A turbomachine arrangement with a platform cooling device for a blade of a turbomachine

The present invention particularly relates to a turbomachine arrangement with a platform cooling device that can be connected to a blade of a turbomachine, particularly a gas tur ^¬ bine engine.

In modern day turbo machines various components of a

turbomachine operate at very high temperatures. This is spe ^¬ cifically true for components in a turbine section of a gas turbine engine. These components include blades and vanes within the turbine section. These blades and vanes typically are shaped in form of an airfoil and have further elements connected to it like platforms as boundary for the working fluid path. A blade may also have a root portion which is used to fix the blade to a turbine disc. High temperatures during operation of the turbomachine may damage the blade, hence cooling of the blade component is important. Cooling of all these components is generally achieved by passing a cool ^¬ ing fluid through the component or along the component. As cooling fluid typically air from a compressor of the

turbomachine is used.

Besides it should be noted that turbine blades are typically cast components whereby the casting procedure allows to gen ^¬ erate a hollow core within the blade, which then can be used to guide cooling fluid through the interior.

Such a blade typically includes an aerofoil portion, a root portion and a blade platform, the platform separating the aerofoil from the root portion. Additionally, some blades may comprise also a shroud at the tip of the aerofoil portion. Furthermore, a root portion may sometimes be followed by a neck portion before the platform begins. The neck may extend the root without having specific features for connecting to the disc. The airfoil portion of the blade is typically cooled by a cooling fluid through passages formed in the air ^¬ foil portion of the blades. Furthermore, film cooling may be used to cool the aerofoil and the platform portion by having various small holes allowing to pass air in a way that the air builds a film or cushion between the hot working fluid and the cooled surface. Eventually, the cooling fluid will mix with the hot working fluid within the main working fluid passage of the turbine section.

An aerofoil is defined by a leading edge directed to where the hot working fluid will come from during operation, and a trailing edge directed in the direction of the fluid flow of the working media. Furthermore, an aerofoil is defined by a suction and a pressure surface, depending on the curvature and the direction of rotation of the blade.

Platforms may also be defined by a region close to the lead ^¬ ing edge and a region close to the trailing edge, and fur ^¬ thermore, may be split in a region at the suction side of the aerofoil and a region at the pressure side of the aerofoil. At the platforms different temperatures arise depending on the location around the aerofoil. At different locations of the platform different amount of cooling is needed at the platform surface. Cooling of the blade platform may be diffi ^¬ cult since most of the cooling air is provided to the inner core of the blade to cool the aerofoil. Nevertheless, surfac ^¬ es exposed to the hot working fluid provided from the combus- tors may need specific cooling. Normally, cooling of blade platforms is achieved by providing film cooling by a flow of a portion of the cooling air over the upper surfaces of the blade platforms, however, manufacturing of film cooling holes may be time consuming and therefore costly. Additionally, a root section or a neck section of a blade needs adequate cooling as otherwise possibly oxidation and cracking of the underside of the platforms or the root may occur . Patent application EP 2 110 515 A2 shows a damper between two rotor blades which supports sealing and cooling of blade platforms. Patent application EP 2 728 114 Al focuses on the cooling of the platform of a blade of a turbomachine by using a platform cooling device that can be connected to an underneath side of a blade platform. Patent application

CH 703875 A2 shows an alternative design with an impingement plate which may be located preferably at the pressure side platform. All three documents focus on impingement cooling.

In some engines, a pressure side platform of cooled turbine blades may experience overheating. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a platform cooling device for a blade of a turbomachine to provide efficient cooling.

This object is achieved by providing a turbomachine arrange ^¬ ment with a platform cooling device for a blade of a

turbomachine according to claim 1. Furthermore, the invention is related to a turbomachine subsection comprising such a platform cooling device according to the further independent claims. Embodiments of the invention will also be described in the dependent claims. According to the invention, a turbomachine arrangement is provided comprising a blade of a turbomachine and a platform cooling device for the blade configured to be positioned at a platform of the blade. The platform cooling device comprises a peripheral edge configured to be in contact with the plat- form. This peripheral edge can also be identified as circum ^¬ ferential edge, circumferential about and relative to the platform cooling device. It further comprises a first surface portion configured to form a first cavity between the plat ^¬ form cooling device and the platform, the first surface por- tion comprising a plurality of impingement holes configured to impinge onto the platform during operation of the

