Blade Inserts Patents (Class 416/96A)
  • Patent number: 6158955
    Abstract: An assembly and method for welding an article, such as an air-cooled superalloy airfoil of a gas turbine engine nozzle. The method entails inserting a fixture into a cooling passage of the airfoil. The fixture is configured to close a first opening to the passage through which the fixture is inserted into the passage. The fixture is also configured to introduce a gas into the passage through a longitudinal row of ports. A through-wall crack in the airfoil is weld repaired while the gas flow is maintained to the cavity at a rate that sufficiently pressurizes the passage to prevent the molten filler material from entering the passage through the crack, while allowing the filler material to fill the crack.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: James W. Caddell, Jr., Robert D. Lawrence
  • Patent number: 6146090
    Abstract: In a turbine rotor, a thermal mismatch between various component parts of the rotor occurs particularly during transient operations such as shutdown and startup. A thermal medium flows past and heats or cools one part of the turbine which may have a deleterious thermal mismatch with another part. By passively controlling the flow of cooling medium past the one part in response to relative movement of thermally responsive parts of the turbine, the flow of thermal medium along the flow path can be regulated to increase or reduce the flow, thereby to regulate the temperature of the one part to maintain the thermal mismatch within predetermined limits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventor: Mark Christopher Schmidt
  • Patent number: 6132169
    Abstract: A turbine engine airfoil includes a three-pass serpentine shaped cooling cavity including a leading edge chamber, an oversized intermediate chamber, and a trailing edge chamber in flow communication. The cavity further includes a combination of a plurality of ribs and a plurality of pins, a purge air swirler, a turning vane, and a metering partition which mixes the high pressure air and provides increased air cooling and uniform flow control in the airfoil. The metering partition provides a decrease of the air pressure in the trailing edge chamber allowing for an increase in the number of trailing edge slots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert F. Manning, Robert B. Solda, Lalit K. Parekh, Mohammad E. Taslim
  • Patent number: 6109867
    Abstract: A turbine-nozzle vane fitted with a cooling system including a hollow airfoil (45) inserted between an outer deck and an inner deck (46). Disposed inside the airfoil (45) is a liner (60) which is fitted with a multi-perforated skirt to impact-cool the airfoil wall. The liner (60) has an inner wall (62) comprising a female frustum of a cone (66). A male frustum of a cone (64) is rigidly affixed to the inner deck (46) and is nested in the female frustum (66). These frusta provide communication between the inside of the liner (60) and the inside of the inner deck (46). Cooling air (70) is introduced into the liner (60) through the outer deck. A portion (71) of this air impact-cools the airfoil wall. Another portion (72) enters the inner deck (46) and passes through an orifice (67) to cool the turbine disks (49, 50) upstream and downstream of the nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation "S.N.E.C.M.A."
    Inventor: Laurent Roger Jacques Portefaix
  • Patent number: 6089826
    Abstract: A gas turbine cooled blade has leading edge turbulators. A rounded tip portion of the leading edge portion cooling passage (3) is approximated by a triangular cooling passage (1) having orthogonal turbulators (11, 12) and a smoothly curved rear portion thereof of the leading edge portion cooling passage (3) is approximated by a square cooling passage 2 having oblique turbulators (13, 14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuoki Tomita, Sunao Aoki, Hiroki Fukuno, Kiyoshi Suenaga
  • Patent number: 6077036
    Abstract: A turbine nozzle includes outer and inner bands between which extend a plurality of vanes for channeling combustion gases. Each of the vanes includes leading and trailing edges, and pressure and suction sides extending therebetween, and also a bow along the trailing edge to increase pressure in the gases adjacent the inner band. The vanes also include a thermal barrier coating (TBC) selectively disposed solely along the suction side between the leading and trailing edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Todd S. Heffron, John P. Heyward, John H. Starkweather, Scott M. Carson
  • Patent number: 6068445
    Abstract: In a cooling system for the leading-edge region of a hollow gas-turbine blade, a duct (3), through which flow occurs longitudinally, extends from the blade root up to the blade tip and is defined in the region of the blade body (4) by the inner walls of the leading edge (5), the suction side (6) and the pressure side (7) and by a web (8). The inner walls of the suction side and the pressure side are provided with a plurality of ribs (9), which run slantwise and at least approximately in parallel. The suction-side ribs and the pressure-side ribs are offset from one another over the blade height. The ribs (9) run radially inward from the web (8) in the direction of the leading edge (5), merge into the radial in the region of the leading edge and are led around the leading edge. The deviation of the ribs (9) from the slant into the radial is effected with the smallest possible radius.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventors: Alexander Beeck, Bruce Johnson, Bernhard Weigand, Pey-Shey Wu
