Patent ID: 6955525

Claim:
A turbine blade, comprising: a generally elongated blade formed from at least one outer wall and having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a suction side, a tip 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, a longitudinal axis extending from the tip to the root, and at least one cavity forming at least a portion of a cooling system in the blade; a first plurality of substantially parallel cavities in the at least one outer wall extending substantially parallel to an outer surface of the at least one outer wall of the generally elongated blade; a second plurality of substantially parallel cavities in the at least one outer wall positioned nonparallel to the first plurality of parallel cavities and intersecting with the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities, wherein at least one of said cavities from said second set of cavities fluidly connects a plurality of cavities from said first set of cavities; wherein at least one cavity of the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities is positioned proximate to the outer surface of the outer wall and at least one of the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities adjacent to the at least one cavity of the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities positioned proximate to the outer surface of the outer wall is positioned proximate to an inner surface of the outer wall.