Patent ID: 7950903

Claim:
An air cooled turbine airfoil comprising: an airfoil having a leading edge and a trailing edge, and a pressure side wall and a suction side wall; a root portion extending from the airfoil; a tip region formed on an end of the airfoil opposite from the root portion; a first multiple pass serpentine flow cooling circuit formed within the airfoil, the multiple pass serpentine flow cooling circuit having a first leg located adjacent to the leading edge region of the airfoil; an impingement cavity located along the leading edge wall of the airfoil; a plurality of impingement holes connecting the impingement cavity to the first leg of the multiple pass serpentine flow cooling circuit directed to discharge impingement cooling air onto a backside surface of the leading edge wall; a second multiple pass serpentine flow cooling circuit formed in the tip region and extending from the leading edge region to the trailing edge region; and, the first leg of the second multiple pass serpentine flow cooling circuit connected to the impingement cavity such that cooling air flows from the impingement cavity and into the first leg of the second multiple pass serpentine flow cooling circuit.