Patent ID: 7090461

Claim:
A turbine vane, comprising: a generally elongated hollow airfoil having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a suction side, a first end adapted to be coupled to a shroud assembly, and a second end opposite the first end adapted to be coupled to a manifold assembly; a serpentine cooling path formed from at least a first inflow section and a first outflow section, the first outflow section in communication with the first inflow section and extending from a first turn formed from a continuous wall generally toward the first end of the generally elongated hollow airfoil; at least one inlet orifice in the first inflow section of the serpentine cooling path at the first end of a generally elongated hollow airfoil; at least one exhaust orifice in the trailing edge of the generally elongated hollow airfoil and coupled to the serpentine cooling path for exhausting cooling fluids from the serpentine cooling path; wherein the first inflow section of the serpentine cooling path forms a generally linear cooling fluid pathway between the at least one inlet orifice and the first turn of the serpentine cooling path; at least one leading edge cooling path positioned proximate to the leading edge; at least one metering rib defining a barrier between a portion of the first inflow section and the at least one leading edge cooling path, wherein the at least one metering rib includes at least one metering orifice creating a fluid pathway between the first inflow section and the at least one leading edge cooling path; and wherein the at least one metering orifice in the metering rib is sized to regulate flow of cooling fluids through the at least one leading edge cooling path and into the manifold assembly.