  • Patent number: 6059530
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil and integral dovetail. The airfoil includes first and second sidewalls joined together at leading and trailing edges, and extending from a root to a tip plate. Twin ribs extend outwardly from the tip plate between the leading and trailing edges, and are spaced laterally apart to define an open-top tip channel therebetween. Each of the tip ribs has an airfoil profile for extracting energy from combustion gases flowable around the turbine blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Ching-Pang Lee
  • Patent number: 6039537
    Abstract: A turbine blade which can be subjected to a hot gas flow includes a substrate, at least one interior space and a plurality of bores leading from the interior space out of the substrate. The substrate is at least partly covered by a heat-insulating-layer system at a suction side and/or a pressure side. At least one of the bores is closed by the heat-insulating-layer system and at least one further bore is open for developing film cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2000
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Michael Scheurlen
  • Patent number: 6036440
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a gas turbine cooled moving blade in order to cool the gas turbine using steam alone. In the moving blade, two cavities are installed in the lower part of the moving blade root section of the moving blade, a steam inlet is located in one cavity, and a steam outlet is installed in the other cavity. Steam is charged from the steam inlet and passes through a serpentine cooling passage consisting of a plurality of steam passages, and discharged to the steam outlet and collected. Bypasses are located near the base of the moving blade in the middle of each steam passage, so that cold steam on the leading edge side can be led into the bypass, mixed with the hot steam which comes from the tip section side and goes into the next downstream section of the steam passage, and flows to an upstream portion of the steam passage, thereby equalizing the steam temperature and cooling the steam over the entire range from the upstream to downstream of the steam flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuoki Tomita, Hiroki Fukuno, Kiyoshi Suenaga
  • Patent number: 6036441
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine airfoil includes first and second sidewalls joined together at opposite leading and trailing edges, and extending longitudinally from a root to a tip. The sidewalls are spaced apart from each other to define in part first and second adjoining flow chambers extending longitudinally therein, and defined in additional part by corresponding first and second partitions disposed between the sidewalls. The second partition is common to both chambers, and both partitions include respective pluralities of first and second inlet holes sized to meter cooling air therethrough in series between the chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert F. Manning, Paul J. Acquaviva, Daniel E. Demers
  • Patent number: 6033181
    Abstract: According to the invention, turbine blades are provided that have increased functional reliability, which is achieved in that the interior space (8) of the blade body (3) in the region of the suction-side wall (4), the pressure-side wall (5) and the trailing blade edge (7) has a closed steam-cooling system (9) having at least one cooling passage (10, 27, 28). An open cooling system (11) having at least one cooling passage (14, 15) and a plurality of film-cooling holes (22) which pass through the blade body (3) is formed in the region of the leading blade edge (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2000
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG
    Inventors: Wilhelm Endres, Hans Wettstein
  • Patent number: 6019579
    Abstract: A gas turbine rotating blade comprises a serpentine passage provided in the blade width direction in plural rows in a blade profile portion except the portion near the trailing edge having a small blade thickness, a steam cooling passage provided around the outer periphery of a platform, an air passage provided in the blade width direction in the vicinity of the trailing edge of blade profile portion, an impingement plate provided under the platform on the inside of the steam cooling passage, slot holes formed so as to branch off from the air passage and be directed to the trailing edge, and slits formed in the platform above the impingement plate. Therefore, the blade profile portion is cooled by the steam passing through the serpentine passage and the air passing through the air passage, so that the cooling construction is not complicated, and cooling is performed effectively. For the platform, the outer periphery thereof is cooled by steam and the inside thereof by air effectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Fukuno, Yasuoki Tomita, Kiyoshi Suenaga
  • Patent number: 6000909