turbomachine. Besides, it comprises also a second surface portion configured to form a second cavity between the plat- form cooling device and the platform and a barrier, the barrier being configured to be in contact with the platform, the barrier forming a connection between two sections of the edge and separating the first cavity from the second cavity fluidically. In other words, the barrier is a separating wall, wherein the wall is connecting two sections of the edge. According to the invention the platform cooling device and the blade are separately manufactured components, and the platform cooling device is connected at the edge to the blade, such that the first cavity and the second cavity are formed between the platform cooling device and the blade. Ad ^¬ ditionally, the blade comprises a cooling fluid supply pas ^¬ sage, connecting a hollow blade core and the second cavity, for supplying of cooling fluid to the second cavity during operation. The first cavity is supplied, during operation, with cooling fluid via the impingement holes of the first surface portion.

The platform cooling device is configured to be positioned at a platform of the blade. The turbine arrangement defines the arrangement of a blade with a connected platform cooling de ^¬ vice .

The platform cooling device could also be specified as a platform cooling screen.

The platform cooling device is preferably not part of the working fluid path but is positioned underneath the platform of the blade. "Underneath" means in this respect the back or rear side of the platform, i.e. a surface not washed by the working fluid.

Even though the blade is defined according to the invention to have just a platform and no further components are speci- fied it is clear that the blade comprises all its typical components like an aerofoil, like the platform, like a root and optionally also an neck and optionally also a shroud. The peripheral or circumferential edge is an elevated surface region. It is considered to be a rim with a flat top. The flat top of the rim follows particularly the form of the op ^¬ posite platform surface to which it is going to be connected.

The contact between the circumferential edge and the platform is preferably a continuous connection between the two compo ^¬ nents. That means that the circumferential edge is also a fluidic barrier for cooling fluid.

According to the invention two distinct and separate cavities are formed which can be equipped with different cooling fea ^¬ tures. By this, specific adaptations to the cooling needs of the platform are possible by specific configuration of the platform cooling device. The first surface portion with the impingement holes is preferably close to a trailing edge of the platform and/or close to a midsection of the platform. The second surface portion may be close to a leading edge of the to be cooled platform.

By using this invention particularly for a pressure platform section of the blade, the platform can be cooled in a highly controlled way which allows the blade to operate in higher temperatures without risking thermal damages to the blade.

Additionally, the amount of cooling fluid can be optimized so that the overall efficiency of the turbomachine is improved.

According to the invention, a plurality of impingement holes is located at the first surface portion. According to a first embodiment the second surface portion may be completely free of impingement holes. This allows to configure the cooling fluid in a way that only in one region impingement cooling is performed. Alternatively, the second surface portion may also comprise impingement holes but preferably in a different num ^¬ ber and in a different configuration compared to the first surface portion. In particular, the pattern of impingement holes at the second surface portion may be different that the pattern of impingement holes at the first surface portion. Furthermore or additionally, the cooling hole diameters of the impingement holes of the different regions may be differ ^¬ ent to another.

According to an embodiment, a first segment of the edge may be configured to connect with the root or neck section of the blade. Furthermore, a second segment of the blade may be con ^¬ figured to connect with a rear or back surface of the plat- form of the blade. In consequence, the first surface portion and the second surface portion may be curved. By this config ^¬ uration the platform cooling device is able to cover the cavity formed underneath the platform of the blade.

As mentioned before, the platform cooling device and the blade are separately manufactured components. These separate ^¬ ly manufactured components are connected or attached to an ^¬ other to form the turbomachine arrangement, particularly fas ^¬ tened or brazed to another. The connection is performed by connecting the edge of the platform cooling device to the blade. Therefore, the previously mentioned first and second cavities are formed between the platform cooling device and the blade. Preferably, these two mentioned components are se ^¬ curely or fixedly attached to another. In one embodiment the two components may be loose in some respect but due to cen ^¬ trifugal forces during operation the platform cooling device will be held in place underneath the blade platform.

To form the first cavity the first surface is distant to the rear surface of the platform. Additionally, to form the se ^¬ cond cavity the second surface is also distant to a rear sur ^¬ face of the platform. By this a space is provided between these two opposing surfaces so that cooling fluid or cooling air can be guided between these surfaces.

