The flow characteristics of a dual fluidised bed gasifier (DFBG) are more complex than those of a single fluidised bed gasifier.For stable operation and appropriate control,a cold DFBG test facility with both an upper and a lower U-valve was built,and electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) sensors were installed with pressure transducers to investigate the effects of operating conditions on gas-solids flow hydrodynamics.The operating parameters included gas velocities in the riser and in the bubbling fluidised bed,aeration velocity in the lower U-valve,bed material inventory,and particle size.This is the first time that ECT was applied in different flow zones of a dual fluidised bed gasifier system.The experimental results indicated that ECT in the recycle chamber could monitor the performance of the lower U-valve under different operating conditions for early detection of gas shortcut from the riser to the bubbling bed.Three main flow regimes in the riser and the differences between the reactors were identified by two sets of ECT sensors with pressure transducers.Finally,the effects of the operating conditions on the pressure drop in different parts of the DFBG was investigated.