Patent ID: 7722326

Claim:
A turbine blade, comprising: a generally elongated blade having a leading edge, a trailing edge, and a tip at a first end; a platform generally orthogonal to the generally elongated blade and proximate an end of the generally elongated blade opposite the tip; a leading edge cooling cavity disposed generally spanwise within the generally elongated blade and having a portion located proximate the leading edge; a trailing edge cooling cavity disposed generally spanwise within the generally elongated blade and having a portion located proximate the trailing edge, wherein a cross-sectional area of the trailing edge cooling cavity taken generally orthogonal to a radial axis of the generally elongated blade generally increases moving from a radially inward end of the trailing edge cooling cavity to a radially outward end of the trailing edge cooling cavity; an exhaust orifice in the blade tip, positioned such that a first opening of the exhaust orifice is in fluid communication with the trailing edge cooling cavity and a second opening of the exhaust orifice in an outer surface of the generally elongated blade; an impingement rib separating the leading edge cooling cavity from the trailing edge cooling cavity and extending generally spanwise along the generally elongated blade; and an impingement orifice in the impingement rib, positioned such that a first opening of the impingement orifice is in fluid communication with the leading edge cooling cavity and a second opening of the impingement orifice is in fluid communication with the trailing edge cooling cavity, wherein the cross-sectional area of the exhaust orifice is larger than the cross-sectional area of the impingement orifice.