In a further embodiment the platform cooling device is built from a different material than the blade. In a preferred em ^¬ bodiment the platform cooling device is made of nickel alloy. Nickel alloys can be easily brazed, have high strengths, can withstand high temperatures and are corrosion resistant.

Alternatively the blade and the platform cooling device may be built from the same material.

In one embodiment the platform cooling device may be formed through laser sintering or laser melting or other types of additive manufacturing. These additive manufacturing tech- niques are an efficient way of forming a desired three- dimensional shape with channels to ensure the cooling effec ^¬ tiveness .

According to the invention, the blade comprises the cooling fluid supply passage, particularly connecting a hollow blade core and the second cavity, for supplying of cooling fluid to the second cavity.

The first cavity is supplied, during operation, with cooling fluid via the impingement holes of the first surface portion. This impingement fluid may be fed from the upper disc cavity in front of the blade and then passes the impingement holes in the first surface section. The upper disc cavity may be a cavity in front of a rotor disc to which the rotor blade is attached to, and is formed below a seal structure so that air or a cooling fluid is provided and guided through the upper disc cavity.

Optionally, the first cavity may additionally be also sup- plied via a cooling fluid supply passage from the hollow blade core.

According to a further embodiment the platform may also comprise at least one first passage through the platform for re- leasing cooling fluid from the first cavity. The at least one first passage may be configured as film cooling holes at a trailing edge region of the platform. Additionally or alternatively, the platform may also comprise at least one second passage through the platform for releasing cooling fluid from the second cavity. The at least one second passage may also be configured as film cooling holes, this time at the leading edge region of the platform. The film cooling holes for the first cavity may be angled in direction of the fluid flow of the main working fluid. The film cooling holes from the second cavity may be angled in opposite direction of the flow of the working media in the main fluid path. As already indicated, the blade may be hollow and may have the hollow core. The hollow core may be used to cool the blade from the inside. The supply of cooling air to the hol ^¬ low core may be provided from passages of the hollow core which may also be located within the neck or root region of the blade. Thus, the aerofoil may comprise a cooling system incorporated within the blade. As said before, the second cavity may be supplied with a cooling fluid from the hollow core or supply channel to the hollow core of the blade. In other words, the blade core may also comprise at least one aerofoil supply passage through the interior of the blade for supplying the airfoil cooling system with cooling fluid. A part of this cooling fluid may be branched off, as stated be ^¬ fore, to supply the second cavity. Furthermore, there may al ^¬ so be a passage between one of the cavities to the hollow core for releasing cooling fluid from one of the cavities.

For instance, a cooling fluid release passage may be present for a leasing of cooling fluid from the first cavity into the aerofoil supply passage, to be furthermore released into the aerofoil cooling system. All of the mentioned passages may need to be configured such that the amount of fluid is per ^¬ fectly configured so that the underneath platform of the blade is properly and sufficiently cooled.

According to an embodiment, the platform cooling device pref- erably may be connected to the blade at a pressure side at the blade. This allows a configuration so that the hottest region of the platform is efficiently and effectively cooled. Portions that require an increased cooling can then be pro- video! by additional cooling fluid and more distributed cool ^¬ ing fluid by using the first cavity and its related features.

According to a further embodiment the first cavity may be po- sitioned adjacent to a central section and/or a trailing edge section of the platform. The terminology central and trailing is meant in respect of a fluid flow of the working medium during operation passing along the blade. Additionally, the second cavity may be positioned adjacent to a leading edge section of the blade. Again, the terminology leading edge is meant in respect of a fluid flow of a working medium during operation .

Coming back to the connecting method of the platform cooling device and the blade, it was mentioned that brazing is the preferred way of connecting these two components. Brazing has the advantage that it does not melt the base metal of the joint and allows tighter control over tolerances, hence, pro ^¬ ducing a clean joint. Furthermore, brazing allows the similar metals to be joint. Additionally, brazing produces less ther ^¬ mal distortion due to uniform heating of the brazed pieces.

Alternative connection methods can be used, for example weld ^¬ ing, laser welding or bonding, resulting in a fixed connec- tion between the platform cooling device and the blade. Alternatively the platform cooling device may be fastened to the blade such that it is held in place due to centrifugal forces during operation, i.e. revolving of the connected arrangement of blade and platform cooling device.

