Abstract This study numerically investigates the influence of rib structural parameters on particle deposition and heat transfer characteristics in a U-shaped internal cooling passage of a turbine blade. Unlike previous studies that primarily focused on enhancing single-phase heat transfer, this study systematically examines the coupled effects of rib geometry on particle deposition behavior and convective cooling performance, filling a significant gap in optimizing rib configurations to mitigate sand and ash particle deposition. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and the Discrete Phase Model (DPM), the effects of the rib height-to-width (aspect) ratio and rib geometry at the channel top, as well as the rib geometry on the sidewall of the channel inlet section, were analyzed. Results show that increasing the rib aspect ratio enhances heat transfer but also increases particle impact, capture, and deposition rates. A key finding is that an aspect ratio of 1.0 offers a favorable compromise, providing significant heat transfer enhancement with a relatively moderate rise in deposition rate. Among the different rib shapes on the top wall, Model f exhibited the lowest deposition rate (44.1 %), while V-shaped ribs on the inlet section sidewall demonstrated superior and more uniform post-deposition heat transfer performance due to their ability to generate sustained and uniform flow disturbance. This study elucidates the trade-off between heat transfer enhancement caused by rib structures and deposition suppression, providing specific guidance for designing ribbed cooling channels that balance improved thermal performance with reduced particle deposition rates.
He et al. (Tue,) studied this question.