    Abstract: A gas turbine moving blade having a cooling medium flow path constructed so that a concave spherical surface (C) is formed on a inside surface of an end portion of the cooling medium path (B) formed in a blade root portion. A hollow pipe (6) is provided in the cooling medium flow path between the blade root portion and a disc. The hollow pipe has a convex spherical surface (D) at one end thereof which engages the concave spherical surface (C) and the other end of the pipe has a convex spherical surface (F) which engages an inside surface of a cooling medium path (E) formed in the disc. The hollow pipe (6) provides communication between the cooling medium path (B) on the blade side and the cooling medium path (E) on the disc side. A supporting structure (7, 8, 9) is provided for holding the hollow pipe in the communicating position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuharu Hirokawa, Rintaro Chikami, Tomoharu Matsuo
  • Patent number: 5997245
    Abstract: The invention relates to a cooled shroud in a gas turbine stationary blade which is able to flow a cooling air in the entire area of an inner shroud for cooling thereof. Three stationary blades are fixed to the inner shroud 2, a cover 13, 14 is provided to form a space 21 and space 22a, 22b and 22c, respectively. The cooling air is introduced through an independent air passage 3A of a leading edge of each stationary blade into the spaces 22a, 22b and 22c and is flown therefrom through a tunnel 18 and air reservoirs 19-2, 19-3 and 19-4 to be blown out of a trailing edge while cooling surfaces of the shrouds and the trailing edges. Also, a portion of the cooling air from the space 22b is flown into the space 21 through a tunnel 11, a leading edge side passage 12 and an endmost tunnel 11 and is then blown out of the trailing edge through a tunnel 18 and an air reservoir 19-1, so that the leading edge portion, the endmost portion and the endmost trailing edge portion are cooled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 7, 1999
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuoki Tomita, Hiroki Fukuno, Hideki Murata, Kiyoshi Suenaga
  • Patent number: 5993156
    Abstract: A turbine vane-system cooling system uses three internal cooling cavities 1, 12, 13) separated by two radial walls (9, 10). The upstream cavity (11) uses a helical ramp (30) and is fed through an intake (22) at the vane root (3). The middle cavity (12) also is fed at the vane root (3) and includes a compartmented, multi-perforated lining (40). The air is exhausted from each compartment through impact orifices and enters the succeeding compartment through slots (42) and then is finally exhausted through a vane-head orifice (21). The vane side walls opposite the downstream cavity (13) have double skins with bridging elements. The air passes through these double skins but circulates centrifugally in the upstream portion (15) of the downstream cavity (13) and enters this cavity's downstream portion (16) to be exhausted through slots (19) in the trailing edge (6). A third wall (14) divides the downstream cavity (13) into two parts (15, 16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 30, 1999
    Assignee: Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation SNECMA
    Inventors: Yves Maurice Bailly, Xavier Gerard Andre Coudray, Mischael Francois Louis Derrien, jean-Michel Roger Fougeres, Philippe Christian Pellier, Jean-Claude Christian Taillant, Thierry Henri Marcel Tassin, Christophe Bernard Texier
  • Patent number: 5954475
    Abstract: A gas turbine stationary blade, having a simple structure in which sufficient cooling is achieved and the drop in pressure of cooling vapor is decreased so that the turbine efficiency is prevented from lowering. The shape of a vapor passage is simplified to prevent the drop in pressure because an outer shroud (3) of the stationary blade and a blade unit (2) are cooled with vapor, while an inner shroud (4) is cooled with the air supplied from another system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1999
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Matsuura, Kiyoshi Suenaga, Kazuo Uematsu
  • Patent number: 5931638
    Abstract: A blade or vane for a gas turbine engine includes a primary cooling system (42) with a series of medial passages (44, 46a, 46b, 46c, 48) and an auxiliary cooling system (92) with a series of cooling conduits (94). The conduits of the auxiliary cooling system are parallel to and radially coextensive with the medial passages and are disposed in the peripheral wall (16) of the airfoil between the medial passages and the airfoil external surface (28). The conduits are chordwisely situated in a zone of high heat load (104, 106) so that their effectiveness is optimized. The conduits may also be chordwisely coextensive with some of the medial passages so that coolant in the medial passages is protected from excessive temperature rise. The chordwise dimension C of the conduits is limited so that potentially damaging temperature gradients do not develop in the airfoil wall (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 3, 1999
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Krause, Dominic J. Mongillo, Jr., Friedrich O. Soechting, Mark F. Zelesky
  • Patent number: 5915923
