Flow behavior of gas and particles in conical spouted beds is experimentally studied and simulated using the two-fluid gas-solid model with the kinetic theory of granular flow. The bed pressure drop and fountain height are measured in a conical spouted bed of 100 mm I.D. at different gas velocities. The simulation results are compared with measurements of bed pressure drop and fountain height. The comparison shows that the drag coefficient model used in cylindrical beds under-predicted bed pressure drop and fountain height in conical spouted beds due to the partial weight of particles supported by the inclined side walls. It is found that the numerical results using the drag coefficient model proposed based on the conical spouted bed in this study are in good agreement with experimental data. The present study provides a useful basis for further works on the CFD simulation of conical spouted bed. (C) 2015 The Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China, and Chemical Industry Press. All rights reserved.