Airfoil leading edge cooling channels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10626731-B2
Application number	US-201916580784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 24, 2019
Priority date	Jul 31, 2017
Publication date	Apr 21, 2020
Grant date	Apr 21, 2020

Abstract

An airfoil cooling system may be provided. An airfoil may have a pressure side and a suction side that are separated by a leading edge. The leading edge may pass through a stagnation point of the airfoil. A spar may have an outer surface comprising standoffs. The standoffs may define a cooling channel that extends across the leading edge on the outer surface of the spar, from the pressure side to the suction side. The cooling channel may have a first portion and a second portion defined by the standoffs. The first portion may be located closer to a base or a tip of the airfoil than the second portion. The spar may further comprise an inlet on the pressure side or the suction side. The inlet may be configured to convey a cooling fluid from a passageway located inside of the spar to the cooling channel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An airfoil cooling system, the airfoil cooling system comprising:
a spar configured to form part of an airfoil, the airfoil having a pressure side and a suction side that are separated by a leading edge, the leading edge passing through a stagnation point of the airfoil, the spar having an outer surface comprising a plurality of standoffs, wherein two of the standoffs define a cooling channel that extends along the outer surface of the spar and across the leading edge, from the pressure side to the suction side, wherein at least one of the standoffs defines a pocket that is recessed into the at least one of the standoffs, the spar further comprising an inlet on the pressure side or the suction side, the inlet configured to convey a cooling fluid from a plenum located inside of the spar to the cooling channel.

2. The airfoil cooling system of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the inlet is defined on the outer surface of the spar within a portion of the pocket.

3. The airfoil cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the two of the standoffs each define a plurality of pockets.

4. The airfoil cooling system of claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of inlets, wherein each of the pockets includes one of the inlets.

5. The airfoil cooling system of claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of protrusions that extend into the cooling channel from the two of the standoffs.

6. The airfoil cooling system of claim 5 , wherein the pockets and the protrusions alternate, such that, one of the pockets is defined between two adjacent protrusions.

7. The airfoil cooling system of claim 5 , wherein the cooling channel includes an upstream portion and a downstream portion, extending downstream from the upstream portion relative to a flow of the cooling fluid through the cooling channel, wherein the upstream portion includes the pockets and the protrusions, and wherein the downstream portion is defined by two straight parallel edges of the two of the standoffs.

8. A blade or a stator for use in a gas turbine engine, the blade or the stator comprising:
an airfoil having a first side and a second side that are separated by a leading edge, the leading edge passing through a stagnation point of the airfoil, the airfoil comprising:
a cover sheet; and
a spar having an outer surface, the spar comprising a plurality of standoffs configured to receive the cover sheet, wherein two of the standoffs define a cooling channel that extends across the leading edge on the outer surface of the spar, from the first side to the second side, wherein the cooling channel has a first end and a second end, wherein the cooling channel continuously curves in a spanwise direction from the first end to the second end of the cooling channel of the airfoil to the spar further comprising an inlet in fluid communication with the first end of the cooling channel, the inlet configured to convey a cooling fluid from a passageway located inside of the spar to the cooling channel, wherein the cooling channel is configured to convey the cooling fluid from the inlet, across the leading edge, and toward an outlet at the second end of the cooling channel.

9. The blade or the stator of claim 8 , wherein the outlet is at least partially defined by the cover sheet.

10. The blade or the stator of claim 8 , wherein the first side comprises a pressure side of the airfoil and the second side comprises a suction side of the airfoil, and wherein the first end of the cooling channel is on the pressure side and the second end of the cooling channel is on the suction side.

11. The blade or the stator of claim 8 , wherein the cooling channel continuously curves in toward a tip of the airfoil.

12. The blade or the stator of claim 8 , wherein the cooling channel continuously curves in toward a base of the airfoil.

13. The blade or the stator of claim 8 , wherein the cooling channel includes a first cooling channel and a second cooling channel, wherein a standoff of the standoffs extends between the first cooling channel and the second cooling channel, wherein the standoff defines a cross channel extending through the standoff, wherein the cross channel is configured to divert a portion of the cooling fluid from the first cooling channel into the second cooling channel.

14. An airfoil cooling system, the airfoil cooling system comprising:
a spar configured to form part of an airfoil, the airfoil having a pressure side and a suction side that are separated by a leading edge, the leading edge passing through a stagnation point of the airfoil, the spar having an outer surface comprising a plurality of standoffs, wherein two of the standoffs define a cooling channel that extends across the leading edge on the outer surface of the spar, from the pressure side to the suction side, the cooling channel repeatedly undulates in alternating directions along a length of the cooling channel, the spar further comprising an inlet on the pressure side or the suction side, the inlet configured to convey a cooling fluid from a passageway located inside of the spar to the cooling channel.

15. The airfoil cooling system of claim 14 , wherein the standoffs are arranged in a wave pattern, such that opposing sides of the standoffs repeatedly curve away from a tip of the airfoil and toward a tip of the airfoil.

16. The airfoil cooling system of claim 14 , wherein the cooling channel includes a plurality of curves, wherein each of the curves includes first curve and a second curve, wherein the first curve curves along a spanwise direction toward a tip of the airfoil, and wherein the second curve curves along a spanwise direction toward a base of the airfoil.

17. The airfoil cooling system of claim 14 , wherein the cooling channel further comprises a peak section and a trough section, wherein the peak section defines a first portion of the cooling channel where the cooling channel undulates from extending toward a tip of the airfoil to extending toward a base of the airfoil, wherein the trough section defines a second portion of the cooling channel where the cooling channel undulates from extending toward a base of the airfoil to extending toward a tip of the airfoil.

18. The airfoil cooling system of claim 17 , wherein the cooling channel further comprises a first cooling channel and a second cooling channel, wherein the trough section of the first cooling channel is aligned with the trough section of the second cooling channel, and wherein the peak section of the first cooling channel is aligned with the peak section of the second cooling channel.

19. The airfoil cooling system of claim 14 , wherein the standoffs are arranged in a ripple pattern.

20. The airfoil cooling system of claim 19 , wherein the standoffs include a first opposing side set and a second opposing side set, wherein the first opposing side set extends along a first spanwise direction that points toward a tip of the airfoil, wherein the second opposing side set extends along a second spanwise direction opposite the first spanwise direction, which points toward a base of the airfoil.

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Barker Brett
• Varney Bruce
• Shoemaker Brian
• Bulgrin Charles

Classifications

• F05D2300/6033

  Ceramic matrix composites [CMC] · CPC title

• F05D2240/121

  related to the leading edge of a stator vane · CPC title

• F05D2260/202

  by film cooling · CPC title

• F01D5/147

  Construction, i.e. structural features, e.g. of weight-saving hollow blades (F01D5/148, F01D5/16 and F01D5/20 take precedence; blade shape F01D5/141; blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities F01D5/18; heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades F01D5/18) · CPC title

• F01D9/042

  fixing blades to stators (fixing stator-rings in the casing or to each other F01D25/246) · CPC title