Cooling system for an outer wall of a turbine blade

1. A turbine blade, comprising:

a generally elongated blade formed from at least one outer wall and having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a suction side, a tip at a first end, a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc, a longitudinal axis extending from the tip to the root, and at least one cavity forming at least a portion of a cooling system in the blade;

a first plurality of substantially parallel cavities in the at least one outer wall extending substantially parallel to an outer surface of the at least one outer wall of the generally elongated blade;

a second plurality of substantially parallel cavities in the at least one outer wall positioned nonparallel to the first plurality of parallel cavities and intersecting with the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities, wherein at least one of said cavities from said second set of cavities fluidly connects a plurality of cavities from said first set of cavities;

wherein at least one cavity of the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities is positioned proximate to the outer surface of the outer wall and at least one of the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities adjacent to the at least one cavity of the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities positioned proximate to the outer surface of the outer wall is positioned proximate to an inner surface of the outer wall.

2. The turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities is positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the turbine blade.

3. The turbine blade of claim 2 , wherein the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities is positioned generally orthogonal to the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities.

4. The turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities is positioned generally orthogonal to the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities.

5. The turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities comprises an alternating configuration of a first cavity positioned proximate to an inner surface of the outer wall and a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity positioned proximate to an outer surface of the outer wall and the plurality of substantially parallel cavities proximate to the inner surface are offset relative to the plurality of substantially parallel cavities proximate to the outer surface positioned adjacent to the plurality of substantially parallel cavities proximate to the inner surface.

6. The turbine blade of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities has a cylindrical cross-section.

7. The turbine blade of claim 6 , wherein the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities has a cylindrical cross-section.

8. The turbine blade of claim 1 , further comprising at least one exhaust orifice connected to at least one of the parallel cavities in the suction side of the outer wall upstream of a gage point.

9. The turbine blade of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of exhaust orifices connected to at least one of the parallel cavities in the suction side of the outer wall upstream of a gage point.

10. The turbine blade of claim 1 , further comprising at least one exhaust orifice connected to at least one of the parallel cavities in the pressure side of the outer wall downstream of the leading edge.

11. The turbine blade of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of exhaust orifices connected to at least one of the parallel cavities in the pressure side of the outer wall downstream of the leading edge.

12. The turbine blade of claim 1 , further comprising at least one supply orifice in the outer wall between the at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the blade and at least one of the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities.

13. A turbine blade, comprising:

a generally elongated blade formed from at least one outer wall and having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a suction side, a tip at a first end, a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc, a longitudinal axis extending from the tip to the root, and at least one cavity forming at least a portion of a cooling system in the blade;

a first plurality of substantially parallel cavities in the at least one outer wall extending substantially parallel to an outer surface of the at least one outer wall of the generally elongated blade;

a second plurality of substantially parallel cavities in the at least one outer wall positioned nonparallel to the first plurality of parallel cavities and intersecting with the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities, wherein at least one of said cavities from said second set of cavities fluidly connects a plurality of cavities from said first set of cavities;

wherein the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities comprises an alternating configuration of a first cavity positioned proximate to an inner surface of the outer wall and a second cavity adjacent to the first cavity positioned proximate to an outer surface of the outer wall.

14. The turbine blade of claim 13 , wherein the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities is positioned substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the turbine blade.

15. The turbine blade of claim 14 , wherein the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities is positioned generally orthogonal to the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities.

16. The turbine blade of claim 13 , wherein the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities is positioned generally orthogonal to the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities.

17. The turbine blade of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities has a cylindrical cross-section.

18. The turbine blade of claim 13 , further comprising at least one exhaust orifice connected to at least one of the parallel cavities in the suction side of the outer wall upstream of a gage point.

19. The turbine blade of claim 13 , further comprising at least one exhaust orifice connected to at least one of the parallel cavities in the pressure side of the outer wall downstream of the leading edge.

20. The turbine blade of claim 13 , further comprising at least one supply orifice in the outer wall between the at least one cavity forming a cooling system in the blade and at least one of the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities.

21. A turbine blade, comprising:

a generally elongated blade formed from at least one outer wall and having a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a suction side, a tip at a first end, a root coupled to the blade at an end generally opposite the first end for supporting the blade and for coupling the blade to a disc, a longitudinal axis extending from the tip to the root, and at least one cavity forming at least a portion of a cooling system in the blade;

a first plurality of substantially parallel cavities in the at least one outer wall extending substantially parallel to an outer surface of the at least one outer wall of the generally elongated blade, wherein at least one of the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities has a cylindrical cross-section;

a second plurality of substantially parallel cavities in the at least one outer wall positioned nonparallel to the first plurality of parallel cavities and intersecting with the first plurality of substantially parallel cavities;

wherein at least one cavity of the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities is positioned proximate to the outer surface of the outer wall and at least one of the second plurality of substantially parallel cavities adjacent to the at least one cavity of second plurality of substantially parallel cavities positioned proximate to the outer surface of the outer wall is positioned proximate to an inner surface of the outer wall.