Apparatus and method for cooling a turbine airfoil arrangement in a gas turbine engine

A turbine airfoil arrangement, comprising:nan airfoil having an inlet and an exit, said inlet configured to receive a cooling gas flow operable to cool at least part of an other airfoil; anda passage disposed in said airfoil and fluidly coupled to said inlet and said exit, said exit being configured to pass a portion of the cooling gas flow to the other airfoil, further comprising:a second airfoil, wherein said second airfoil is the other airfoil; anda second passage disposed in said second airfoil and fluidly coupled to said exit, said second passage being configured to receive the portion of the cooling gas flow and to cool said at least part of said second airfoil using the portion of the cooling gas flow, further comprising:a first seal;a second seal; anda cavity disposed between said first seal and said second seal, said cavity fluidly coupling said exit and said second passage.

A turbine airfoil arrangement, comprising:nan airfoil having an inlet and an exit, said inlet configured to receive a cooling gas flow operable to cool at least part of an other airfoil; anda passage disposed in said airfoil and fluidly coupled to said inlet and said exit, said exit being configured to pass a portion of the cooling gas flow to the other airfoil, further comprising:a second airfoil, wherein said second airfoil is the other airfoil; anda second passage disposed in said second airfoil and fluidly coupled to said exit, said second passage being configured to receive the portion of the cooling gas flow and to cool said at least part of said second airfoil using the portion of the cooling gas flow,wherein each of said airfoil and said second airfoil are configured as a turbine vane.

A gas turbine engine, comprising:na compressor; anda turbine, said turbine including a turbine airfoil arrangement cooled by a cooling gas flow from said compressor, said turbine airfoil arrangement comprising:nan airfoil;an inlet in said airfoil and configured to receive the cooling gas flow;a passage in said airfoil and fluidly coupled to said inlet; andan exit in said airfoil and fluidly coupled to said passage, said exit configured to allow passage of some of the cooling gas flow to an other airfoil.

A gas turbine engine comprising:na compressor operable to produce a gas flow useable for cooling;a turbine having at least two stages of airfoils; andmeans for serially cooling said at least two stages of airfoils.

A method of cooling a gas turbine engine turbine airfoil arrangement, comprising:nextracting from a compressor of the gas turbine engine a cooling gas flow suitable in temperature and quantity to cool a first airfoil and a second airfoil;directing the cooling gas flow to the first airfoil and the second airfoil in serial fashion, wherein the first airfoil internally receives the cooling gas flow, and wherein the second airfoil internally receives a remaining portion of the cooling gas flow discharged from the first airfoil;directing a first amount of heat energy from the first airfoil using the cooling gas flow; anddirecting a second amount of heat energy from the second airfoil using the remaining portion of the cooling gas flow subsequent to said directing the first amount of heat energy from the first airfoil.