    Abstract: A gas turbine moving blade in which the moving blade operating in a high temperature operating gas is cooled from its interior by steam and the steam after being used for the cooling is recovered, by use of a simple structure. A supply side passage (10), through which steam (6) is supplied directly into a cooling passage (51) of a blade leading edge side (11), is provided within a blade root portion (2) and a pocket (19). One end of the pocket is connected to the supply side passage and the other end of which is connected to a cooling passage (52) of a blade trailing edge side (12). The pocket is covered with a plate, which extends in a blade chord direction on an outer peripheral side face of the blade root portion between a blade platform and a rotor plate. Thus, efficiency of the gas turbine can be effectively enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuoki Tomita, Taku Ichiryu, Kiyoshi Suenaga
  • Patent number: 5827045
    Abstract: In a thermally loaded blade for a turbomachine, the front edge of such a blade is made from a ceramic material for providing better protection. The front edge has a shell-shaped form which covers at least one part of the head stage against which flow occurs. The connection between front edge and head stage is produced on the one side by a coupling-forming indentation and on the other side by an elastic element. The elastic element produces a retaining action at the location where it is placed and a frictional connection, having an effect on the indentation, on the other side of the blade. Cooling air bores in the head stage provide for a cooling effect on the ceramic front edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: October 27, 1998
    Assignee: Asea Brown Boveri AG
    Inventor: Alexander Beeck
  • Patent number: 5820343
    Abstract: A rotor blade for a rotor assembly is provided which includes a root, an airfoil, a platform, and a damper. The airfoil includes at least one cavity. The platform extends laterally outward from the blade between the root and the airfoil, and includes an airfoil side, a root side, and an aperture extending between the root side of the platform and the cavity within the airfoil. The damper, which includes at least one bearing surface, is received within the aperture and the cavity. The bearing surface is in contact with a surface within the cavity and friction between the bearing surface and the surface within the cavity damps vibration of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 13, 1998
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Kraft, Robert J. McClelland
  • Patent number: 5779438
    Abstract: An arrangement and method for cooling a wall surrounded on one side by hot gas, for example, a guide blade of a turbine, where cooling air is directed into a space between the wall and a cooling insert wall, and allowed to flow through rows of holes in the wall to an outer surface of the wall. A rib is arranged upstream of the row of holes on the inner surface of the wall, and the cooling insert wall is shaped to bulge toward the wall at the hole location, so that a guiding surface parallel to an entry angle of the holes is provided. By causing the cooling air to flow in the entry angle of the holes before it reaches the holes, the cooling air forms stable inner-vortex pairs in the flow, and entry losses are reduced. Cooling air not flowing into a first row of holes is accelerated and guided past spacers and pins in the space, before being guided to downstream rows of holes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 14, 1998
    Assignee: ABB Research Ltd.
    Inventor: Gunter Wilfert
  • Patent number: 5720431
    Abstract: An internally air cooled turbine blade for a gas turbine engine of the type including a trailing edge section, leading edge section and mid chord section wherein each section includes a straight through radial passage communicating cooling air from the root to the tip of the blade, and the radial passages (feed channels) on the pressure side and suction side supply the cooling air to the film cooling holes in the airfoil surface and the radial passage (feed chamber) in the mid chord section replenishes the feed channels with cooling air through replenishment cooling holes interconnecting the feed channels and feed chamber. The rotation of the blade imparts a centrifugal pumping action to the air within the feed chamber for maximizing the cooling effectiveness of the cooling air. The air discharging at the tip cools the tip of the blade and provides tip aerodynamic sealing and the leading edge and trailing edge are similarly fed cooling air.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1988
    Date of Patent: February 24, 1998
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Robert R. Sellers, Friedrich O. Soechting, Frank W. Huber, Thomas A. Auxier
  • Patent number: 5711650
    Abstract: A cooling system for airfoil vanes in a turbine of a gas turbine engine wherein the airfoil platforms have openings downstream of the insert tube for passing spent platform impingement coolant air into the airfoil cavity downstream of the insert tube to increase the pressure in the aft zone of the airfoil to improve the temperature gradient across the span of the airfoil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 27, 1998
    Assignee: Pratt & Whitney Canada, Inc.
