This paper investigates the thermal fluid-flow transport phenomena in an axially rotating passage in which twin concentric orifices of different radii are installed. Emphasis is placed on the effects of pipe rotation and orifice configuration on the flow and thermal fields, i.e. both the formation of vena contracta and the heat-transfer performance behind each orifice. The governing equations are discretized by means of a finite-difference technique and numerically solved for the distributions of velocity vector and fluid temperature subject to constant wall temperature and uniform inlet velocity and fluid temperature. It is found that: (i) for a laminar flow through twin concentric orifices in a pipe, axial pipe rotation causes the vena contracta in the orifice to stretch, resulting in an amplification of heat-transfer performance in the downstream region behind the rear orifice, (ii) simultaneously the heat transfer rate in the area between twin orifice is intensified by pipe rotation, (iii) the amplification of heat transfer performance is affected by the front and rear orifice heights. Results may find applications in automotive and rotating hydraulic transmission lines and in aircraft gas turbine engines. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.