GAS TURBINE AIRFOIL WITH COOLING ENHANCEMENT
A turbine nozzle vane segment includes one or more nozzle vanes extending between radially inner and outer side walls, each nozzle vane having a peripheral edge wall extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge of the vane. In one exemplary embodiment, at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel is formed in the peripheral edge wall at the leading edge, with openings at opposite ends of the cooling channel. The location and length of the cooling channels may vary about the peripheral edge wall, and the inner cavity of the vane may be provided with ribs extending along and adjacent the one or more cooling channels to reinforce the wall and to also provide additional cooling surface areas in the inner cavity.
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This present application relates generally to improving the efficiency and/or operation of turbine engines. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, the present application relates to enhancing the cooling of turbine nozzle vanes or blades.
A gas turbine engine typically includes a compressor, one or more combustors, and at least one turbine section. The compressor and turbine section generally include rows of vanes and buckets that are axially stacked in stages. Each stage may include alternating rows of circumferentially-spaced stator vanes, which are stationary, and circumferentially-spaced buckets, that are mounted on a wheel fixed to the turbine rotor. In operation, the rotor blades in the compressor rotate with the rotor to compress a flow of air supplied to the compressor. Most of the compressed air is mixed with gaseous or liquid fuel in the one or more combustors and ignited to provide a stream of hot gases, which is expanded through the turbine section of the engine, causing rotation of the turbine rotor. Thus, the energy contained in the fuel is converted into the mechanical energy of the rotating rotor which may be used to rotate the rotor blades of the compressor such that the supply of compressed air needed for combustion is produced, as well as the coils of a generator, such that electrical power is produced.
During operation, because of the extreme temperatures in the hot-gas path, the velocity of the working fluid, and the rotational velocity of the engine, the rotating buckets (or airfoils) and the stationary stator vanes become highly stressed due to extreme mechanical and thermal loads.
As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, one strategy for alleviating thermal stresses is through cooling the nozzle vanes and/or buckets such that the temperatures experienced by the vanes and/or buckets are lower than that of the hot-gas path. Effective cooling may, for example, allow these hot gas path components to withstand higher firing temperatures, withstand greater thermo-mechanical stresses at high operating temperatures, and/or extend service life, all of which may allow the turbine engine to be more cost-effective and efficient. One way to cool vanes and buckets during operation is through the use of internal cooling passageways or circuits. Generally, this involves passing relatively cool air, which may be supplied by the compressor, through internal cooling circuits within the vanes or airfoils.
There remains a need, however, to provide more effective and more efficient cooling with respect to, for example, leading edges of the stationary nozzle vanes which are exposed to hot combustion gases, particularly in the first turbine stage, where the highest temperatures and thermal stresses are experienced.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONIn one exemplary but nonlimiting embodiment, there is provided a turbine nozzle vane segment comprising: one or more nozzle vanes extending between radially inner and outer side walls, each nozzle vane having a edge wall including leading and trailing edges; and at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel formed in the peripheral edge wall with an inlet at one of the inner and outer side walls.
In another nonlimiting aspect, the invention provides a turbine engine comprising a compressor, at least one combustor and at least one turbine stage including a row of stationary nozzle vanes extending between radially inner and outer side walls, each nozzle vane having a peripheral edge wall including leading and trailing edges; and at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel formed in the peripheral edge wall with an inlet provided at one of the inner and outer side walls.
It is also a feature of the invention to provide reinforcing ribs in the inner cavity of the nozzle vane, adjacent and at least partially along the channels in the peripheral edge wall. Accordingly, in still another exemplary aspect, there is provided a turbine engine comprising a compressor, at least one combustor and at least one turbine stage including a row of stationary nozzle vanes extending between radially inner and outer side walls, each nozzle vane having a peripheral edge wall including leading and trailing edges; and a plurality of substantially radially-oriented cooling channels formed about the peripheral edge wall including at the leading edge, the plurality of substantially radially-oriented cooling channels extending at least part way along a radial length between the inner and outer side walls and having inlets in or adjacent one of the inner and outer side walls; and a reinforcing rib extending along an inside surface of the peripheral edge wall adjacent each of the plurality of substantially radially-oriented cooling channels.
With additional reference to
The gas turbine section 18 as shown in
The rows of nozzles have inner and outer side walls 46, 48, labelled only for the row of vanes 38, but similar inner and outer side walls are associated with the vanes of each nozzle stage. The side walls are typically provided in arcuate-segment form, such that each segment may support one, two or more than two vanes.
In one exemplary but nonlimiting embodiment, the leading edge 54 is provided with an additional cooling feature independent of any otherwise conventional internal cooling circuit that may be provided within the vane. With particular reference to
Using
It will also be appreciated that the number and location of the cooling channels provided in the vane peripheral edge wall may vary. For example, as shown in
As shown in
In addition, the direction of secondary compressor discharge or extraction flow may be in a radial outward or radial inward direction, and thus would determine the inlet and outlet locations for the channels. In other words, the inlets to the channels may be in (or adjacent) one of the inner and outer side walls.