    Inventors: Ian Tibbott, William Abdel-Messeh, Michael Papple
  • Patent number: 5700132
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil having opposing first and second sides and an internal passage extending longitudinally therebetween. A plurality of first turbulator ribs extend from the first side into the passage, and a plurality of second turbulator ribs extend from the second side into the passage. The first and second ribs are different in configuration from each other for obtaining different heat transfer enhancements on the first and second sides for reducing pressure losses and cooling air flow requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Elias Harry Lampes, Craig Robert Jacobson, Robert Francis Manning
  • Patent number: 5695321
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil having opposite first and second sides and an internal passage extending longitudinally therebetween. A plurality of turbulator ribs extend from the first side into the passage and have substantially identical configurations including first and second ends having a span axis extending therebetween, first and second sides having a width therebetween, and a base and a tip having a height e measured therebetween. The passage includes a height H for defining a rib-to-passage height ratio e/H. Adjacent ribs are spaced apart at a longitudinal spacing S for defining a rib spacing-to-height ratio S/e. The rib configuration varies along the span axis between the rib first and second ends for correspondingly varying at least one of the ratios e/H and S/e to effect a varying convective heat transfer enhancement along the rib span axis for increasing enhancement and reducing cooling airflow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: David Max Kercher
  • Patent number: 5695322
    Abstract: A turbine blade includes an airfoil having first and second opposite sides and an internal passage extending longitudinally therebetween for channeling air to cool the airfoil. A single restart turbulator rib is disposed in the passage adjacent to the inlet and has a first height e.sub.1 for obtaining a first convective heat transfer enhancement. A plurality of primary turbulator ribs are disposed downstream from the restart rib in the passage. The primary ribs include an initial primary rib having a second height e.sub.2 for obtaining a second convective heat transfer enhancement, with the initial primary rib being spaced longitudinally from the restart rib at a first spacing S.sub.1, and spaced longitudinally from a second primary rib at a second spacing S.sub.2. The first enhancement is less than the second enhancement to reduce overcooling of the airfoil between the restart and primary ribs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Craig Robert Jacobson, Robert Francis Manning, Elias Harry Lampes
  • Patent number: 5695320
    Abstract: A gas turbine blade includes an airfoil having first and second sides and an internal passage extending longitudinally therebetween for channeling air to cool the airfoil. A plurality of longitudinally spaced apart primary turbulator ribs extend into the internal passage from at least one of the first and second sides. An auxiliary turbulator rib is spaced between adjacent ones of the primary ribs. The auxiliary rib has a height which is less than the height of the primary ribs for augmenting convective heat transfer enhancement with reduced pressure loss, and, therefore, reduced cooling air requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: David Max Kercher
  • Patent number: 5681144
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine blade includes an airfoil having first and second sides and an internal passage extending longitudinally therebetween for channeling air to cool the airfoil. Respective pluralities of first and second turbulator ribs extend inwardly from at least one of the first and second airfoil sides. Adjacent ones of second ends of the first and second ribs are staggered apart longitudinally and overlap chordally for defining a gap therebetween facing transversely for turning cooling air upon flow through the gap. The gap increases convective heat transfer enhancement for reducing cooling air requirements and improving blade creep life.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Samuel Dale Spring, Nesim Abuaf, Mohammad Esmail Taslim
  • Patent number: 5667359
    Abstract: An aerodynamic buffer zone in the gap between the tip of an air cooled axial flow turbine blade of a gas turbine engine and its surrounding shroud or seal (outer air seal) is created by discretely discharging a high velocity stream of cooling air from the tip of the blade in a judicious direction. The stream is angularly oriented relative to the plane of rotation of the turbine so that it is discharged in the gap in the direction of the pressure side of the turbine and preferably at between a 15.degree.-45.degree. angle relative to the flat surface of the tip of the blade.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1988
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: United Technologies Corp.
