Numerical approach have been conducted on a flat, three-dimensional discrete-hole film cooling geometries that included the mainflow, injection tubes, impingement chamber, and supply plenum regions. The effects of blowing ratio and hole's shape on the distributions of flow field and adiabatic film cooling effectiveness over a flat plate collocated with two rows of injection holes in staggered-hole arrangement were Studied. The blowing ratio was varied from 0.3 to 1.5, while the density ratio of the coolant to mainstream is kept at 1.14. The geometrical shapes of the vent of the cooling holes are cylindrical round, simple angle (CYSA), forward-diffused, simple angle (FDSA) and laterally diffused, simple angle (LDSA). Diameter of different shape of cooling holes in entrance surface are 5.0 turn and the injection angle with the main stream in streamwise and spanwise are 35 degrees and 0 degrees respectively. Ratio of the length of the cooling holes and the diameter in the entrance surface is 3.5. The distance between the holes in the same row as well as to the next row is three times the diameter of hole in the entrance surface. The governing equation is the fully elliptic, three-dimensional Reynold s-averaged Navier-Stokes equations. The mesh used in the finite-volume numerical computation is the multi-block and body-fitted grid system. The simulated strearnwise distribution of spanwise-averaged film cooling effectiveness exhibited that low Reynolds number k-epsilon model can give close fit to the experimental data of the previous investigators. Present study reveals that (1) the geometrical shape of the cooling holes has great effect on the adiabatic film cooling efficiency especially in the area near to the cooling holes. (2) The thermal-flow field over the surface of the film-cooled tested plate dominated by strength of the counter-rotating vortex pairs (CRVP) that generated by the interaction of individual cooling jet and the mainstream. For LDSA shape of hole, the CRVP are almost disappeared. The LDSA shape has shown a highest value in distribution of spanwise-averaged film cooling effectiveness when the blowing ratio increased to 1.5. It is due to the structure of the LDSA is capable of reducing the momentum of the cooling flow at the vent of the cooling holes, thus reduced the penetration of the main stream. (3) The structure of the LDSA can also increase the lateral spread of the cooling flow, thus improves the spanwise-averaged film cooled efficiency. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.