Analyses of heat transfer in stationary and rotating ribbed blade cooling passages using computational fluid dynamics

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions of the flow patterns and heat transfer in simplified ribbed-wall turbine blade cooling passages were performed for representative stationary and rotating conditions. Analyses have been performed with different mesh densities and using different turbulence models to assess the sensitivity of predictions to these variables. Computed local heat transfer results are compared to measurements available in the literature to assess their accuracy. The results generally agree well with experiment, although the peak values of the heat transfer coefficients were under-predicted in the first leg of the channel. Some sensitivity to mesh density was seen, while the choice of near-wall turbulence model appeared to have little effect.