Patent ID: 8721285

Claim:
A turbine blade, comprising: a generally elongated blade having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a suction side, a pressure side generally opposite to the suction side, a tip wall at a first end, a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc, and at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the blade; wherein the cooling system comprises at least one midchord cooling channel and at least one near wall incremental serpentine cooling channel positioned immediately proximate to an outer surface of the generally elongated blade; wherein the near wall incremental serpentine cooling channel is formed from at least two serpentine cooling channels aligned along a spanwise extending axis such that a radially outer turn of a radially inward serpentine cooling channel is immediately proximate to and radially inward of a radially inner turn of a radially outward serpentine cooling channel; wherein the near wall incremental serpentine cooling channel comprises a plurality of rows of near wall incremental serpentine cooling channels, wherein the near wall incremental serpentine cooling channel comprises a plurality of rows of near wall incremental serpentine cooling channels positioned in a wall forming the suction side, wherein the plurality of rows of serpentine cooling channels in the wall forming the suction side includes a first serpentine cooling channel formed from two triple pass serpentine cooling channels aligned in series, a second serpentine cooling channel formed from three triple pass serpentine cooling channels aligned in series, and a third serpentine cooling channel formed from four triple pass serpentine cooling channels aligned in series, wherein the second serpentine cooling channel is positioned between the first and third serpentine cooling channels; and wherein the near wall incremental serpentine cooling channel comprises a plurality of rows of near wall incremental serpentine cooling channels positioned in a wall forming the pressure side, wherein the plurality of rows of serpentine cooling channels in the wall forming the pressure side includes a first serpentine cooling channel formed from two triple pass serpentine cooling channels aligned in series, a second serpentine cooling channel formed from three triple pass serpentine cooling channels aligned in series, and a third serpentine cooling channel formed from four triple pass serpentine cooling channels aligned in series, wherein the second serpentine cooling channel is positioned between the first and third serpentine cooling channels.