Patent ID: 8172504

Claim:
A turbine nozzle for a gas turbine engine, comprising: (a) spaced-apart arcuate inner and outer bands; (b) a hollow, airfoil-shaped turbine vane extending between the inner and outer bands, the interior of the vane defining at least a forward cavity and a mid-cavity positioned aft of the forward cavity, wherein the mid-cavity has a first cross-sectional area at a radially inner end thereof, and a second cross-sectional area at a radially outer end thereof, wherein the second cross-sectional area is substantially greater than the first cross-sectional area; (c) a hollow impingement insert received inside the mid-cavity, the impingement insert having walls which are pierced with at least one impingement cooling hole; (d) a passage in the turbine vane at a radially outer end of the forward cavity adapted to be coupled to a source of cooling air; and (e) a passage in the inner band in fluid communication with a radially inner end of the forward cavity and a radially inner end of the impingement insert.