This study investigates the effect of the geometry of the cooling channel on the cooling performance of a unit grate using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics approach. Three different geometries of the cooling channel, i.e., serpentine, wavy, and baffle channels are considered. To evaluate the cooling performance, evaluation indicators, including the maximum temperature, average temperature, temperature uniformity, and pressure drop are compared. In addition, figure of merit, i.e., heat transfer per unit pumping power, is also compared for three channel designs. According to these indicators, it is concluded the baffle channel is the best choice. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.