Cooling for gas turbine engine components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016201475-A1
Application number	US-201514854606-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 15, 2015
Priority date	Sep 15, 2014
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A gas turbine engine component includes a body with a wall surrounding an interior cavity. The wall has opposed interior and exterior surfaces. The interior surface has a plurality of coolant inlets and the exterior surface has a coolant outlet defined therein. A coolant conduit extends between the coolant inlets and the coolant outlet and is configured and adapted to induce secondary flow vortices in coolant traversing the coolant conduit and in an adherent coolant film over a portion of the exterior surface of component body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A gas turbine engine component, comprising:
a wall having an interior surface, an exterior surface opposite the interior surface, and a film-cooling channel extending between the interior surface and exterior surface, the film-cooling channel including:
a coolant outlet defined in the exterior surface;
a vortex chamber in fluid communication with the coolant outlet; and
a plurality of coolant inlets defined in the interior surface, wherein the vortex chamber is configured and adapted for inducing secondary flow vortices in coolant traversing the film-cooling channel such that an adherent coolant film issues from the outlet and over at least a portion of the exterior surface.

2 . The component as recited in claim 1 , further including a diffusor defined in the wall and in fluid communication with the coolant outlet.

3 . The component as recited in claim 1 , further including a vectoring segment fluidly connecting a first of the plurality of coolant inlets with the vortex chamber.

4 . The component as recited in claim 3 , further including a vortexing segment fluidly connecting a second of the plurality of coolant inlets with the vortex chamber.

5 . The component as recited in claim 4 , wherein the vortexing segment joins the vortex chamber at an angle with respect to the vectoring segment.

6 . The component as recited in claim 5 , wherein the angle is less than about 45 degrees.

7 . The component as recited in claim 4 , wherein the vortexing segment is a first vortexing segment, and further including a second vortexing segment fluidly connecting a third of the plurality of coolant inlets with the vortex chamber.

8 . The component as recited in claim 1 , further including a metering segment fluidly connecting the vortex chamber with the coolant outlet.

9 . The component as recited in claim 8 , wherein a flow area defined by the metering segment is less than an aggregate of flow areas defined by the vectoring and vortexing segments.

10 . The component as recited in claim 8 , wherein the metering segment includes a settling length connected to the vortex chamber.

11 . The component as recited in claim 10 , wherein the metering segment includes a development length connected between settling length and the outlet.

12 . A component as recited in claim 1 , wherein the gas turbine engine component is a rotor blade or stator vane.

13 . An airfoil for a gas turbine engine, comprising:
a wall bounding an interior cavity, wherein the wall has an interior surface, an exterior surface opposite the interior surface, and a film-cooling channel extending between the interior surface and exterior surface, the film-cooling channel including:
a coolant outlet defined in the exterior surface;
a vortex chamber in fluid communication with the coolant outlet; and
a plurality of coolant inlets defined in the interior surface fluidly connecting the blade body interior cavity with the exterior surface, wherein the vortex chamber is configured and adapted for inducing secondary flow vortices in coolant traversing the film-cooling channel such that an adherent an coolant film issues from the outlet and over at least a portion of the exterior surface.

14 . The airfoil as recited in claim 13 , further including a vectoring segment fluidly connecting a first of the plurality of coolant inlets with the vortex chamber.

15 . The airfoil as recited in claim 14 , further including a vortexing segment fluidly connecting a second of the plurality of coolant inlets with the vortex chamber.

16 . The airfoil as recited in claim 15 , wherein the interior cavity is a first interior cavity and further including a second interior cavity defined within the blade body, wherein the vectoring segment fluidly connects the first interior cavity to the vortex chamber and the vortexing segment fluidly connects the second interior cavity to the vortex chamber.

17 . The airfoil as recited in claim 15 , wherein the vortexing segment is a first vortexing segment, and further including a second vortexing segment in fluid communication with the vortex chamber.

18 . The airfoil as recited in claim 13 , further including a metering segment with a settling length and a development length fluidly connecting the vortex chamber with the coolant outlet.

19 . The airfoil as recited in claim 17 , wherein a flow area defined by the metering segment is less than an aggregate of flow areas defined by the vectoring and vortexing segments.

20 . A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a compressor section; a gas turbine engine component in fluid communication with the compressor section through a coolant conduit, the gas turbine engine component including:
a wall bounding an interior cavity, wherein the wall has an interior surface, an exterior surface opposite the interior surface, and a film-cooling channel extending between the interior surface and exterior surface, the film-cooling channel including:
a coolant outlet defined in the exterior surface;
a vortex chamber in fluid communication with the coolant outlet; and
a plurality of coolant inlets defined in the interior surface fluidly connecting the interior cavity with the exterior surface, wherein the vortex chamber is in fluid communication with the compressor section through the coolant inlets for issuing an adherent cooling film over an exterior portion of the gas turbine engine component exterior surface.

Assignees

• United Technologies Corp

Inventors

• Moore Sasha M
• Jennings Timothy J
• Slavens Thomas N
• Musto Clifford J
• Loricco Nicholas M
• Clum Carey
• Mcbrien John
• Whitfield Christopher
• Quach San

Classifications

• F05D2240/127

  Vortex generators, turbulators, or the like, for mixing · CPC title

• F05D2260/202

  by film cooling · CPC title

• F04D29/321

  for axial flow compressors · CPC title

• F01D9/041

  using blades (F01D5/148 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F01D5/187 Primary

  Convection cooling · CPC title