Patent ID: 7296966

Claim:
A method of assembling a gas turbine engine, said method comprising: coupling at least one turbine nozzle segment within the gas turbine engine, each turbine nozzle segment includes at least one airfoil vane extending between an inner band and an outer band, wherein the airfoil vane includes a leading edge and a trailing edge, and wherein the outer band includes an outer band front face, an outer band rear face, and an outer band inner surface extending therebetween; coupling at least one turbine shroud segment downstream from the at least one turbine nozzle segment, wherein each turbine shroud segment includes a front face, a rear face, and an inner surface extending therebetween; positioning each turbine shroud segment such that a gap is defined between each outer band rear face and the front face of each turbine shroud segment; coupling a cooling fluid source to each turbine nozzle segment such that cooling fluid is channeled to each turbine nozzle inner surface proximate to one of the leading edge and the trailing edge of each airfoil vane, and defining a plurality of outer band cooling holes within the outer band rear face such that cooling fluid channeled through the outer band rear face cooling holes is directed towards the front face of at least one turbine shroud segment, wherein at least one of the plurality of outer band rear face cooling holes is substantially aligned with a throat area defined between adjacent turbine nozzle airfoils; and applying material to each outer band rear face in a thickness that facilitates reducing an amount of cooling fluid used to cool the nozzle segment, wherein the material includes a hole defined therein that is substantially aligned with an outer band rear face cooling hole.