Importance

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Abstract

A cooling system is disclosed for cooling the platforms of turbine blades fixed to the periphery of a turbine rotor, each turbine blade having an airfoil portion, a platform with opposite longitudinal edges, a root portion affixed to the turbine rotor, and a shank portion connecting the root portion to the platform. Adjacent turbine blades are located such that a longitudinal edge of one platform is adjacent to a longitudinal edge of an adjacent platform. A cavity is formed bounded by a portion of the periphery of the turbine rotor, the shank portions of the adjacent turbine blades, and the platforms of the adjacent turbine blades. A cooling air passage supplies cooling air to the cavity. One or more cooling channels are formed in a side of the platform facing the turbine rotor, each cooling channel having a cooling air collector at an end located adjacent to the air supply passage and communicating with the cavity. The cooling channels also include venting holes distributed along each of the cooling channels. A sealing plate extends across surfaces of adjacent platforms facing toward the turbine rotor so as to seal any gap existing between the adjacent longitudinal edges of the platform. The sealing plate covers the cooling channels to form cooling passages, the sealing plate having an orifice aligned with the cooling air collector of the cooling channel to enable cooling air from the cavity to enter the cooling channel and exit through the plurality of venting holes to cool the blade platform. The cavities are, in known fashion, sealed at their forward and rear ends by annular seals affixed to the turbine rotor.

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First Claim