In this paper, batch drying of wheat grains in a fluidized bed dryer, which had a swirling flow field in its drying medium, was experimentally investigated. In the experiments, a laboratory scaled fluidized bed type dryer was used. The effects of the swirling flow field on the drying performance were investigated by using an axial guide vane type swirl generator. The effects of the mass flow rate and temperature of the air on the drying performance were also investigated. The goal of this work is to present the experimental results on the drying process of wheat and the effects of the swirling flow field on the drying performance. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.