  66  reduces the flow path at the outward surface  66 , thereby disrupting the hot gas ingestion. 
     During operation, cooling fluids, such as gases, are passed through the cooling system  10 . In particular, cooling fluids may pass into the internal cavity  14 , enter the inlet  56  and enter the first section  52  in which the flow of cooling fluids is metered. The cooling fluids then pass into second section  54  and begin to diffuse whereby the velocity of the cooling fluids is reduced. The cooling fluids pass through the openings created by the flow restriction ribs  24  where larger fluid flow occurs proximate to the inward surface  50  than the outward surface  56 . As such, the cooling fluids form a more efficient cooling film and invasion into the hot gas flow path is limited. Therefore, the diffusion film cooling hole  20  minimizes film layer shear mixing with the hot gas flow and thus, yields a higher level of cooling fluid effectiveness. 
     The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and describing embodiments of this invention. Modifications and adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of this invention.