Topology optimization and experimental validation for a rotating channel with impingement cooling

State-of-the-art cooling technology is typically employed within turbine blades that endure high heat flux and rapid rotation. However, the forces generated by rotation can alter the flow of fluid and increase the pressure drop inside these blades. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a density-based topology optimization method to suppress the rotation-induced pressure drop. This algorithm is implemented in OpenFOAM and evaluated in a rotating channel with impingement cooling. Both numerical and experimental results reveal that, compared to the initial geometry, the pressure drop of the optimized geometry is reduced by 38.2%. Furthermore, the optimized geometry exhibits reduced sensitivity to rotation. The rotation-induced pressure drop increases by 182% in the initial geometry but only by 22.3% in the optimized geometry when the rotation number is 0.3.