Cooled turbine blade with leading edge flow redirection and diffusion

摘要

A cooled turbine blade having a base and an airfoil, the base including cooling air inlet and an internal cooling air passageway, and the airfoil including an internal heat exchange path beginning at the base and ending at a cooling air outlet at the trailing edge of the airfoil. The airfoil also includes a “skin” that encompasses a tip wall, an inner spar, a leading edge rib, and a leading edge air deflector. The leading edge rib is configured to form a leading edge chamber in conjunction with the leading edge of the skin. The leading edge air deflector is shaped and positioned such that cooling air leaving the leading edge chamber is both turned and diffused.

主权项

1. A turbine blade for use in a gas turbine engine, the turbine blade comprising:
a base; an airfoil comprising a skin extending from the base and forming a first leading edge, a first trailing edge, a pressure side, and a lift side, the airfoil having tip end distal from the base; a leading edge rib extending from the pressure side of the skin to the lift side of the skin, the leading edge rib extending from the base and terminating prior to reaching the tip end, the leading edge rib forming a leading edge chamber in conjunction with the first leading edge of the skin, the leading edge chamber extending from the base towards the tip end; an inner spar extending between the base and the tip end, the inner spar located between the pressure side of the skin and the lift side of the skin, and further extending from the leading edge rib toward the trailing edge; a section divider extending towards the first leading edge and between the inner spar and the skin, the section divider being offset from the tip wall and forming a heat exchange path therebetween, the heat exchange path extending along the tip wall towards the first trailing edge; and a leading edge air deflector extending from the pressure side of the skin to the lift side of the skin and having a second leading edge, a second trailing edge, a turning side and a diffusion side, the leading edge air deflector located at least partially between the leading edge rib and the tip end, the leading edge deflector positioned with an inner gap between the leading edge air deflector and the leading edge rib, and an outer gap between the leading edge air deflector and both the skin of the airfoil and the tip end, the leading edge air deflector curving from the second leading edge to the second trailing edge and intersects the inner spar at the second trailing edge to turn cooling air passing through the inner gap and the outer gap towards the first trailing edge and to direct the cooling air into the heat exchange path.