Fluid cooled turbine rotor blade

Claim 1

In a rotor construction, a rotor disc having a plurality of generally axially extending side entry channels in its periphery, between which are defined steeples, said channels having cooled rotor blades mounted therein, said blades having a root portion, a shank portion, and an air foil portion, said blades each having a plurality of generally radially directed chambers extending through said air foil portion, at least one of said chambers being in the intermediate portion of said blade away from both the leading and trailing edges thereof and having walls with a plurality of pin fins disposed thereon, at least one of said pin finned chambers having an insert therein, said insert being a hollow, closed element with a shape conforming substantially to said chamber configuration and being spaced from the inner surface of said chamber, the volume between the outer side of the walls of said insert and the walls of said pin finned chamber defining turbulent cooling fluid flow passageways, means for injecting cooling fluid into said passageways, said fluid exiting said passageways at the radially outer end of said blade, said turbulent cooling fluid flow passageways providing maximum heat transfer from said blade to said fluid, said root portion of said blade being axially bifurcated, the intersection of said bifurcated root portions defining the radially outward portion of a plenum chamber for the passage of cooling fluid into said blades, the radially outer portion of the steeples comprises the radially inner portion of the plenum chamber, the bifurcated root being mounted about said steeple, said insert being secured within each of said blades by a wedge plug inserted within the radially inner end of said insert, said cooling fluid from said plenum chamber entering passageways through an arrangement of orifices disposed between said insert and walls of said chamber to promote the cooling of said blade.