Leading edge cooling using wrapped staggered-chevron trip strips

Abstract

A turbine engine component has an airfoil portion having a leading edge, a suction side, and a pressure side and a radial flow leading edge cavity through which a cooling fluid flows for cooling the leading edge. The turbine engine component further has a staggered arrangement of trip strips for generating a vortex in the leading edge cavity which impinges on a nose portion of the leading edge cavity.

1 . A turbine engine component comprising:
 an airfoil portion having a leading edge, a suction side, and a pressure side;   a radial flow leading edge cavity through which a cooling fluid flows for cooling said leading edge; and   means for generating a vortex in said leading edge cavity which impinges on a nose portion of said leading edge cavity.   
     
     
         2 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 1 , wherein said vortex generating means comprises a plurality of first trip strips wrapped around said nose portion of said leading edge cavity. 
     
     
         3 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 2 , wherein said first trip strips are mounted to the suction side of said airfoil portion. 
     
     
         4 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 2 , wherein said first trip strips are mounted to the pressure side of said airfoil portion. 
     
     
         5 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 2 , wherein said vortex generating means further comprises a plurality of second trip strips and a plurality of gaps between said first trip strips and said second trip strips. 
     
     
         6 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 5 , wherein said second trip strips are mounted on said pressure side of said airfoil portion. 
     
     
         7 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 5 , wherein said second trip strips are mounted on said suction side of said airfoil portion. 
     
     
         8 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 5 , wherein said first trip strips and said second trip strips are staggered. 
     
     
         9 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 5 , wherein said plurality of gaps are located along a parting line of said airfoil portion. 
     
     
         10 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 5 , wherein said first trip strips and second trip strips are positioned along a direction of flow of said cooling fluid. 
     
     
         11 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 10 , wherein the first trip strips are oriented substantially normal to the direction of flow so as to generate said vortex at said leading edge. 
     
     
         12 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 10 , wherein said first and second trip strips are each oriented at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the direction of flow of said cooling fluid. 
     
     
         13 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 10 , wherein each of said first and second trip strips has a leading edge and said leading edge of each of said trip strips is positioned in a region of highest heat load. 
     
     
         14 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 13 , wherein said leading edge of said first trip strips overlap said leading edge of said second trip strips. 
     
     
         15 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 13 , wherein said leading edge of said second trip strips overlap said leading edge of said first trip strips. 
     
     
         16 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 10 , wherein said trip strips have a P/E ratio in the range of from 3 to 25 where P is a radial pitch between trip strips and E is trip strip height. 
     
     
         17 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 10 , wherein said trip strips have an E/H ratio between 0.15 and 1.50 where E is trip strip height and H is height of the cavity. 
     
     
         18 . The turbine engine component according to  claim 10 , wherein said first trip strips and said second trip strips are staggered approximately one half pitch apart.