Turbine engine components with cooling features

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10830058-B2
Application number	US-201715796125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2017
Priority date	Nov 30, 2016
Publication date	Nov 10, 2020
Grant date	Nov 10, 2020

Abstract

An airfoil for use in a gas turbine engine is disclosed herein. The airfoil includes a pressure side wall, a suction side wall, and a cooling air distribution system. The suction side wall is arranged opposite the pressure side wall. The cooling air distribution system is formed internal to at least one of the pressure side wall and the suction side wall. The cooling air distribution system is configured to distribute cooling air through the airfoil to cool the airfoil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An airfoil comprising
a pressure side wall,
a suction side wall arranged opposite the pressure side wall, and
a cooling air distribution system formed internal to at least one of the pressure side wall and the suction side wall, the cooling air distribution system configured to distribute cooling air through the airfoil to cool the airfoil, the cooling air distribution system including
a plurality of feed ports configured to receive cooling air from a source of cooling air,
a plurality of discharge ports fluidly coupled to the plurality of feed ports and configured to discharge cooling air provided to the plurality of feed ports, the plurality of discharge ports located exteriorly of the plurality of feed ports so that the plurality of discharge ports are closer to an exterior of the at least one of the pressure side wall and the suction side wall than the plurality of feed ports, and
a plurality of cooling passages interconnecting the plurality of feed ports and the plurality of discharge ports, the plurality of cooling passages configured to conduct cooling air from the plurality of feed ports to the plurality of discharge ports so that at least some of the cooling air provided to the plurality of feed ports is discharged by the plurality of discharge ports, the plurality of cooling passages including a first set of passages having a circular cross-section and a second set of passages having a circular cross-section interwoven with the first set of passages such that the second set of passages at least partially wrap around the first set of passages and the second set of passages being arranged to extend perpendicular to the first set of passages, the first set of passages each having a sinusoidal shape or a corkscrew-type shape and the second set of passages each having a sinusoidal shape or a corkscrew-type shape, and the first and second sets of passages being fluidly connected to one another by cross-feed portions such that cooling air provided to each of the first set of passages may be conducted through one of the second set of passages,

wherein the first set of passages is arranged to extend in a first direction, the second set of passages is arranged to extend in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the plurality of feed ports extend interiorly in the third direction from the first set of passages, the plurality of discharge ports extend exteriorly in the third direction from the second set of passages, and the cooling air is configured to be discharged by one of the plurality of discharge ports toward the exterior of the at least one of the pressure side wall and the suction side walls during operation of the airfoil.

2. The airfoil of claim 1 , wherein each of the first set of passages has a sinusoidal shape and includes a plurality of peaks interconnected with a plurality of troughs and each of the second set of passages has a sinusoidal shape and includes a plurality of peaks interconnected with a plurality of troughs.

3. The airfoil of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of feed ports are arranged to provide cooling air directly to the troughs of each of the first set of passages and the plurality of discharge ports are arranged to discharge cooling air directly from the peaks of each of the second set of passages.

4. The airfoil of claim 1 , wherein each of the first set of passages has a corkscrew-type shape and each of the second set of passages has a sinusoidal shape and includes a plurality of peaks interconnected with a plurality of troughs.

5. The airfoil of claim 1 , wherein each of the first set of passages has a corkscrew-type shape and each of the second set of passages has a corkscrew-type shape.

6. The airfoil of claim 5 , wherein each of the first set of passages extends around a first longitudinal axis in one direction and each of the second set of passages extends around a second longitudinal axis perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis in the one direction.

7. An airfoil comprising
a pressure side wall,
a suction side wall arranged opposite the pressure side wall, and
a cooling air distribution system formed internal to at least one of the pressure side wall and the suction side wall, the cooling air distribution system configured to distribute cooling air through the airfoil to cool the airfoil, the cooling air distribution system including, a first set of cooling passages each having one of a sinusoidal shape or a corkscrew-type shape and a second set of cooling passages each having a sinusoidal shape or a corkscrew-type shape, the first and second sets of cooling passages intersecting one another such that cooling air provided to each of the first set of cooling passages may be conducted through one of the second set of cooling passages before being discharged toward one of the pressure side wall and the suction side wall during operation of the airfoil,
wherein the second set of cooling passages are interwoven with the first set of cooling passages such that the second set of cooling passages at least partially wrap around the first set of cooling passages,
wherein the cooling air distribution system further includes a plurality of feed ports and a plurality of discharge ports fluidly connected to the first set of cooling passages and the second set of cooling passages and configured to direct cooling air into and out of the first set of cooling passages and the second set of cooling passages, the plurality of discharge ports located exteriorly of the plurality of feed ports so that the plurality of discharge ports are closer to an exterior of the at least one of the pressure side wall and the suction side wall than the plurality of feed ports, and the cooling air is configured to be discharged by the plurality of discharge ports toward the exterior of the at least one of the pressure side wall and the suction side walls during operation of the airfoil.

8. The airfoil of claim 7 , wherein the first and second sets of cooling passages are arranged to extend perpendicular to one another, the first set of cooling passages each have a sinusoidal shape and include a plurality of peaks interconnected with a plurality of troughs and a plurality of cross-feed portions interconnected with and extending interiorly away from the plurality of peaks, the second set of cooling passages each have a sinusoidal shape and include a plurality of peaks interconnected with a plurality of troughs, and the plurality of cross-feed portions of the first set of cooling passages intersect the troughs of the second set of cooling passages.

9. The airfoil of claim 7 , wherein the first set of cooling passages each have a corkscrew-type shape, the second set of passages each have a corkscrew-type shape and each cooperate with one of the first set of cooling passages to define a helix shape, each one of the first set of cooling passages extends around a longitudinal axis in a first direction, and one of the second set of cooling passages extends around the longitudinal axis in the first direction.

10. The airfoil of claim 7 , wherein the first set of cooling passages each have a corkscrew-type shape, the second set of passages each have a corkscrew-type shape and each cooperate with one of the first set of cooling passages to define a helix shape, each one of the first set of cooling passages extends around a longitudinal axis in a first direction, and one of the second set of cooling passages extends around the longitudinal axis in a second direction opposite the first direction.

11. The airfoil of claim 10 , wherein the first and second sets of cooling passages intersect one another at first intersection locations and second intersection locations space

Assignees

• Rolls Royce Corp

Inventors

• Barker Brett J
• Varney Bruce E
• Davis Paul H
• Holley Kevin P

Classifications

• F05D2250/184

  sinusoidal · CPC title

• F05D2260/201

  by impingement of a fluid · CPC title

• F05D2220/32

  in gas turbines · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

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

• F01D5/186 Primary

  Film cooling (F01D5/187 takes precedence) · CPC title