Gas turbine engine airfoil with auxiliary flow channel
A component for a gas turbine engine, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, an airfoil that includes a pressure side surface and a suction side surface that join together at a leading edge and a trailing edge and a flow channel that extends between the pressure side surface and the suction side surface.
1. A gas turbine engine, comprising:
a variable area section;
a variable vane disposed within said variable area section;
a blade downstream from said variable vane; and
each of said variable vane and said blade including a flow channel having an inlet at a pressure side surface and an outlet at a suction side surface of an airfoil, each flow channel extending in a curved path in each of a chordwise and spanwise direction, such that a first portion of a core airflow is received in said variable vane flow channel, and a second portion of said core airflow is received in said blade flow channel.
2. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one of said flow channels includes an outlet positioned upstream from a throat area that extends between said airfoil and an adjacent airfoil.
3. The gas turbine engine as recited in claim 1 , wherein said variable vane flow channel includes an outlet positioned downstream from a throat area that extends between said airfoil and an adjacent airfoil.
4. A method of operating a gas turbine engine, the method comprising:
communicating a portion of core airflow through a flow channel that extends between a pressure side surface and a suction side surface of at least one airfoil of the gas turbine engine;
communicating the portion of airflow into an inlet of the flow channel located along the pressure side surface;
expelling the portion of airflow through an outlet of the flow channel located along the suction side surface;
influencing incidence angle variation of a downstream component with the portion of core airflow;
communicating a second portion of core airflow through a second flow channel of the downstream component, wherein the second flow channel extends between a downstream component pressure side surface and a downstream component suction side surface;
communicating the second portion of airflow into an inlet of the second flow channel located along the downstream component pressure side surface; and
expelling the second portion of airflow through an outlet of the second flow channel located along the downstream component suction side surface, wherein said flow channel extends along a curved path in each of a chordwise and a spanwise direction of said airfoil, and said second flow channel extends in a curved path in each of a chordwise and a spanwise direction of said downstream component.
5. The method as recited in claim 4 , comprising the step of rotating a variable vane prior to the step of communicating.
6. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein said flow channel includes an outlet positioned upstream from a throat area that extends between said airfoil and an adjacent airfoil.
7. The method as recited in claim 4 , wherein said flow channel includes an outlet positioned downstream from a throat area that extends between said airfoil and an adjacent airfoil.