Numerical predictions of three-dimensional flow and heat transfer are presented for non-rotating and rotating turbine blade cooling passages with or without the rib turbulators. A multi-block Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes method was employed in conjunction with a near-wall second-moment closure to provide detailed velocity, pressure, and temperature distributions as well as Reynolds stresses and turbulent heat fluxes in various cooling channel configurations. These numerical results were systematically evaluated to determine the effect of blade rotation, coolant-to-wall density ratio, rib shape, channel aspect ratio and channel orientation on the generation of flow turbulence and the enhancement of surface heat transfer in turbine blade cooling passages. The second-moment solutions show that the secondary flow induced by the angled ribs, centrifugal buoyancy, and Coriolis forces produced strong nonisotropic turbulent stresses and heat fluxes that significantly affected flow field and surface heat transfer coefficients.

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