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q Institution of Chemical Engineers
Trans IChemE, Vol. 78, Part A, October 2000

AN ANALYSIS OF LOOP SEAL OPERATIONS IN A

CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED
P. BASU and L. CHENG*
Mechanical Engineering Department, Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada
*Institute for Thermal Power Engineering, Zhejiang University, PR China

T
he operation of a loop seal in a circulating ¯uidized bed is studied on the basis of
pressure balance of the circulation loop. The sharp-crested theory of free surface ¯ow
is applied to analyze the solids ¯ow rate through a loop seal. Factors, which in¯uence
the solids ¯ow rate through the loop seal, include loop seal air velocity, initial bed inventory,
standpipe size, loop seal slit size and particle size. The solids ¯ow could occur only between
two limiting values of each of those parameters. The analysis also presented pressure
distributions along the loop for different circulation rates. Results from above theoretical
analyses were compared with experimental results. A good agreement between the results
con®rmed the validity of the present analysis.
Keywords: loop seal; solids recycle device; circulating ¯uidized bed

INTRODUCTION
A typical circulating ¯uidized bed (CFB) system comprises
a fast ¯uidized bed (riser), a gas-solid separator, a stand-
pipe (dipleg) and a solids recycle system. Solids particles
move around these components in sequence and the solids
recycle system is a key component of the CFB loop. A non-
mechanical valve is commonly used in this system because
it is robust, inexpensive and simple in construction. Serious
erosion of moving parts, high solids ¯ow rate require-
ment and high operating temperature preclude the use of
mechanical valves.
Solids in a non-mechanical valve are moved by air or
gas. In certain sections of the valve the solids exhibit a
liquid-like behaviour when aeration air is added. The solids
¯ow through the valve when the drag of the aeration air
exceeds the resistance holding the solids together.
Several types of non-mechanical solid recycle valves
are used in a CFB system. They are L-valve, V-valve,
J-valve, seal pot and loop seal (¯uo seal). Some data are
available on L-valve1,2 and V-valve3 but information on
loop seal is very limited. Some experimental investiga-
tions4,5 were reported, but a comprehensive analysis of the
performance of the loop seal is not available in published
literature. The present paper presents an analysis of the
performance of the loop seal using free surface theory and
pressure balance equations.
Based on their experiments on a 200 mm ´ 200 mm cross
section loop seal, Luo et al.4 presented empirical equations
to calculate the standpipe height and solids ¯ow rate. The
accuracy and general applicability of their equations have
not been veri®ed.
Horio6 discussed the total pressure balance around a
CFB loop taking the loop seal as a simple ori®ce or valve.
The pressure drop across the seal was obtained by an
empirical equation. None of the models consider the
in¯uence of solids inventory on solids recycle rates.
The present work analyses the loop seal taking into
account all relevant factors including loop seal air velocity,
initial bed inventory, standpipe size, loop seal slit size and
particle size.
THEORETICAL ANALYSIS
Figure 1 shows a CFB loop with a loop seal where solids
are in a fast ¯uidized condition in the riser. Particles enter
the cyclone after they exit from the riser and particles,
separated in the cyclone, accumulate in the standpipe. The
standpipe drops the solids into the loop seal, which is split
into two sections, supply and recycle chambers (Figure 1).
These two sections are connected by a rectangular open-
ing, called slit. Both chambers can be ¯uidized from the
bottom. The recycle chamber has an over¯ow weir, which
connects it to a discharge pipe leading the solids to the riser.
Solids collected in the standpipe, drop into the supply
chamber. Aeration given at the bottom of the loop seal
helps this solids move through the slit into the ¯uidized
recycle chamber. The ¯uidized solids spill over the weir
into the recycle pipe, which leads the solids into the riser.
Thus the solids move around the CFB loop without a
mechanical pump. The pressure difference between the
standpipe and the riser drives the solids through the system.
So under a steady state, there would be a pressure equilib-
rium around the loop.
Pressure Balance in a Circulation Loop
For a pressure balance the algebraic sum of pressure drop
across each section of the circulation loop should be equal
to zero.
Pa Pb Pb Pc Pc Pd Pd Pe
Pe Pf Pf Pg Pg Pa 0 1

991
992 BASU and CHENG

Figure 1. Loop seal solids recycle system.