    Inventors: Frank W. Huber, Douglas J. Dietrich
  • Patent number: 5609466
    Abstract: A gas turbine vane having an inner shroud that is cooled by a portion of the cooling air directed to a cavity between two adjacent rows of discs. A portion of the cooling air in the cavity flows through impingement plates and impinges on the inner surface of the inner shroud. Another portion of the cooling air flows through a passage in the leading edge of the inner shroud that has a pin fin array for enhanced cooling. The impingement plates form chambers that collect both the impingement air and the pin fin passage air and direct it through holes in the trailing edge of the inner shroud for cooling of the trailing edge. Longitudinal passages along the side of the inner shroud direct the cooling air from the pin fin passage tot the trailing edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 11, 1997
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
    Inventors: William E. North, Mark T. Kennedy
  • Patent number: 5591002
    Abstract: The nozzle segment includes a vane having a plurality of axially spaced cavities for transmission of a cooling medium. In a closed circuit cooling system, air is transmitted radially inwardly and outwardly through inserts in leading and intermediate cavities, respectively, for flow through holes for impingement cooling of the adjoining vane surfaces. Radial inlet flow of cooling medium to an aft cavity likewise flows through an insert for impingement cooling of the aft cavity walls. The cooling medium flows from the aft cavity into a trailing edge cavity for impingement cooling of the trailing edge. The spent cooling flow passes through a channel in the diaphragm into the wheelspace. In the open air circuit, the spent impingement flow in the leading and intermediate cavities passes through openings in the vane wall for thin film cooling of the vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: General Electric Co.
    Inventors: Francisco J. Cunha, Alan Walker
  • Patent number: 5586866
    Abstract: A baffle cooling arrangement for wall parts includes a wall having a wall part to be cooled, a carrier having an inner and an outer surface, the inner surface of the carrier being arranged at a distance from the wall part, and multiple baffle tubes are provided. The baffle tubes each have an inlet end and an outlet end. The inlet ends of the baffle tubes are arranged over an area on the outer surface of the carrier and the outlet ends of the baffle tubes are directed toward the wall part, the tubes extending into a space between the inner surface of the carrier and the wall part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignee: ABB Management AG
    Inventor: Hans Wettstein
  • Patent number: 5577884
    Abstract: An improved turbine vane structure is disclosed which enables more effective cooling and the reduction of temperature gradients along its length. The hollow interior of the vane is divided into three separate cavities, two upstream cavities and a downstream cavity. The downstream cavity is partially filled with a body of porous, heat transfer material. Cooling air flows through the downstream cavity in a direction counter to the hot gases passing over the exterior surface of the vane so as to increase the heat exchange properties. The two upstream cavities lie adjacent to each other and are supplied with cooling air from opposite directions to achieve a counterflow, heat exchange effect. Several sets of cooling holes are provided through the vane wall to communicate with the interior cavities and supply cooling air to the exterior surface of the vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1985
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Societe Nationale d'Etude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation S.N.E.C.M.A.
    Inventor: Christian Mari
  • Patent number: 5558497
    Abstract: A rotor blade for a rotor assembly is provided comprising a root, an airfoil, and a damper. The airfoil includes a base, a tip, a first cavity, a second cavity, and a passage. The passage includes a pair of walls converging from the first cavity to the second cavity, thereby connecting the first and second cavities. The damper is received within the passage. According to one aspect of the present invention, a difference in gas pressure across the damper biases the damper against the converging walls of the passage. According to another aspect of the present invention, centrifugal force biases the damper against the converging walls of the passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Kraft, Robert J. McClelland
  • Patent number: 5533864
    Abstract: A turbine cooling blade has a blade body defining an inner hollow portion, an insert core fitted into the inner hollow portion of the blade body with a space therebetween, and a plurality of projections formed on the insert core so as to project towards an inner surface of the blade body. The projections are formed with impingement holes through which cooling air flows from an inside of the insert core towards the space between the insert core and the blade body. The blade body is provided with a plurality of partitioning members partitioning the space into a plurality of sectioned chambers between the insert core and an inner surface of the blade body. The insert core member is formed with a number of impingement holes at portions other than the partitioning members, and the partitioning members extend in a span direction of the blade body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 9, 1996
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hideo Nomoto, Takanari Okamura, Shoko Ito
  • Patent number: 5516260