Note that although the present invention may be described primarily in reference to the first stage of an exemplary land-based gas turbine engine, the invention may be applied to any turbine stage, and, a person of ordinary skill in the art, will also appreciate that embodiments of the present invention also may be used in other turbines, including those used in aircraft, and other types of rotary engines.
While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A turbine nozzle vane segment comprising:
- one or more nozzle vanes extending between radially inner and outer side walls, each nozzle vane having a peripheral edge wall including leading and trailing edges; and at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel formed in said peripheral edge wall with an inlet provided at one of said inner and outer side walls.
2. The turbine nozzle vane segment of claim 1 wherein said at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel comprises plural, radially-oriented cooling channels including one cooling channel at a forward-most portion of said leading edge.
3. The turbine nozzle vane segment of claim 1 wherein said nozzle vane is substantially hollow, and wherein a radially-oriented rib is provided on an inside surface of said peripheral edge wall, adjacent and extending along said at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel.
4. The turbine nozzle vane segment of claim 2 wherein said nozzle vane is substantially hollow, and wherein a radially-oriented rib is provided on an inside surface of said peripheral edge wall, adjacent extending along each of said plural, substantially radially-oriented cooling channels.
5. The turbine nozzle vane segment of claim 4 wherein said radially-oriented rib is located within an internal cooling cavity in said nozzle vane.
6. The turbine nozzle vane segment of claim 1 wherein said at least one radially-oriented cooling channel comprises multiple cooling channels at spaced locations about substantially all of said peripheral edge wall between said leading and trailing edges and wherein a radially-oriented rib is provided on an inside surface of said peripheral edge wall, adjacent and extending along each of said multiple cooling channels.
7. The turbine nozzle vane segment of claim 2 wherein said plural radially-oriented cooling channels have outlets at different radial locations between said inner and outer side walls.
8. The turbine nozzle vane segment of claim 1 wherein each said vane comprises an internal cooling circuit independent of, and not connected to, said at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel, and an outlet to said at least one channel is located in the other of said inner and outer side walls.
9. The turbine nozzle vane segment of claim 1 wherein said at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel has a round, rectangular or racetrack cross-sectional shape.
10. The turbine nozzle vane segment of claim 1 where at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel is formed with different diameter portions along a radial length dimension.
11. A turbine engine comprising a compressor, at least one combustor and at least one turbine stage including a row of stationary nozzle vanes extending between radially inner and outer side walls, each nozzle vane having a peripheral edge wall including leading and trailing edges; and at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel formed in said peripheral edge wall with an inlet provided at one of said inner and outer side walls.
12. The turbine engine of claim 10 wherein said at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel comprises plural, radially-oriented cooling channels including one cooling channel at a forward-most portion of said leading edge.
13. The turbine engine of claim 11 wherein said nozzle vane is substantially hollow, and wherein a radially-oriented rib is provided on an inside surface of said peripheral edge wall, adjacent and extending along said at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel.
14. The turbine engine of claim 12 wherein said nozzle vane is substantially hollow, and wherein a radially-oriented rib is provided on an inside surface of said peripheral edge wall, adjacent and extending along each of said plural, substantially radially-oriented cooling channels.
15. The turbine engine of claim 11 wherein said radially-oriented rib is located within an internal cooling cavity in said nozzle vane.
16. The turbine engine of claim 11 wherein said at least one radially-oriented cooling channel comprises multiple cooling channels at spaced locations about substantially all of said peripheral edge wall between said leading and trailing edges and wherein a radially-oriented rib is provided on an inside surface of said peripheral edge wall, adjacent and extending along each of said multiple cooling channels.
17. The turbine engine of claim 15 wherein said at least one radially-oriented cooling channel has an outlet connected to said internal cooling cavity.
18. The turbine engine of claim 11 wherein said vane comprises an internal cooling circuit independent of, and not connected to, said at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel and an outlet to said at least one channel is located in the other of said inner and outer side walls.
19. The turbine engine of claim 11 wherein said at least one substantially radially-oriented cooling channel has a round, rectangular or racetrack cross-sectional shape.
20. A turbine engine comprising a compressor, at least one combustor and at least one turbine stage including a row of stationary nozzle vanes extending between radially inner and outer side walls, each nozzle vane having a peripheral edge wall including leading and trailing edges; and a plurality of substantially radially-oriented cooling channels formed about said peripheral edge wall including at said leading edge, said plurality of substantially radially-oriented cooling channels extending at least part way along a radial length between said inner and outer side walls and having inlets in or adjacent one of said inner and outer side walls; and a reinforcing rib extending along an inside surface of said peripheral edge wall adjacent each of said plurality of substantially radially-oriented cooling channels.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 8, 2013
Publication Date: Apr 9, 2015
Applicant: General Electric Company (Schenectady, NY)
Inventors: Sandeep Munshi SARANGAPANI (Bangalore), Ajay Gangadhar PATIL (Greer, SC), Poorna Chandra RAO (Bangalore)
Application Number: 14/048,778
International Classification: F01D 5/18 (20060101); F01D 9/02 (20060101);