Point D in Figure 1 is the solids surface in the standpipe. upper dilute region along the bed height. The total pressure
The friction on the discharge pipe (G-A) can be neglected drop across the riser A-B, also includes the frictional loss
as it is rarely full. Also, the section of the cyclone (C-D) including acceleration loss, D Pab . Then the total pressure
offers very low resistance. So, if any resistance at the exit drop Pa Pb becomes:
of the riser is neglected, Pb Pc 0, Pc Pd 0 and
Pg Pa 0 can be written. The above pressure balance Pa Pb 1 « den ghden 1 « dil ghdil D Pab 3
equation now simpli®es as: Where « den and « dil are voidages in lower dense region and
Pa Pb Pd Pe Pe Pf Pf Pg 0 upper dilute region respectively, hden is dense region
2 height in bed, hdil is the dilute region height, which is
riser height less the dense region height. Kunii and
Levenspiel10 compared voidages in the lower dense
Pressure Drop in the Riser regions of a ¯uidized bed (Table 1). A typical value for
the fast ¯uidized bed is chosen in the present model
The pressure drop along the riser height is determined calculation.
by its axial voidage pro®le. Two main methods are used Bed internals may affect the axial voidage pro®le. There
to estimate the axial voidage pro®le. The axial voidage is also an effect of the bed exit11 . However, if one assumes
pro®le may be divided into two parts, a denser section and that the furnace is so tall that all particles are completely
a leaner section. The transition point between these two
may be estimated for riser reactors at a given set of operat-
ing and geometric conditions7 . In a CFB boiler this point Table 1. Comparison of voidage in
coincides with the secondary air injection point8 . So, the the lower dense region of a ¯uidized
axial voidage pro®le in the leaner section may be calcula- bed.
ted using the entrainment model of Kunii and Levenspiel9 .
Fluidized bed Voidage
The voidage decay constant of the leaner section and Bubbling bed 0.45±0.60
voidage of the lower dense bed were based on experimental Turbulent bed 0.60±0.78
results9 . Fast ¯uidization 0.78±0.84
Thus, the bed is divided into lower dense region and

Trans IChemE, Vol 78, Part A, October 2000

 AN ANALYSIS OF LOOP SEAL OPERATIONS IN A CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED 993

dispersed near its exit, and there is no re¯uxing, then the expansion, derived by King17 , is used.
solids ¯ux leaving the bed may be given by the following
ur 1
equation: « r 10
ur 2
Gs 1 « dil »s Ab 4
where ur is the ¯uidizing velocity in the recycle chamber.
Where « dil is the voidage in the upper region, up is the
absolute velocity of solids particle. As the voidage is very
high, up can be approximated by the equation12 : Solids Flow Rate at the Weir of the Recycle Chamber
up ug ut 5 Once the recycle chamber is ¯uidized, the solids in it
¯ow like a liquid. The ¯uidized bed expands above the
Where ug is the super®cial gas velocity in the bed, ut is the height of the weir (Figure 1), and the solids ¯ow into the
particle terminal velocity. riser through the inclined recycle pipe. The inclined pipe
is generally not ®lled with solids. So the over¯ow rate
of solids is a direct function of excess bed height above
Pressure Drop in the Standpipe the weir, which increases with the ¯uidizing velocity.
Particles move down slowly as a moving packed bed This situation is similar to that of free surface ¯ow of a
¯ow in the standpipe. Assume the voidage to have identi- liquid over a sharp crested weir. So from sharp-crested
cal values in the standpipe and in the supply chamber. theory18 the volume ¯ow Qs of ¯uidized solids can be
So, the pressure drop per unit length is obtained by a slight written as:
modi®cation of the Ergun equation13 :
Qs cg1/2 D h3/2 W 11
Pe Pd 150 1 « s
3
mg D u
Ls « 3s w s dp 2 where c is an experimentally derived constant, D hr is the
bed level above the weir, W is the width of the weir and g
1.75 1 « s
3
»g D u 2
is the acceleration due to gravity.
6 Thus the solids ¯ow rate Gs can be calculated by:
« 3s w s dp
Where « s is the solids voidage in the standpipe, D u is the Gs 1 « r »s Qs c1 « r »s g1/2 D h3/2
r v 12
relative velocity of gas with respect to the solids.
Assuming that the total amount of solids and their size
D u uo us 7 distribution do not change during operations, the sum of
The super®cial rise velocity of gas up the standpipe, uo , is solids in each component of the CFB loop system should
small. This ¯ow rate is a fraction d of the air ¯ow of the be equal to the original solids inventory M0 . Thus a material
loop seal, Q. Here d is taken as 0.095 from Cheng and balance gives us the following equation,
Basu14 .
1 « den »s Ab hden 1 « dil »s Ab hdil

