Patent ID: 8277170

Claim:
A system to supply a coolant to a turbine bucket of a gas turbine, the system comprising: an extraction system configured to extract air from a main compressor airflow at a set of extraction points defined axially along the main compressor airflow; a supply circuit partially disposed at an exterior of the gas turbine and coupled to the extraction system, the supply circuit being configured to transport a substantial entirety of the extracted air, as an ingredient of the coolant, from the extraction system to the exterior of the gas turbine and then to a coolant insertion region of the gas turbine at a position on-board the gas turbine, which is defined radially inwardly from a radially inward-most portion of a rotation disc driven by the turbine bucket; and a cooling system, disposed proximate to the coolant insertion region and coupled to the supply circuit at the position on-board the gas turbine, the cooling system being configured to supply the turbine bucket with the coolant, including the extracted air, in a radially increasing direction.