Cooling structure for stationary blade

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9909436-B2
Application number	US-201514801187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 16, 2015
Priority date	Jul 16, 2015
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a cooling structure for a stationary blade, which can include: an endwall coupled to a radial end of an airfoil, relative to a rotor axis of a turbomachine; and a substantially crescent-shaped chamber positioned within the endwall and radially displaced from a trailing edge of the airfoil, the substantially crescent-shaped chamber receiving a cooling fluid from a cooling circuit, wherein the substantially crescent-shaped chamber extends from a fore section positioned proximal to one of a pressure side surface and a suction side surface of the airfoil to an aft section positioned proximal to the trailing edge of the airfoil and the other of the pressure side surface and the suction side surface of the airfoil, wherein the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber is in fluid communication with the fore section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling structure for a stationary blade, comprising:
an endwall coupled to a radial end of an airfoil, relative to a rotor axis of a turbomachine, the airfoil including a pressure side surface, a suction side surface, a leading edge, and a trailing edge;
a substantially crescent-shaped chamber positioned within the endwall, the substantially crescent-shaped chamber receiving a cooling fluid from a cooling circuit, wherein the substantially crescent-shaped chamber includes:
a fore section positioned proximal to one of the pressure side surface and the suction side surface of the airfoil,
a transition section positioned directly radially beneath the trailing edge of the airfoil and in thermal communication with the trailing edge of the airfoil through the endwall, and
an aft section positioned proximal to the trailing edge of the airfoil and the other of the pressure side surface and the suction side surface of the airfoil, such that the aft section is oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to the fore section and substantially in parallel with a perimeter surface of the endwall;

an inlet positioned within the endwall, fluidly connecting an impingement cavity of the airfoil to the fore section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber; and
an outlet positioned within the endwall, fluidly connecting the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber to a fluid cavity positioned outside the airfoil and the substantially crescent-shaped chamber;
wherein the cooling fluid in the fore section is in thermal communication with a portion of the endwall proximal to one of the pressure side surface and the suction side surface of the airfoil, the cooling fluid in the aft section is in thermal communication with a portion of the endwall proximal to the trailing edge of the airfoil, and wherein the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber is in fluid communication with the fore section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber, such that the cooling fluid within the aft section is transmitted from the transition section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber.

2. The cooling structure of claim 1 , wherein the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber only receives the cooling fluid from the transition section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber.

3. The cooling structure of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of thermally conductive fixtures extending through at least one of the fore section and the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber.

4. The cooling structure of claim 3 , wherein the substantially crescent-shaped chamber further includes a perimeter wall, and further comprising a plurality of access zones positioned substantially along the perimeter wall of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber, each of the plurality of access zones being free of thermally conductive fixtures therein.

5. The cooling structure of claim 3 , wherein the transition section is free of thermally conductive fixtures therein.

6. The cooling structure of claim 1 , wherein an axial length component of the fore section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber is at least one-half of an axial length component of one of the pressure side surface and the suction side surface of the airfoil.

7. The cooling structure of claim 1 , wherein the transition section includes a protrusion extending from a radial surface of the transition section, the protrusion being configured to direct the cooling fluid from the fore section into the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber.

8. The cooling structure of claim 7 , wherein a width of the transition section between the fore section and the aft section is equal to an axial width of the trailing edge of the airfoil.

9. The cooling structure of claim 1 , wherein the substantially crescent-shaped chamber comprises one of at least two substantially crescent-shaped chambers positioned within the endwall, and wherein the airfoil comprises one of a pair of airfoils protruding substantially radially from the endwall.

10. A stationary blade comprising:
an airfoil including a pressure side surface, a suction side surface, a leading edge, and a trailing edge, wherein the airfoil further includes a cooling circuit therein;
an endwall coupled to a radial end of an airfoil, relative to a rotor axis of a turbomachine;
a substantially crescent-shaped chamber positioned within the endwall, the substantially crescent-shaped chamber receiving a cooling fluid from the cooling circuit, wherein the substantially crescent-shaped chamber includes:
a fore section positioned proximal to one of the pressure side surface and the suction side surface of the airfoil,
a transition section positioned directly radially beneath the trailing edge of the airfoil and in thermal communication with the trailing edge of the airfoil through the endwall, and
an aft section positioned proximal to the trailing edge of the airfoil and the other of the pressure side surface and the suction side surface of the airfoil, such that the aft section is oriented substantially perpendicularly with respect to the fore section and substantially in parallel with a perimeter surface of the endwall;

an inlet positioned within the endwall, fluidly connecting an impingement cavity of the airfoil to the fore section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber; and
an outlet positioned within the endwall, fluidly connecting the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber to a fluid cavity positioned outside the airfoil and the substantially crescent-shaped chamber;
wherein the cooling fluid in the fore section is in thermal communication with a portion of the endwall proximal to one of the pressure side surface and the suction side surface of the airfoil, the cooling fluid in the aft section is in thermal communication with a portion of the endwall proximal to the trailing edge of the airfoil, and wherein the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber is in fluid communication with the fore section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber, such that the cooling fluid within the aft section is transmitted from the transition section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber.

11. The stationary blade of claim 10 , wherein the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber only receives the cooling fluid from the transition section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber.

12. The stationary blade of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of thermally conductive fixtures extending through at least one of the fore section and the aft section of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber.

13. The stationary blade of claim 12 , wherein the transition section is free of thermally conductive fixtures therein.

14. The stationary blade of claim 13 , wherein a width of the transition section between the fore section and the aft section is equal to an axial width of the trailing edge of the airfoil.

15. The stationary blade of claim 12 , wherein the substantially crescent-shaped chamber further includes a perimeter wall, and further comprising a plurality of access zones positioned substantially along the perimeter wall of the substantially crescent-shaped chamber, each of the plurality of access zones being free of thermally conductive fixtures therein.

16. The stationary blade of claim 10 , wherein the transition section includes a protrusion extending from a radial surface of the transition section, the protrusion being configured to direct the cooling fluid from the f

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Golden Christopher Lee
• Earnhardt Dustin Michael
• Iduate Michelle Jessica
• Lewis Bryan David
• Porter Christopher Donald
• Weber David Wayne

Classifications

• F05D2240/81

  Cooled platforms · CPC title

• F01D9/065 Primary

  Fluid supply or removal conduits traversing the working fluid flow, e.g. for lubrication-, cooling-, or sealing fluids (see also F01D25/16, F01D25/24 and F01D25/26) · CPC title

• Y02T50/676

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02T50/60

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

• F01D9/02

  Nozzles; Nozzle boxes; Stator blades; Guide conduits {, e.g. individual nozzles (nozzle boxes F01D9/047)} · CPC title