Pressure Drop Across the Slit 1 « s »s Asp Ls lsc 1 « s »s Asc lsc

Solids from the supply chamber ¯ow to the recycle 1 « »s Arc hr D hr M0 13
r
chamber through an opening (slit) at the bottom of the
division wall between these two chambers. The pressure where Ab , Asp , Asc and Arc are areas of the riser, standpipe,
drop across this opening can be calculated by the follow- supply chamber and recycle chamber respectively. Neglect-
ing equation suggested by Cheng and Basu14 . It is based ing the frictional loss and substituting equations (3), (6),
on the experimental data of Jin et al.15 and Kuramoto (8) and (9) into (2), relations among different parameters
et al.16 , are established.
1.2 The above model can be used for both understanding
As the operating behaviour and the design of a loop seal. For
Pe Pf 0.66 Gs 8
Asc example, the solids circulation rate and gas velocity in the
riser may be speci®ed as input parameters, and then com-
where As and Asc are cross section areas of the slit and the pute the aeration rate required in the loop seal. To validate
supply chamber, respectively. the above model, it would be used ®rstly to interpret the
observed behaviour of the loop seal, then the results
Pressure Drop in the Recycle Chamber compared.
Solids in the recycle chamber are ¯uidized by the air
entering from its bottom. The bed level must rise EXPERIMENTS
above the weir (Figure 1) in order to over¯ow into the
recycle pipe. Considering the bed to expand to a height The tests were carried out in a 152 mm diameter circu-
D hr over the recycle chamber weir height hr (Figure lating ¯uidized bed with a 100 mm width rectangular loop
1): seal. The system is shown in Figure 1. Three size sands,
480 mm, 355 mm and 250 mm were used in the tests and
Pf Pg 1 « r hr D hr »s 9 two techniques were used to measure the solids ¯ow rates.
Experimental details are reported in Basu et al.5 so they are
For ®rst approximation, a simpli®ed expression for bed not reported here.

