The motion of descending glass beads (10 mm in mean diameter) in water was simulated in an hourglass-like tube using the three dimensional distinct element method (DEM). The fluid flow is postulated to be an axisymmetric laminar flow, owing to the predominance of radial and longitudinal components. The fluid phase was solved by the SIMPLE scheme. Conventional (linear and non-linear) DEM models indicate that the elements must exert tension on one another just before separating. This is in conflict with the expected shape of a load-displacement loop for an element moving ar a slow rare and with damping energy loss depending oil its velocity. The untenability of these models has been excluded by adopting the Hunt model for simulation. The coefficients of interparticle and particle-wall friction were evaluated in water. The overall motion of the particles in water is satisfactorily simulated by the DEM.