Cooled turbine blade with inner spar

Abstract

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 plurality of inner spar cooling fins extending from the inner spar to the skin, and a plurality of trailing edge cooling fins extending from the pressure side of the skin to the lift side of the skin aft of the inner spar.

What is claimed is: 
     
         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 leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, and a lift side;   a plurality of trailing edge cooling fins extending from the pressure side of the skin to the lift side of the skin;   a leading edge rib, the 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, proximal and spaced apart from the leading edge and within the skin;   an inner spar within the skin, the inner spar extending from the leading edge rib toward the trailing edge;   a plurality of first inner spar cooling fins extending from the inner spar to the skin on the pressure side of the airfoil; and   a plurality of second inner spar cooling fins extending from the inner spar to the skin on the lift side of the airfoil.   
     
     
         2 . The turbine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the inner spar extends from the leading edge rib toward the trailing edge substantially along a mean camber line of the airfoil to include a length of at least seventy-five percent of the mean camber line length between the leading edge and the trailing edge, and terminating prior to reaching the plurality of trailing edge cooling fins. 
     
     
         3 . The turbine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins and the plurality of second inner spar cooling fins are oriented substantially parallel to each other. 
     
     
         4 . The turbine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the base includes at least one cooling air passageway, the turbine blade further comprising:
 a single-bend heat exchange path within the airfoil, the single-bend heat exchange path interfacing with and beginning at the at least one cooling air passageway in the base, and terminating at the trailing edge, the single-bend heat exchange path configured to redirect the cooling air from the at least one cooling air passageway in the base toward the trailing edge; and   wherein the single-bend heat exchange path is further configured to redirect the cooling air such that the cooling air is redirected in a single turn; and   wherein at least a portion of the single-bend heat exchange path is sub-divided by the inner spar.   
     
     
         5 . The turbine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins extend from the inner spar with a density of at least 80 fins per square inch; and
 wherein the plurality of second inner spar cooling fins extend from the inner spar with a density of at least 80 fins per square inch.   
     
     
         6 . The turbine blade of  claim 1 , wherein the turbine blade is cast from a single material; and
 wherein the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins and the plurality of second inner spar cooling fins have a length at least twenty-five percent longer than the thickness of the inner spar.   
     
     
         7 . A gas turbine engine including the turbine blade of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         8 . 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 leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a lift side, and a tip end, the tip end located distally from the base;   a plurality of trailing edge cooling fins extending from the pressure side of the skin to the lift side of the skin;   an inner spar extending from the base toward the tip end, the inner spar located between the pressure side of the skin and the lift side the skin;   a plurality of first inner spar cooling fins extending from the inner spar to the skin on the pressure side of the airfoil, the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins oriented substantially parallel to each other; and   a plurality of second inner spar cooling fins extending from the inner spar to the skin on the lift side of the airfoil, the plurality of second inner spar cooling fins oriented substantially parallel to each other and with the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins.   
     
     
         9 . The turbine blade of  claim 8 , wherein the base includes a platform having a forward edge; and
 wherein the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins and the plurality of second inner spar cooling fins are oriented substantially perpendicular to the forward edge.   
     
     
         10 . The turbine blade of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a single-bend heat exchange path within the airfoil, the single-bend heat exchange path interfacing with and beginning at an at least one cooling air passageway in the base, and terminating at the trailing edge, the single-bend heat exchange path configured to redirect the cooling air from the at least one cooling air passageway in the base toward the trailing edge substantially along a mean camber line; and   wherein the single-bend heat exchange path is further configured to redirect the cooling air such that the cooling air is redirected in a single turn; and   wherein at least a portion of the single-bend heat exchange path is sub-divided by the inner spar.   
     
     
         11 . The turbine blade of  claim 8 , wherein the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins extend from the inner spar with a density of at least 80 fins per square inch; and
 wherein the plurality of second inner spar cooling fins extend from the inner spar with a density of at least 80 fins per square inch.   
     
     
         12 . The turbine blade of  claim 12 , wherein the turbine blade is cast from a single material; and
 wherein the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins and the plurality of second inner spar cooling fins have a length at least twenty-five percent longer than the thickness of the inner spar.   
     
     
         13 . A gas turbine engine including a turbine having a turbine rotor assembly that includes the turbine blade of  claim 1 ; and
 wherein the turbine rotor assembly is installed in a first stage of the turbine.   
     
     
         14 . 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 leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a lift side, and a tip end distal from the base;   a plurality of trailing edge cooling fins extending from the pressure side of the skin to the lift side of the skin;   an inner spar extending from the base toward the tip end, the inner spar located between the pressure side of the skin and the lift side the skin;   a plurality of first inner spar cooling fins extending from the inner spar to the skin on the pressure side of the airfoil;   a plurality of second inner spar cooling fins extending from the inner spar to the skin on the lift side of the airfoil; and   a single-bend heat exchange path within the airfoil, the single-bend heat exchange path interfacing with and beginning at the at least one cooling air passageway in the base, and terminating at the trailing edge, at least a portion of the single-bend heat exchange path being sub-divided by the inner spar, the single-bend heat exchange path configured to redirect the cooling air from the at least one cooling air passageway in the base toward the trailing edge; the single-bend heat exchange path further configured to redirect the cooling air such that the cooling air is redirected in a single turn.   
     
     
         15 . The turbine blade of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 at least one first section divider extending from the base to the trailing edge while substantially following a ninety degree path, the at least one first section divider further extending from the inner spar to the skin on pressure side of the airfoil; and   at least one second section divider extending from the base to the trailing edge while substantially following a ninety degree path, the at least one first section divider further extending from the inner spar to the skin on the lift side of the airfoil; and   wherein the at least one first section divider and the at least one second section divider are joined together downstream of the inner spar to form a single section divider extending from the pressure side of the skin directly to the lift side of the skin.   
     
     
         16 . The turbine blade of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 at least one first rib radially extending from the base; the at least one first rib further extending from the inner spar to the skin on pressure side of the airfoil; and   at least one second rib radially extending from the base; the at least one second rib further extending from the inner spar to the skin on the lift side of the airfoil.   
     
     
         17 . The turbine blade of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 at least one first air deflector extending from the inner spar to the pressure side of the airfoil, the at least one first air deflector located within the single-bend heat exchange path and configured to redirect cooling air toward the trailing edge; and   at least one second air deflector extending from the inner spar to the lift side of the airfoil, the at least one first air deflector located within the single-bend heat exchange path and configured to redirect cooling air toward the trailing edge.   
     
     
         18 . The turbine blade of  claim 14 , wherein the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins extend from the inner spar with a density of at least 80 fins per square inch; and
 wherein the plurality of second inner spar cooling fins extend from the inner spar with a density of at least 80 fins per square inch.   
     
     
         19 . The turbine blade of  claim 14 , wherein the turbine blade is cast from a single material. 
     
     
         20 . The turbine blade of  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of first inner spar cooling fins and the plurality of second inner spar cooling fins have a length at least twenty-five percent longer than the thickness of the inner spar.