Patent ID: 8172533

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 formed between the concave pressure wall and the convex suction wall and configured to receive a cooling fluid supply from the base of the airfoil, the cooling channels comprising: a leading edge channel extending radially from the base toward the tip; a trailing edge channel extending radially from the base toward the tip and in flow communication with a plurality of trailing edge apertures adapted to exhaust cooling fluid to an exterior of the airfoil; a serpentine cooling circuit including a plurality of channels comprising: a first channel forward of and adjacent to the trailing edge channel and extending radially from the base toward the tip; a second channel in flow communication with the first channel and extending radially adjacent the tip toward the base; and a third channel in flow communication with the second channel and extending radially from the base toward the tip; a dedicated up-pass channel extending radially from the base toward the tip between the leading edge channel and the forward most channel of the plurality of channels in the serpentine cooling circuit; an axial channel arranged adjacent the tip and in flow communication with and extending aftward from one of the third channel of the serpentine cooling circuit, the dedicated up-pass channel, or the trailing edge channel toward the trailing edge, wherein the axial channel is further in flow communication with the serpentine cooling circuit upstream of the third channel; and a tip pocket comprising a depression in the tip of the airfoil, the tip pocket being in flow communication with the axial channel.