The experimental work on the entrainment and elutriation of glass beads and white fused alumina powder with a wide particle size distribution was carried out in a fluidized bed with an inner diameter of 0.5 m and a total height of 6 m. The two powders were passed through the sieve distribution ratio to obtain experimental materials with different particle size distributions belonging overall to the Geldart groups A or B particles. Fluidization tests were carried out in a steady state at velocities of 0.25~0.76 m/s, the effects of superficial gas velocity, bed material particle size distribution and particle size on particle entrainment and elutriation rate were investigated. The elutriation rate constant of the powders under different conditions was obtained. In order to ensure that the transport disengaging height (TDH) was reached under various conditions, the entrained particles in the fluidization column were sampled axially and analyzed for particle size distribution. The experimental results showed that an increase of the concentration of fine particles in the experimental materials increased the total entrainment flux, but reduced the elutriation rate constant (Ki*). The total entrainment flux and the elutriation rate constant increased exponentially with increases of the superficial gas velocity. In addition, at a given superficial gas velocity, the elutriation rate constant first increased with the decrease of particle size, until reaching a critical particle size (dcrit), after which the elutriation rate constant would tend to flatten or decrease, that changes in the elutriation rate may be attributed to the interparticle adhesion forces. A new empirical correlation was proposed based on the experimental results and theory of dimensional analyses to estimate the elutriation rate constant of particles below the critical particle size. The correlation could agree well with the experimental data. The proposed empirical correlation can be used to scale up fluidized beds.