In many applications swirling flow is used to enhance heat and mass transfer. One of the problems of modelling a turbulent swirling flow is the choice of the turbulent closure model which is acceptable for engineering purposes. To evaluate which model performs best, numerical results are compared with experimental data. Local velocity measurements are carried out on a swirling flow in a circular tube. The measurement method is hot-wire anemometry combined with visualization techniques. The numerical analysis is carried out using thek-εmodel and the Algebraic Stress Model. In the experiment a symmetrical swirl was observed, Comparing the experimental data with the numerical results shows that the Algebraic Stress Model represents the experimental data quite well, whereas thek-εmodel fails.