Patent ID: 8177507

Claim:
A cooled airfoil comprising: a concave pressure wall extending radially from a base to a tip of the airfoil; a convex suction wall connected to the concave pressure wall at a leading edge and a trailing edge spaced axially from the leading edge; and a plurality of cooling channels extending radially between the base and the tip of the airfoil between the concave pressure wall and the convex suction wall and configured to receive a cooling fluid supply through the base of the airfoil, the cooling channels comprising: a leading edge channel; a trailing edge channel; a serpentine cooling circuit comprising: a first up-pass channel forward of the trailing edge channel and configured to be in flow communication with a supply channel through the base of the airfoil; a down-pass channel forward of and in flow communication with the first up-pass channel; and a second up-pass channel forward of and in flow communication with the down-pass channel; wherein at least the down-pass channel and the second up-pass channel comprise a generally triangular transverse cross-sectional shape; a dedicated up-pass channel arranged between the leading edge channel and the second up-pass channel of the serpentine cooling circuit; and an axial channel that is arranged adjacent the tip and in flow communication with and extending aftward from one of the second up-pass channel of the serpentine cooling circuit, the dedicated up-pass channel, or the trailing edge channel toward the trailing edge.