The firing temperature in gas turbine relates itself directly to the power output and the efficiency of the turbine. The higher the firing (operating) temperatures, higher the wall temperature of blades. However, an increase in the firing temperature is limited by the first stage blade material properties. This is because the higher firing temperature may cause a creep rupture, oxidizing, melting and ultimately failing of blades. Prior to blade cooling, the firing temperature was the same as the blade material temperature. Advancements in cooling technology have resulted in high firing temperatures with acceptable material temperatures. To better design the cooling channels and to improve heat transfer, many researchers are studying the flow patterns inside the cooling channels both experimentally and computationally. In this paper, the authors present the performance of three turbulence models using a Computational Fluid Dynamics code in comparison with the experimental values. To test the performance, a square duct was used with rectangular ribs oriented at 90° and 45° degree and placed at regular intervals. The channel also has bleed holes. The wall Nusselt numbers are compared in both the experimental and the computational results after suitable normalization. The Reynolds number is set to 10,000. The interactions between secondary flows and separation lead to very complex flow patterns. To accurately simulate these flows and heat transfer, both refined turbulence models and higher-order numerical schemes are indispensable for turbine designers to improve the cooling performance. The three-dimensional turbulent flows and heat transfer are numerically studied by using several different turbulence models, such as a non-linear low-Reynolds number k-ω and Reynolds Stress (RSM) models. In the k-ω model the cubic terms are included to represent the effects of extra strain-rates such as streamline curvature and three-dimensionality on both normal and shear turbulence stresses. The finite volume difference method incorporated with the higher-order bounded interpolation scheme has been employed in the present study. The outcome of this study helps to determine the best suitable turbulence model for future studies.© 2010 ASME