Turbine engine airfoil having a cooling circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10697301-B2
Application number	US-201715481659-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2017
Priority date	Apr 7, 2017
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

A turbine engine can include an airfoil comprising an outer wall bounding an interior, as well as an airfoil cooling circuit located within the interior and including a feed tube separating into at least first and second branches. A flow divider can be included in the airfoil and positioned to confront the feed tube.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An airfoil for a turbine engine comprising:
an outer wall bounding an interior and defining a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge to a trailing edge to define a chord-wise direction and extending between a root and a tip to define a span-wise direction;
an airfoil cooling circuit located within the interior and having a feed tube extending in a span-wise direction and separating into at least first and second branches at a turn adjacent one of the root or tip, with at least one of die first and second branches extending in a span-wise direction, and wherein the feed tube is disposed between the first and second branches; and,
a flow divider forming part of the turn and confronting the feed tube and dividing the feed tube between the first and second branches.

2. The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the flow divider in cross section defines an apex having an apex radius of curvature.

3. The airfoil of claim 2 wherein the apex radius of curvature is between 0.0 and 0.2 inches.

4. The airfoil of claim 2 wherein the flow divider comprises a first valley having a first radius of curvature, with the first valley forming a portion of the turn into the first branch.

5. The airfoil of claim 4 wherein the first radius of curvature is between 0.1 and 0.3 inches.

6. The airfoil of claim 4 wherein the first radius of curvature is greater than the apex radius of curvature.

7. The airfoil of claim 4 wherein the flow divider comprises a second valley having a second radius of curvature, with the second valley forming a portion of the turn into the second branch.

8. The airfoil of claim 7 wherein the second radius of curvature is between 0.1 and 0.3 inches.

9. The airfoil of claim 8 wherein the second radius of curvature is equal to the first radius of curvature.

10. The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the flow divider evenly divides fluid from the feed tube between the first and second branches.

11. The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the flow divider unevenly divides the fluid from the feed tube between the first and second branches.

12. The airfoil of claim 1 wherein the sum of cross-sectional areas of the first and second branches is at least equal to a cross-sectional area of the feed tube.

13. The airfoil of claim 1 further comprising at least one flow enhancer located within at least one of the first and second branches.

14. The airfoil of claim 13 wherein the flow enhancer comprises at least one of a turbulator or a pin bank.

15. The airfoil of claim 14 further comprising a flow enhancer within the feed tube.

16. A component for a turbine engine comprising:
a wall bounding an interior;
a cooling circuit located within the interior and having a feed tube extending in a span-wise direction and separating into at least first and second branches at a turn, with at least one of the first and second branches extending in a span-wise direction, and wherein the feed tube is disposed between the first and second branches; and,
a flow divider forming part of the turn and confronting the feed tube and dividing the feed tube between the first and second branches.

17. The component of claim 16 wherein the flow divider in cross section defines an apex having an apex radius of curvature.

18. The component of claim 17 wherein the flow divider comprises a first valley having a first radius of curvature, with the first valley forming a portion of the turn into the first branch.

19. The component of claim 18 wherein the flow divider comprises a second valley having a second radius of curvature, with the second valley forming a portion of the turn into the second branch.

20. The component of claim 19 wherein at least one of the first and second radius of curvature is greater than the apex radius of curvature.

21. The component of claim 19 wherein the second radius of curvature is equal to the first radius of curvature.

22. The component of claim 16 wherein the flow divider evenly divides fluid from the feed tube between the first and second branches.

23. The component of claim 16 wherein the flow divider unevenly divides the fluid from the feed tube between the first and second branches.

24. The component of claim 16 wherein the sum of cross-sectional areas of the first and second branches is at least equal to a cross-sectional area of the feed tube.

25. The component of claim 16 further comprising at least one flow enhancer located within at least one of the first and second branches.

26. The component of claim 25 further comprising a flow enhancer within the feed tube.

27. The component of claim 26 wherein the flow enhancer comprises at least one of turbulators or a pin bank.

28. A method of cooling an airfoil comprising supplying cooling air from a feed tube extending in a span-wise direction to a turn within the airfoil and branching the cooling air at the turn into at least two cooling branches by flowing the cooling air onto a flow divider at the turn to divide cooling air between the at least two cooling branches, where at least one of the first and second branches extends in a span-wise direction, and wherein the feed tube is disposed between the at least two cooling branches.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the flowing the cooling air onto the flow divider comprises flowing the cooling air into an apex of the flow divider.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein flowing the cooling air onto the divider comprises flowing the cooling air along a curved surface downstream of the apex to effect a turning of the cooling air.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Hoffman James Michael
• Dooley Weston Nolan
• Krumanaker Matthew Lee
• Smith Aaron Ezekiel
• Brassfield Steven Robert

Classifications

• F01D5/187 Primary

  Convection cooling · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title

• F01D5/18 Primary

  Hollow blades, {i.e. blades with cooling or heating channels or cavities (structure of hollow blades in general F01D5/147)}; Heating, heat-insulating or cooling means on blades · CPC title

• F05D2240/126

  Baffles or ribs · CPC title

• F05D2260/2212

  by creating turbulence · CPC title