The characteristics of beds of small glass particles 0.28, 0.46 and 0.77mm in diameter spouted with water were studied in a half-cylindrical column 51mm in diameter with inlet tube diameter of 3.2mm. The minimum spouting velocity, bed pressure drop at minimum spouting and spout diameter were measured. Assuming Darcy flow, the fluid flow in the annulus is modeled and shown to represent the streamlines quite well. The residence time of the fluid in the annulus is calcuated from the model and compared with experimental data.