US Patent 10494931 Internally cooled turbine airfoil with flow displacement feature

A turbine airfoil (10) includes a flow displacement element (26) occupying a space between a pair of adjacent partition walls (24) in an interior portion (11) of a generally hollow airfoil body (12). The flow displacement element (26) includes an elongated main body (28) extending lengthwise in a radial direction and a pair of connector ribs (32, 34) respectively connecting the main body (28) to pressure and suction sides (16, 18) of the airfoil (10). A pair of adjacent radial flow passes (43-44, 45-46) of symmetrically opposed flow cross-sections are defined on chordally opposite sides of the flow displacement element (26). The radial flow passes (43-44, 45-46) conduct cooling fluid in opposite radial directions and are connected in series via a chordal passage (50a, 50c) defined in the interior portion (11) between the flow displacement element (26) and a radial end face (52) of the airfoil body (12), to form a serpentine cooling path (60a, 60b).