AbstractAn experimental study on the gas dispersion behaviour of a cocurrent downflow gas‐solids suspension in a 140 mm i.d. circulating fluidised bed (CDCFB) using the steady‐state tracer method is presented. The influence of gas velocity, solids circulating rate and particle density on radial gas dispersion has been examined. Gas dispersion can well be described by an eddy diffusion mechanism and a proposed two dimensional dispersed plug‐flow model can fit the experimental data very well. Correlations of the radial diffusion coefficient were obtained. It is found that the axial diffusion coefficient obtained in the CDCFB is much lower than that in conventional circulating fluidised