Patent ID: 7097417

Claim:
A turbine vane, comprising: a generally elongated airfoil having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a first endwall at a first end, a second endwall at a second end generally opposite the first end, at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the vane, and at least one outer wall defining the at least one cavity forming at least a portion of the cooling system; wherein the cooling system comprises at least one vortex forming chamber in the outer wall of the vane that is located proximate to an intersection between the generally elongated airfoil and the first endwall for cooling the intersection between the generally elongated airfoil and the first endwall; and wherein the at least one vortex forming chamber comprises at least one tube positioned around the perimeter of the generally elongated airfoil and proximate to the intersection between the generally elongated airfoil and the first endwall.