Particle image velocimetry (PIV) and an extended solution of Stokes' second problem were used to validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of flow in an orbiting dish. Velocity vector components throughout one complete orbit differed between CFD and PIV by less than 5%. Computational velocity magnitudes averaged over the interior 20% radius, the region where the analytical solution is most applicable, were 0.3% higher than the analytical values, while the experimental values in the same region were 2.4% higher. Velocity profiles in the center of the dish across normalized heights that most influence wall shear stress varied on average by similar to-0.00046 for the normalized radial component and by similar to 0.0038 for the normalized tangential component compared to the analytical solution. These results represent the most comprehensive validation to date for computational models of the orbiting dish system. (C) 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers