A modified anisotropic k- omega model that takes into account turbulence pulsation was proposed. The model was then used to study the flow and heat transfer characteristics of a rotating channel. The study considered Reynolds numbers ranging from 3000 to 15,000, rotation numbers from 0 to 1.31, and temperature ratios of 0.1, 0.17, and 0.22. The results obtained by the anisotropic k - omega model were compared with those obtained by the standard k - omega model. The anisotropic k - omega model was demonstrated to accurately predict the flow and heat transfer characteristics of the rotating channel and the results were in good agreement with the experimental data. By contrast, the standard k- omega model underestimated the heat transfer effect, especially for the trailing edge. Detailed flow analysis using the anisotropic k - omega model showed an inversely proportional relationship between the critical rotation number and the dimensionless distance. In addition, the study also found that the change of temperature ratio had an impact on the location of the fluid separation, the greater the temperature ratio, the earlier the fluid separation appears. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.