Besides the foregoing, the invention is also directed to a turbomachine sub-section which comprises a plurality of blades connected to a rotary disc, following an upstream annular stator section. The plurality of blades each are con- nected to the rotary disc and each of the blades are supplied with a platform cooling device as explained before. The up ^¬ stream annular stator section may be particularly a plurality of vanes, upstream of the entity of rotary disc its connected blades. A disc cavity is present in front of the rotary disc through which cooling fluid is provided. The disc cavity is formed between the rotary disc and the stator section and underneath leading is of the plurality of the platforms of the bladed, particularly underneath a sealing structure below the plurality of the platforms. During operation cooling fluid is supplied via the disc cavity and continued to be provided to the impingement holes of the first surface portion so that the first cavity is supplied with the cooling fluid. It needs to be pointed out that the disc cavity is not part of the main fluid path but is a component of a secondary fluid path system. Considering that the disc is mounted around an axis of rotation the disc cavity is formed in radial inwards di ^¬ rection of the platforms of the blade in direction of the ro- tary axis of the rotor.

It has to be understood that the overall cooling system is based on pressure differences within the different passages and cavities which allows the flow of cooling fluid or cool- ing air through the passages and the overall system for cool ^¬ ing fluid. The pressure of cooling air may be provided from the compressor from which some of the cooling air is branched off. The overall invention has the advantage that the two separate components - the blade and the platform cooling device - are easier to manufacture separately than as a single component. To assemble these two separate components is fairly simple as only a connection is only provided via the circumferential edge of the platform cooling device.

Furthermore, specific regions of the blade can be treated with cooling fluid in a very precise way. Particularly, the cooling may be different in a leading edge region and a trailing edge region of the platform. Furthermore, also a suction side platform section can be treated differently than a pressure side platform section. The above-mentioned and other features of the invention will now be addressed with reference to the accompanying drawings of the present invention. The illustrated embodiments are in ^¬ tended to illustrate but not to limit the invention. The drawings contain the following features, in which similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the description and the drawings .

Figure 1 shows a schematic three-dimensional picture of a

blade equipped with a platform cooling device accord ^¬ ing to the invention;

Figure 2 shows a cut through such a blade and an inventive platform cooling device;

Figure 3 shows the inventive platform cooling device in one embodiment ;

Figure 4 shows the same embodiment from a different angle

when attached to the blade;

Figure 5 shows a semi-see-through figure of a configuration of a blade with a connected platform cooling device.

Embodiments of the present invention described below relate to a blade component in a turbomachine, particularly a gas turbine engine. However, the details of the embodiment de ^¬ scribed in the following can be transferred to a vane compo ^¬ nent without modifications, so that the explanation for blades would also be valid for a vane structure. The

turbomachine is preferably a gas turbine engine but the in ^¬ vention could also be used for a steam turbine, a compressor or other rotary equipment, or even non-rotary equipment with a similar structure like the explained blade.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary blade 1 of a rotor of a turbomachine, such as a gas turbine engine. The blade 1 includes an aerofoil portion 2 and the root portion 3. The aerofoil portion 2 projects from the root portion 3 in a radial direction as depicted, wherein the radial direction means a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotor .

The blade 1 is attached to a rotor disc (not shown) of the rotor in such a way that the root portion 3 of the blade 1 is connected to the rotor disc, whereas the aerofoil portion 2 is located at a radial outermost position. The aerofoil por- tion 2 has an outer surface including a pressure side 6, also called pressure surface, and a suction side 7, also called suction surface. The pressure side 6 and the suction side 7 are joined together along an upstream leading edge 4 and a downstream trailing edge 5, wherein the leading edge 4 and the trailing edge 5 are spaced axially from each other, as depicted in figure 1. "Leading" and "trailing" is used as a terminology in respect of the fluid flow of the main working fluid as indicated by an arrow 60. A further element of the blade 1 is a platform 9 which is formed at an upper portion of the root portion 3 and in be ^¬ tween the root portion 3 and the aerofoil portion 2. Thus, the aerofoil portion 2 is connected to the platform 9 and ex ^¬ tends in the radial direction outwards from the platform 9.

The terminology of "leading" and "trailing" can also be used for the platform 9, so that the leading edge 4 of the plat ^¬ form 9 is the region which connects to the leading edge 4 of the aerofoil 2. The platform 9 can also be distinguished be- tween pressure side platform and a suction side platform corresponding to the pressure side 6 of the aerofoil and the suction side 7 of the aerofoil 2.

According to figure 1, more cooling holes 8 may be present on the pressure side 6 and/or the suction side 7 of the blade 1 or further cooling holes could be located at the leading edge region 4 of the aerofoil 2. These cooling holes could be used for film cooling of the blade 1. Also the platform 9 could be equipped with film cooling holes. According to the figure, a first set of film cooling holes at the pressure side platform is shown in the figure with reference to the reference numeral 51. A second set of film cooling holes at a leading edge region on the pressure side platform is indicted by reference numeral 52.

In accordance with the invention, the blade 1 also shows via broken lines the platform cooling device 10 disposed underneath the platform 9. The broken lines show the location at which platform cooling device 10 will be connected to the blade 1. This platform cooling device 10 will be described in the following in more detail.

The following explanation will be explained in conjunction with the figures 2 to 5. Figure 2 shows a sectional view of such a blade 1 equipped with a platform cooling device 10, wherein the cut for the sectional view is indicated in figure 2 by the line with the references A-A. A peripheral or cir ^¬ cumferential edge 11 is part of the platform cooling device

10 and is configured to be in contact with the platform 9 of the blade 1, as shown in figure 2. The circumferential edge

11 defines the farmost border of the platform cooling device 10. It encircles or surrounds the platform cooling device 10.

The contact points or contact ranges to the platform 9 is in ^¬ dicated in figure 2 as first edge section 33, which defines a connection to the platform 9, and by a second edge section 34, which defines a connection to the root portion 3 of the blade 1. The circumferential edge 11 is in continuous contact with the underside of the blade 1 and does not show any gaps.

Further parts of the platform cooling device 10 are distant to the surfaces of the blade 1. These sections are particu ^¬ larly the first surface portion 31 and the second surface portion 32 as shown in figure 3. The first surface portion 31 is configured to form the first cavity 41, as indicated in figure 5, between the platform cooling device 10 and the platform 9. The second surface portion 32 is configured to form a second cavity 42 between the platform cooling device 10 and the platform 9. The first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42 are specifically separated by a barrier 14 which is highlighted in figure 3. The barrier 14 is also configured, like the circumferential edge 11, to be in contact with the platform 9. The barrier 14 connects or interlinks two sec ^¬ tions 15, 16 of the edge 11, i.e. the barrier 14 is a wall arranged between section 15 and section 16. This connection - i.e. the shape of the barrier 14 - may be straight or curved. In an embodiment of the invention the barrier 14 is free of connecting holes between the first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42.

According to the invention, the two cavities 41, 42 are pro ^¬ vided with different cooling functionality. The first surface portion 31 comprises a plurality of impingement holes 20 con ^¬ figured to impinge onto the platform 9 during operation of the gas turbine engine. The second surface portion 32, as de ^¬ picted in figure 3, has specifically no impingement holes at all on its surface. Alternatively, but not shown in the fig ^¬ ures, impingement holes may be present on the second surface portion 32 but with a different number of holes and/or dif- ferent diameters size of the holes in comparison to the first surface portion 31.

A first segment 12 of the edge 11 is configured to connect with the root portion 3 of the blade, as shown in figure 2. Alternatively, you could also say that the first segment 12 is connected to a neck section of the blade 1 if you consider that underneath platform 9 a neck section is present before the root section 3 starts. Furthermore, a second segment 13 of the edge 11 is configured to connect with a rear surface 9' of the platform 9. "Rear" in this respect means the back surface of the platform 9. In other words, rear means a di ^¬ rection radially inwards in the direction of the root of the blade . The barrier 14, as shown in figure 3, may be a straight wall and may be substantially perpendicular to the first segment 12 and perpendicular to the second segment 13 of the circum- ferential edge 11. Particularly, the barrier 14 interconnects a first section 15 of the edge 11 and a second section 16 of the edge 11, wherein the first section 15 is part of the se ^¬ cond segment 13 and the second section 16 is part of the first segment 12 of the edge 11.

The barrier 14 may also have a different shape. Furhter the barrier 14 may have a different angle in respect of the edge 11 than shown in the figure. The main function of the barrier 14 is to separate two cavities from another. Depending on the temperature distribution on the platform, it may be advanta ^¬ geous to have a barrier angled in a degree between 45 and 90 degrees in comparison to the edge 11. The barrier may also be curved to adapt to local temperature profiles. The platform cooling device 10 will be placed in a cavity un ^¬ derneath the platform 9 as specifically shown in figures 1, 4, and 5. The connection is preferably fixed, for example by brazing, so that the two components are fixedly connected to another .