    Abstract: A coolable airfoil for use in gas turbine engine component such as a turbine blade or vane is provided with a radially extending airfoil having an outer wall surrounding at least one radially extending cavity and extending chordwise through at least a portion of the airfoil. The outer wall has ribs disposed on an inner surface of the outer wall and cooling passages formed between the outer wall and an insert disposed in the cavity against and in abutting sealing relationship with the ribs, wherein the outer wall is formed from two radially and chordwise extending sections, preferably suction and pressure side sections, bonded together while the insert was disposed inside the cavity. The insert provides an inner wall surrounding a hollow chamber generally conforming to the cavity the insert is disposed in and the insert includes a spring to force the inner wall out against the ribs during the bonding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 14, 1996
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Damlis, Anne M. Isburgh, James A. Martus, Edward H. Goldman
  • Patent number: 5511937
    Abstract: A gas turbine vane airfoil has an aft cavity in which an insert is placed so as to form a cooling air passage between the insert and the walls that form the cavity. The insert serves to distribute cooling air around the passage. Cooling air from the passage exits the vane airfoil via film cooling holes in the pressure surface of the airfoil and via a passage formed in the trailing edge of the airfoil. A W-shaped flexible regulator seal is attached to the trailing edge of the insert and has legs that are pressed against ridges in the airfoil walls. Holes in the regulating seal regulate the amount of cooling air flowing from the passage surrounding the insert to the trailing edge passage, thereby preventing too low a pressure differential between the cooling air in the passage surrounding the insert and the hot compressed gas flowing over the airfoil, which would inhibit adequate film cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 30, 1996
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Theodore Papageorgiou
  • Patent number: 5439354
    Abstract: Hollow airfoils, such as fan blades, nozzles and struts used in axial flow gas turbine engines, that have improved resistance to impact from foreign objects are disclosed. Relocation of airfoil material is used to preferentially strengthen the airfoil to respond to the stress from the impact of a foreign object. Internal spacers are redistributed toward the leading edge and the material from the skin of the concave side and the convex side is shifted from one side to the other and toward the leading edge of the airfoil where impact stress is greatest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 8, 1995
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kurt L. Hansen, Jay L. Cornell, Jan C. Schilling
  • Patent number: 5392515
    Abstract: An air cooled stator vane for a gas turbine engine is fabricated by casting the suction side wall and pressure side wall of the airfoil into separate halves and joining both halves at complementary sides and ribs, and forming pockets with a slot at the end of each pocket for flowing a film of cooling air over the exterior wall and drilling holes in the end of the pocket remote from the slot to fluidly connect the pocket with cooling air. The method includes in another embodiment a sheet metal sheath with pockets and slots identical to the pockets and slots in the shell configuration formed over the shell. Another embodiment includes perforated inserts extending in the cavity formed by the shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1992
    Date of Patent: February 28, 1995
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas A. Auxier, Hans R. Przirembel, Friedrich O. Soechting
  • Patent number: 5352091
    Abstract: Tube 16 within airfoil 10 carries cooling air. Flow openings 28 in the tubes direct cooling air 29 against the airfoil inner surface 14. Protrusions 30 form extended surface in the form of segmented trip strips are located with segmented trip strips are located with at least same in registration with openings 28. The chamber 18 between the tube 16 and surface 14 has an increasing flow area toward air exit 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 4, 1994
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Joseph A. Sylvestro
  • Patent number: 5340274
    Abstract: A steam or air cooled combined cycle gas turbine includes first and second turbine stages and a second nozzle stage. During start-up, cooling air is supplied radially inwardly through the second stage nozzle for flow into the gas flow through the turbine and for combining with cooling air flowing radially outwardly from a high pressure compressor port. The combined air flow flows radially outwardly through the turbine blades. In normal operation, steam in lieu of air flows radially inwardly through the second nozzle stage and radially outwardly between the turbine wheels and spacer therebetween. Part of the steam through the nozzle stage combines with the radially outwardly flowing steam for cooling the turbine blades. The balance of the steam flows into the gas flow through the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1992
    Date of Patent: August 23, 1994
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Francisco J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 5297937
    Abstract: A hollow rotor blade of a gas turbine includes a shaped core accommodated within a hollow space formed between two skins and joined to the skins. The fatigue strength at a portion where the skins are joined to the core is enhanced. More specifically, the portions of the skins joined with the core are in the form of island-shaped protrusions, and the core is joined to these protrusions by solid-phase diffusion bonding, diffusion-brazing, liquid-phase diffusion bonding, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1992
    Date of Patent: March 29, 1994
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Umetani, Haruomi Makita
  • Patent number: 5259730
