COOLING ARRANGEMENTS IN TURBINE BLADES

A rotor blade for a turbine of a gas turbine includes an airfoil. The airfoil may have a leading edge, a trailing edge, an outboard, and an inboard end that attaches to a root configured to couple the rotor blade to a rotor disc. The airfoil may have a cooling configuration that includes elongated cooling channels for receiving and directing a coolant through the airfoil. The rotor blade may further include: a tip shroud connected to the airfoil; outlet ports formed through an outboard surface of the tip shroud that fluidly communicate with the cooling channels; and flow directing structure formed on the outboard surface of the tip shroud. The flow directing structure may be positioned relative to the outlet ports and configured for directing the flow of coolant discharged from the outlet ports. The rotor blade may be useful to reduce local tip shroud temperature as well as improved stage aerodynamic efficiency by reducing the coolant supply needed to maintain the component at desired temperature levels.