In this work, the instantaneous data of inner wall temperatures obtained at given axial positions but for different heated tubes or at various axial positions but at the same heated tube in a tube-bank fluidized bed evaporator with a vapor-liquid-solid external natural circulation flow were analyzed by employing linear and nonlinear time series analysis methods, including correlation dimension and Kolmogorov entropy analyses besides time domain, power spectrum and autocorrelation analyses. It is found that nonlinear characteristics of the wall temperature time series vary with spatial position in the evaporator at given operation conditions, and thus the multi-phase flow boiling behavior. However, the signals obtained at given axial position but different heated tubes in the evaporator exhibit more similar nonlinear evolution behavior, and those measured in the same heated tube but at different axial heights in the evaporator undergo more distinct nonlinear dynamic behavior. Multi-scale phenomena in different spatial positions are also found and discussed. These transient aspects of inner wall temperatures are closely related to the average holdup of solid particles and motion of vapor bubbles in vapor-liquid-solid flow. These results can provide some valuable information on the system modeling and controlling from the point of view of nonlinearity. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.