In the paper, the mixing power and distributions of velocity and velocity pulsations in a baffled stirred tank with a flat blade turbine impeller placed at different distances from the bottom were determined. It was found that the mixing power reaches minimum values when the relative clearance of the impeller is C/D = 0.6÷0.7. The investigations of velocity distributions using the PIV method showed the axial flow of the liquid through the impeller. This results in deviations from the typical radial-circumferential flow and changes in mixing power vs. impeller clearance versus a Rushton impeller. With a clearance corresponding to the minimum power, the flow is axial-circumferential with one circulation loop. For a flat blade turbine impeller, good mixing conditions are obtained for a clearance of 0.8 < C/D < 0.9.

This study presents the results of tests on the mixing power and distribution of three velocity components in the mixing tank for an FBT impeller during tank emptying with an operating impeller. A laser PIV system was used to determine speed distributions. It was found that for the relative liquid height in the tank H* = H/H0 ≈ 0.65 and H* ≈ 0.45, the liquid circulation in the impeller zone changed from radial to axial and vice versa. These changes were accompanied by changes in the mixing power which even reached 40%. In the theoretical part, a method of calculating the mixing power using the classical model of the central vortex and distribution of the tangential speed in the impeller zone was proposed. Although the method turned out to be inaccurate, it was useful for determining the relative power.