Westinghouse Electric Corporation

David L Brown

Leroy D McLaurin

Victor D Miller, Jr

The invention comprises a retrofit turbine blade cooling apparatus for replacing non-cooled turbine blades in presently existing combustion turbines. The cooling apparatus comprises a turbine blade structured for fluid cooling and a sealing apparatus structured to cooperate with a root portion of the turbine blade and a subadjacent portion of a turbine disc to force cooling fluid into the turbine blade. Use of the cooling apparatus requires no modification or disassembly of the rotor assembly.

Cooled combustion turbine blade with retrofit blade seal

A combustion turbine vane assembly is shown having a retainer block mounting each individual cooled turbine vane. The retainer block has a pair of axially extending opposed rails for sliding receipt of complementary engaging opposed rails on the outer surface of the vane shroud. The block defines a cooling air aperture therethrough. The inner surface of the block is supported a predetermined distance from the opposed surface of the vane shroud defining a cooling fluid receiving chamber therein. The separated distance permits controlled cooling air leakage into a space between the block and the outer shroud. The radial walls of adjacent outer shrouds have complementary axial grooves machined therein and a seal member is disposed therein to bridge the gap and minimize loss of the cooling air.

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Swarthmore, PA, United States of America

David L Brown