Structural configurations and cooling circuits in turbine blades

1. A turbine blade comprising an airfoil defined by a concave shaped pressure side outer wall and a convex shaped suction side outer wall that connect along leading and trailing edges and, therebetween, form a radially extending chamber for receiving the flow of a coolant, the turbine blade further comprising:

a rib configuration that partitions the chamber into radially extending flow passages;

wherein the rib configuration includes a camber line rib having a wavy profile;

wherein a camber line rib having a wavy profile comprises one that originates toward the leading edge of the airfoil and winds back-and-forth across an arcing path that extends toward the trailing edge of the airfoil, the arcing path approximately parallel to a camber reference line of the airfoil;

wherein the arcing path of the camber line rib comprising a length that is at least 15% of a length of the camber reference line of the airfoil;

wherein the rib configuration includes two camber line ribs in which a pressure side camber line rib comprises one residing near the pressure side outer wall, and a suction side camber line rib comprises one residing near the suction side outer wall, wherein both of the pressure side camber line rib and the suction side camber line rib comprise the wavy profile;

wherein the pressure side camber line rib and the suction side camber line rib define a center flow passage therebetween; and the pressure side outer wall and the pressure side camber line rib define a pressure side flow passage therebetween; and the suction side outer wall and the suction side camber line rib define a suction side flow passage therebetween;

wherein the rib configuration comprises:

four pressure side traverse ribs that connect the pressure side outer wall to the pressure side camber line rib and thereby partition the pressure side flow passage;

four suction side traverse ribs that connect the suction side outer wall to the suction side camber line rib and thereby partition the suction side flow passage; and

two center traverse rib that connects the pressure side camber line rib to the suction side camber line rib and thereby partitions the center flow passage;

wherein two of the four pressure side traverse ribs are configured so to form an angle of connection with the pressure side outer wall of less than about 60 degrees;

wherein two of the four suction side traverse ribs are configured so to form an angle of connection with the suction side outer wall of less than about 60 degrees; and

wherein one of the two center traverse ribs form an angle of connection of less than about 60 degrees at each of the suction side camber line rib and the pressure side camber line rib.

2. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the wavy profile comprises at least one back-and-forth “S” shape; and

wherein the turbine blade comprises one of a turbine rotor blade and a turbine stator blade.

3. The turbine blade according to claim 2 , wherein a camber line rib having a wavy profile comprises one that originates near the leading edge of the airfoil and winds back-and-forth across an arcing path that extends toward the trailing edge of the airfoil, the arcing path approximately parallel to a camber reference line of the airfoil; and

wherein the arcing path of the camber line rib comprising a length that is at least 50% of a length of the camber reference line of the airfoil.

4. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the wavy profile comprises at least two consecutive back-and-forth “S” shapes;

wherein the turbine blade comprises a turbine rotor blade.

5. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the wavy profile for each of the pressure side camber line rib and the suction side camber line rib comprises one that, relative to the central flow passage, includes at least two successive segments in which a first concave segment transitions to a second convex segment.

6. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the wavy profile for each of the pressure side camber line rib and the suction side camber line rib comprises one that, relative to the central flow passage, includes at least four successive segments in which a first concave segment transitions to a second convex segment and the second convex segment transitions to a third concave segment and the third concave segment transitions to a fourth convex segment.

7. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the wavy profile for each of the pressure side camber line rib and the suction side camber line rib comprises one that, relative to the central flow passage, includes at least three successively stacked convex segments.

8. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the wavy profile for each of the pressure side camber line rib and the suction side camber line rib comprises one that, relative to the central flow passage, includes at least three successively stacked concave segments.

9. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the rib configuration comprises traverse ribs; and

wherein each of the traverse ribs comprises one configured to extend across the airfoil so as to connect one of the camber line ribs to at least one of the pressure side outer wall, the suction side outer wall, and the other camber line rib.

10. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein the rib configuration is arranged so that the pressure side flow passage, the suction side flow passage, and center flow passage extend radially between a first end positioned near an inboard boundary of the airfoil and a second end positioned near an outboard boundary of the airfoil; and

wherein at least one of the pressure side flow passage, the suction side flow passage, and center flow passage connects to a supply passage which is configured to receive a flow of coolant through a root of the rotor blade during operation.

11. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein three of the four pressure side traverse ribs are configured so to form an angle of connection with the pressure side outer wall of less than about 60 degrees;

wherein three of the four suction side traverse ribs are configured so to form an angle of connection with the suction side outer wall of less than about 60 degrees; and

wherein the two center traverse ribs form an angle of connection of less than about 60 degrees at each of the suction side camber line rib and the pressure side camber line rib.

12. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein one of the center traverse ribs comprise an arc between the suction side camber line rib and the pressure side camber line rib.

13. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein both of the center traverse ribs comprise an arc between the suction side camber line rib and the pressure side camber line rib; and

wherein the arc of each of the two center traverse ribs comprises a concave face directed toward the leading edge.

14. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein both of the center traverse ribs comprise an arc between the suction side camber line rib and the pressure side camber line rib; and

wherein the arc of each of the two center traverse ribs comprises a convex face directed toward the leading edge.

15. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein one of the center traverse ribs comprise a profile having a “S” shape; and

wherein the “S” shape, relative to the leading edge of the airfoil, includes two successive curved faces in which a first concave face transitions to a second convex face.

16. The turbine blade according to claim 1 , wherein two of the pressure side traverse ribs comprise an arc between the pressure side camber line rib and the pressure side outer wall; and

wherein two of the suction side traverse ribs comprise an arc between the suction side camber line rib and the suction side outer wall.

17. A turbine blade comprising an airfoil defined by a concave shaped pressure side outer wall and a convex shaped suction side outer wall that connect along leading and trailing edges and, therebetween, form a radially extending chamber for receiving the flow of a coolant, the turbine blade further comprising:

a rib configuration that partitions the chamber into radially extending flow passages;

wherein the rib configuration includes a camber line rib having a wavy profile;

wherein a camber line rib having a wavy profile comprises one that originates toward the leading edge of the airfoil and winds back-and-forth across an arcing path that extends toward the trailing edge of the airfoil, the arcing path approximately parallel to a camber reference line of the airfoil;

wherein the arcing path of the camber line rib comprising a length that is at least 15% of a length of the camber reference line of the airfoil;

wherein the rib configuration includes two camber line ribs in which a pressure side camber line rib comprises one residing near the pressure side outer wall, and a suction side camber line rib comprises one residing near the suction side outer wall, wherein both of the pressure side camber line rib and the suction side camber line rib comprise the wavy profile;

wherein the pressure side camber line rib and the suction side camber line rib define a center flow passage therebetween; and the pressure side outer wall and the pressure side camber line rib define a pressure side flow passage therebetween; and the suction side outer wall and the suction side camber line rib define a suction side flow passage therebetween;

wherein the rib configuration comprises:

four pressure side traverse ribs that connect the pressure side outer wall to the pressure side camber line rib and thereby partition the pressure side flow passage;

four suction side traverse ribs that connect the suction side outer wall to the suction side camber line rib and thereby partition the suction side flow passage; and

two center traverse rib that connects the pressure side camber line rib to the suction side camber line rib and thereby partitions the center flow passage;

wherein two of the pressure side traverse ribs comprise an arc between the pressure side camber line rib and the pressure side outer wall; and

wherein two of the suction side traverse ribs comprise an arc between the suction side camber line rib and the suction side outer wall.