Vane assembly and temperature control arrangement

Claim 2

In a vane assembly including a hollow airfoil adapted to project across a hot gas stream and having chordwise spaced leading and trailing edge portions interconnected by concave and convex sidewalls, means disposed internally of said airfoil for receiving a flow of coolant and impinging said coolant against a portion of the inner surfaces of said sidewalls, the improvement comprising: a bridge member extending between said sidewalls internally of said airfoil structure, said coolant-receiving and impingement means comprising a first perforated tubular insert having sidewalls generally conforming to the contour of said airfoil sidewalls, a plurality of longitudinally spaced chordwise extending structural ribs projecting from the sidewalls internally of said airfoil and extending from said bridge member with opposed ones of said ribs being joined downstream of said first insert to form, in cooperation with said bridge member, a rigid box structure around said insert.

Claim 3

The improved vane assembly of claim 1 further characterized in that said ribs project into abutment with said insert so as to establish the desired spacing between said insert and said airfoil sidewalls.

Claim 4

The improved vane assembly of claim 1 further characterized in that said bridge member compartmentalizes said airfoil into discrete leading and trailing edge chambers, said first insert disposed in said trailing edge chamber.

Claim 5

The improved vane assembly of claim 3 further characterized in that said receiving and impingement means further includes a second perforated tubular insert disposed in said leading edge chamber.

Claim 6

In a gas turbine engine of the type having a turbine including an annular row of vane assemblies, each said vane assembly including spaced inner and outer platform portions for defining, respectively, a portion of the inner and outer boundary of a hot gas stream, and at least one hollow airfoil portion extending generally radially between said platform portions, shroud means for defining a portion of the outer boundary of said hot gas stream downstream of said vane assemblies, at least one annular row of turbine blades downstream of said vane assemblies, said blades extending generally radially from a turbine rotor into close-spaced relationship with said shroud means, each said blade including a platform portion for defining the inner boundary of said hot gas stream across said blades, and a source of coolant adjacent said inner and outer vane platform portions, improved means for controlling the temperature of said turbine comprising: means spaced from said inner and outer vane platform portions for impinging said coolant against said platform portions as a plurality of high-velocity jets to establish a high rate of heat transfer therebetween, at least one tubular insert disposed within each said airfoil portion, passage means formed through at least one said vane platform portion for delivery of coolant internally of said tubular insert, said insert having sidewalls generally conforming to and spaced from the sidewalls of said aiRfoil portion and formed with a plurality of apertures for impinging said coolant against said airfoil sidewalls as a plurality of high-velocity jets so as to generate a high rate of heat transfer therebetween, and a plurality of passageways formed through said airfoil portion for effluxing coolant from said airfoil portion to establish a continuous flow of coolant therethrough, and a plurality of passageways formed through said inner and outer vane platform portions for directing impinged coolant to the downstream edge of said platform portions so as to provide a film of coolant along said shroud means and said blade platform portions.

Claim 7

In a gas turbine engine of the type having a turbine including an annular row of vane assemblies, each said vane assembly including spaced inner and outer platform portions for defining, respectively, a portion of the inner and outer boundary of a hot gas stream, and at least one hollow airfoil portion extending generally radially between said platform portions, shroud means for defining a portion of the outer boundary of said hot gas stream downstream of said vane assemblies, at least one annular row of turbine blades downstream of said vane assemblies, said blades extending generally radially from a turbine rotor into close-spaced relationship with said shroud means, each said blade including a platform portion for defining the inner boundary of said hot gas stream across said blades, and a source of coolant adjacent said inner and outer vane platform portions, improved means for controlling the temperature of said turbine comprising: means spaced from said inner and outer vane platform portions for impinging said coolant against said platform portions as a plurality of high-velocity jets to establish a high rate of heat transfer therebetween, at least one tubular insert disposed within each said airfoil portion, passage means formed through at least one said vane platform portion for delivery of coolant internally of said tubular insert, said insert having sidewalls generally conforming to and spaced from the sidewalls of said aiRfoil portion and formed with a plurality of apertures for impinging said coolant against said airfoil sidewalls as a plurality of high-velocity jets so as to generate a high rate of heat transfer therebetween, and a plurality of passageways formed through said airfoil portion for effluxing coolant from said airfoil portion to establish a continuous flow of coolant therethrough, and a plurality of passageways formed through said inner and outer vane platform portions for directing impinged coolant to the downstream edge of said platform portions so as to provide a film of coolant along said shroud means and said blade platform portions.

Claim 8

The improved gas turbine engine of claim 5 further characterized in that said vane assemblies are adapted to impart a predetermined swirl angle to said hot gas stream, said vane platform passageways angled so as to efflux said coolant at an angle approximating said hot gas stream swirl angle whereby mixing and momentum losses within said hot gas stream are greatly reduced.

Claim 9

The improved turbomachine of claim 5 further characterized in that each said airfoil portion includes chordwise spaced leading and trailing edge portions and concave and convex sidewalls extending therebetween, a bridge member extending between said airfoil sidewalls internally of said airfoil portion and defining discrete leading and trailing edge chambers with one said tubular insert disposed within each said airfoil chamber, and passage means formed through at least one of said platform portions for delivery of coolant to said inserts.

Claim 10

The improved turbomachine of claim 7 further characterized in that passage means are formed through said inner platform portion for delivery of impinged coolant to the leading edge insert and passage means are formed through said outer platform portion for delivery of impinged coolant to the trailing edge insert.