Integrated TBC and cooling flow metering plate in turbine vane

摘要

An integrated thermal barrier coating and cooling flow metering plate for a turbine vane are disclosed. On an existing vane design, the thickness of the thermal barrier coating is increased in order to provide more thermal protection around the vane material itself. The increased insulation around the vane allows the volume of cooling air flow to be reduced, while still maintaining the vane temperature within specification. The reduced cooling air flow is obtained by adding a flow metering plate at the inlet of a vane trailing edge cooling circuit, thereby increasing turbine efficiency via reduced cooling air flow requirements, while allowing an existing vane casting design to be used.

主权项

1. A turbine vane for improving efficiency of a gas turbine engine, said turbine vane comprising:
a vane body, said body comprising a machined casting including an airfoil section with one or more internal cooling air passages, where the machined casting has a design which is not to be changed; an impingement plate fitted to an outer end of the vane body, where the impingement plate meters a flow of cooling air onto the outer end of the vane body; a thermal barrier coating (TBC) covering an exterior surface of the airfoil section, where the TBC has a thickness which is increased compared to a nominal vane design in order to achieve a temperature reduction in the turbine vane; and a flow metering plate placed over an inlet to a trailing edge cooling air passage which takes a three-pass serpentine route through the turbine vane, where the flow metering plate reduces a cooling air flow rate by an amount sufficient to offset the temperature reduction achieved by increasing the thickness of the TBC.