    Abstract: An impinqement cooled airfoil is fabricated by diffusion bonding a pair of airfoil half-sections together using an insert which is prefabricated from diffusion bonding foil. The insert is perforated so as to act as an impingement baffle. Axially-extending ribs may be formed on the internal walls of the airfoil half-sections or on the insert to support and accurately space the insert member from the internal walls so as to optimize impingement cooling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 1993
    Date of Patent: November 9, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Nicholas Damlis, James A. Martus, Edward H. Goldman
  • Patent number: 5253976
    Abstract: A steam or air-cooled combined cycle gas turbine includes first and second turbine stages and a second nozzle stage disposed about a spacer between the turbine stages. Cooling steam is passed through the nozzle vanes radially inwardly and through the seal between the spacer and the nozzle stage into a pair of chambers. Inlet ports are carried by the first and second-stage turbines for conducting the steam through both single and multi-pass circuits in the turbine blades to cool the blades. Steam is inlet along the axis of the turbine for mixing with the steam inlet past the nozzle stage and spacer seal. Air is inlet adjacent the axis of the turbine and a valve selectively opens and closes an air inlet for admitting air into the chambers. When the turbine is in a start-up mode or steam is not available, the valve is open to admit air into the chambers to supply cooling air to the turbine blades. When steam is available, the valve is closed and the turbine blades are steam cooled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: October 19, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Francisco J. Cunha
  • Patent number: 5207556
    Abstract: A hollow impingement baffle includes a septum extending between its bottom and top and spaced between its forward and aft edges to define a forward manifold and an aft manifold. The baffle includes an inlet having a forward portion for channeling a first portion of compressed air to the forward manifold, and an aft portion for channeling a second portion of the compressed air into the aft manifold with a predetermined pressure drop for obtaining a lower pressure in the aft manifold relative to a higher pressure in the forward manifold. The baffle includes impingement holes for discharging the compressed air against the inner surface of a surrounding airfoil for the impingement cooling thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1992
    Date of Patent: May 4, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert A. Frederick, Mark S. Honkomp
  • Patent number: 5203873
    Abstract: An impingement-cooled gas turbine blade includes an impingement baffle which, during engine operation, is subject only to shear loading. A tubular baffle body is provided with a pair of mounting flanges which are bonded between a forward portion of the turbine blade and an aft portion of the turbine blade. The bond extends from the blade dovetail to the blade tip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 20, 1993
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Robert J. Corsmeier, Harvey M. MacLin
  • Patent number: 5145315
    Abstract: A gas turbine stationary vane is provided having cooling air inserts and an inpingement plate attached to the outer shroud of the vane. The inserts extend only a short distance above their mounting surface on the outer shroud so that there is adequate access for properly welding the inserts to the outer shroud. Insert extensions are disposed in the end of each insert so as to form cooling air inlets which project above the impingement plate. The insert extensions are installed after the insert has been welded to the outer shroud so as to not interfere with access to the weld area. The insert extensions are attached to the inserts and the impingement plate by flexible seal collars, allowing the collars to form positive seals between the components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1992
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Corp.
    Inventors: William E. North, Kent G. Hultgren, Christopher D. Dishman, Gary S. Van Heusden
  • Patent number: 5120192
    Abstract: A blade includes a blade body having a cavity, an insert inserted in the cavity, a plurality of impingement holes formed in a circumferential wall of the insert, and a recovery path for recovering a cooling medium sprayed from the impingement holes. The cooling medium can be recovered without being discharged into a main gas. A gas turbine having this blade is used for a combined cycle power plant. In this plant, steam is supplied as a cooling medium to the blade, and the steam recovered from the blade is supplied to a steam turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 9, 1992
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Fumio Ohtomo, Tatsuo Araki, Asako Matsuura, Yoshiaki Tsukumo
  • Patent number: 5100293
    Abstract: A cooling structure for a turbine blade. Comprising a hollow-structured main body and a cooling medium discharging device located in the inner cavity of the hollow-structured main body and formed to discharge a cooling medium from the surface thereof, so that the cooling medium discharged from the cooling medium discharging device impinges against the inner surface of the main body to remove the heat from the same. The turbine blade further includes a projection formed on the inner surface of the leading edge of the main body, extending along the spanwise direction of the blade, and the cooling medium discharging device is formed to allow at least part of the cooling medium to directly impinge against proximal portions of the projection. With this arrangement, a turbine blade is provided which allows a small amount of cooling air to cool the turbine blade and its leading edge in particular with great effectiveness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1992
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunichi Anzai, Kazuhiko Kawaike, Takashi Ikeguchi, Masami Noda, Tetsuo Sasada, Isao Takehara, Haruo Urushidani