AbstractThe structure of the flow in a vessel stirred by a Rushton turbine was investigated using laser Doppler anemometry measurement techniques. The time and length scales of turbulence were determined and used to estimate the dissipation rate of turbulence energy. The levels of turbulence energy and dissipation are high near the turbine and decrease rapidly with increasing distance from the turbine blades. The turbulence in the impeller stream is mostly anisotropic close to the blades. The results are compared with the findings of earlier investigations, and their implications for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions of the flows are discussed.