The previously mentioned first cavity 41 and second cavity 42 are specifically shown in figure 5, which shows a see-through picture of the blade 1 including the platform cooling device 10. With reference to figure 5 and figure 4, the first cavity 41 extends via a central region or section 72 and a trailing edge 73 of the platform 9. The second cavity 42 is extending in the leading edge region 71 of the platform 9. Therefore, these two cavities can be adapted to fulfill the cooling needs along the platform length.

The first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42 are in fluid connection with further passages and cavities within the blade and/or surrounding components. A cooling fluid supply passage 17 may be present in the blade 1 to provide cooling fluid to the second cavity 42. This cooling fluid supply pas ^¬ sage 17 may provide a connection from an aerofoil supply pas ^¬ sage 28 (shown in figure 2) and the second cavity 42. Fur- thermore, according to figure 5, the provided cooling fluid to the second cavity 42 is exhausted via second film cooling holes 52 (which have been indicated in figure 1 and figure 5) . These film cooling holes 52 correspond to an at least one second passage piercing the platform 9 to exhaust the cooling fluid from the second cavity 42. The second film cooling holes 52 are specifically located at the leading edge portion 4' of the platform 9.

The first cavity 41 may be supplied by cooling fluid via the impingement holes 20 in the first surface region 31. The cooling fluid 2 the impingement holes 20 is provided from a disc cavity (highlighted as 90 in figure 4) and a cavity be ^¬ tween two adjacent rotor blades as indicated by reference nu ^¬ meral 27' in figure 5. Some of the cooling air collected in the first cavity 41 will be exhausted via first film cooling holes 51 as the at least one first passage. The first film cooling holes 51 are depicted in figure 1 and figure 5 and exhaust the cooling air specifically into trailing edge sec ^¬ tion of the platform 9. A further cooling fluid release pas- sage 18 may be present, as shown in figure 2 and figure 5, to release cooling fluid from the first cavity 41 into an aero ^¬ foil supply passage 28 for cooling fluid which is supposed to be provided to an aerofoil cooling system 29. The aerofoil supply passage 28, as shown in figure 2 typically connects two cooling fluid core channels as part of the hollow blade core and is part of the aerofoil cooling system. The cooling fluid flow in parts is shown by arrows in figures 2 and 5 with the reference numerals 27 and 27'. The inventive platform cooling device 10 provides a screen for the underneath side of the blade 1 to provide specific cooling functionality to the blade platform. The platform cooling device 10 comprises an impingement hole section at the first cavity 41 and a different section without impinging at the second cavity 42. Therefore, specific cooling require ^¬ ments can be met along the length of the platform 9. The invention specifically is advantageous as the cooling of the pressure side platform of a blade can be improved. Fur ^¬ thermore, as the platform cooling device 10 is a piece that can be equipped with different cooling functions, different engines experiencing different temperature profiles can be equipped with different and specifically adjusted platform cooling devices 10. The platform cooling device 10 can also be used just for testing different cooling functions before providing them in a final blade design. Besides, as the blade cooling device 10 and the blade 1 are separate components, they are easy to manufacture and more complex cooling struc ^¬ tures can be enclosed in the combined component.

As a further benefit, the blade 1 and the platform cooling device 10 can be manufactured by using different technolo- gies. For example, the platform cooling device 10 could be manufactured by laser sintering. Furthermore, different mate ^¬ rial could be used for the blade 1 and the platform cooling device 10. Therefore, the overall costs could be reduced for the blade and also materials could be used that withstand higher temperatures.

The platform cooling device 10 could be brazed or fastened in another way to the blade 1. Additionally, the laser sintering could be performed directly onto the blade 1 so that the two components connect to a single entity.

The platform cooling device 10 may also have an extension 80, as shown in figure 5, which may be an outwards extension of the barrier 14 to allow easier manufacturing and assembly of the two components, i.e. the blade and the platform cooling device . The invention is particularly advantageous as thermal damages could be reduced even though higher temperatures could be used during operation of the gas turbine engine. Particular ^¬ ly, the pressure side platform could be cooled in a highly controlled way.

Furthermore, the invention is advantageous as the platform cooling device 10 can be equipped even for existing blades that do not have this feature available yet.