Trans IChemE, Vol 78, Part A, October 2000

994
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The loop seal operates steadily when the pressure balance
equation (1) is satis®ed but its operation becomes irrational
or it stops entirely when the pressure balance is lost. A very
common failure occurs when the pressure drop across the
standpipe falls below that required to drive the solids
through the loop seal and into the riser. Under this condition,
the aeration air takes a short cut from the loop seal to the
cyclone directly through the standpipe.
When the riser operates at a high gas velocity, the solids
transfer rate from the riser to the cyclone and standpipe
increases. If there is no corresponding increase in the loop
seal aeration, the solids return rate will be less than that
leaving the riser. So there would be an imbalance in solids
¯ow rate breaking down the loop system pressure balance.
Similarly, the balance breaks down with a combination of
low riser gas velocity and high loop seal aeration air rate.
Under this condition, the solids height in the standpipe drops
lowering to an extent that the loop seal air takes the low
resistance path through the cyclone, resulting in a drop in
cyclone separation ef®ciency. This adversely affects the
operation of a CFB.
In the present model, the calculation was terminated
either when an imbalance in the loop pressure or air by-
passing in the standpipe occurred. Air by-passing happens
when the relative velocity of gas and solids is higher than
the minimum ¯uidizing velocity of the solids. Under this
condition, further increases in relative velocity do not
increase the resistance of the standpipe. So, the pressure
drop in the standpipe reaches its peak making the solids
recycle unstable.
In all calculations, it is found that the loop system
operated only within a certain range of loop seal aeration
air rate for a given riser gas velocity. When the riser gas
velocity varies the operating range of the loop seal aera-
tion also changes. Besides this the solids inventory also
affects the operating range of the loop seal. Reasons for
these behaviour are explained in subsequent sections.
Solids Flow Rate
Figure 2 shows the relationship between the solids ¯ow
rate and the loop seal aeration velocity at different riser gas
velocities. At a ®xed riser gas velocity, an increase in the
Figure 2. A comparison of theoretical and experimental variation of the
solids ¯ow rate with loop seal air velocity (points are experimental data at
different loop seal slit height).
BASU and CHENG
loop seal aeration rate results in an increased solids ¯ow
through the loop seal. This can be explained by equation
(12), which shows that the solids ¯ow rate increases when
D hr increases. Equation (10) shows that higher aeration
rate or higher velocity expands the bed in the recycle
chamber and increases the D hr .
However, the pressure seal of solids in the standpipe
is broken if the loop aeration is increased continuously
without a corresponding increase in the riser gas velocity.
This de®nes the maximum operable velocity of the loop
seal. Similarly, if the loop seal velocity is reduced much,
the pressure drop across the standpipe solids falls below that
required to drive the solids. This de®nes the lower limit of
loop seal aeration.
The lines in Figure 2 give the predicted operating range
of the aeration velocity. Within this operating range, the
solids ¯ow rate increases with loop seal air velocity. The
solids ¯ow also increases as the riser gas velocity increases.
However, at a higher riser gas velocity the operating range
of the loop seal aeration decreases. Thus, the control range
of the solids ¯ow rate reduces at a higher riser velocity.
A limited change in the aeration rate gives a very large
change in the ¯ow rate, and ®nally there is a breakdown
in the ¯ow.
Since the solids carrying capability of the riser increases
at higher riser velocities, the solids level in the standpipe
increases. This exerts a higher hydrostatic pressure on
the loop seal moving more solids from the standpipe. So
the solids recycle rate increases even when the loop seal
aeration rate is unchanged. Figure 3 shows how the solids
¯ow rate increases with the riser gas velocity at a ®xed
loop seal aeration rate.
A high riser velocity results in high solids ¯ow from
the riser to the standpipe. This results in a higher relative
velocity between gas and the solids at a given supply
chamber aeration. This gives a higher pressure drop across
the standpipe. Higher resistance in the standpipe would
cause less air to ¯ow through the supply chamber to main-
tain the pressure balance. This would increase the air ¯ow
through the recycle chamber which in turn increases the
recycle rate.
The solids circulation rate, predicted from the present
models, were plotted on Figure 2 along with experimental
data. The latter was shown by points while the predictions
are shown by lines. It shows a good agreement between the
model and experiments.
Figure 3. Solids ¯ow rate increases with the super®cial velocity at a ®xed
loop seal air rate.
Trans IChemE, Vol 78, Part A, October 2000
 AN ANALYSIS OF LOOP SEAL OPERATIONS IN A CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED
Figure 4. Solids height in standpipe decreases with increasing loop seal air
velocity.
Solids Height in Standpipe
Figure 4 shows that the height of solids in the standpipe
decreases with increasing loop seal aeration rate. As the
loop seal aeration air increases, more solids would ¯ow
out of the standpipe, giving a higher circulation rate. This
would, in turn, make the riser denser. Thus, there is an
increase of solids inventory in the riser at the cost of that in
the standpipe. This causes the solids level in the standpipe
to drop. There is, however, a minimum solids height in the
standpipe for a given solids inventory in the system. From
Figure 5 it is found that the pressure drop per unit height
Pe Pd /Ls increases with the gas-solid relative velocity
in the standpipe. So, if the pressure across the riser (Pa Pb )
increases for any reason, a larger fraction of the aera-
tion moves to the standpipe to increase the standpipe head
(Pe Pd ). However, it can increase only up to a certain
maximum valve. Thus if Ls drops too far, the resultant
(Pe Pd ) will not be able to balance the increased pressure
drop (Pa Pb ) in the riser. So a solids height lower than
the minimum will result in an air by-pass through the
standpipe. It should be noted that a higher height of solids
in the standpipe does not mean that a higher pressure is
produced. The pressure drop in the standpipe is determined
not only by the solids height but also by the relative velocity
between solids and gas (Figure 5). If the loop seal aeration
rate is too small, the pressure produced by the solids in the
standpipe will not be enough to balance the loop system
pressure and this would stop solids recycle rate (Figure 4).
Figure 5. Variation of pressure drop across the unit height of the standpipe
with increasing gas solids slip velocity in the standpipe.
Trans IChemE, Vol 78, Part A, October 2000
995
Figure 6. Pressure pro®le along the circulation loop at different solids
circulation rate around the CFB loop.
This aeration rate, as explained earlier, de®nes the lower
operating limit of the loop seal.
Pressure Drops and Pressure Balance
Pressure drops across different sections of the CFB loop
vary with changes in the loop seal aeration rate. As dis-
cussed above, the solids ¯ow rate increases with the loop
seal aeration rate, and so does with the solids inventory in
the riser. Thus, the pressure drop in the riser increases with
the increment in the loop seal aeration rate. The riser
pressure drop also increases with the riser gas velocity at a
given aeration rate.
The pressure drop across the standpipe is a combined
result of the solids height and the relative velocity between
solids and gas in it (Figure 5). With increasing aeration
rates the relative velocity increases, but the solids height
decreases in the standpipe (Figure 4). This explains why
the rate of increase of pressure drop drops off at higher
aeration rates.
The pressure drop across the opening between the two
chambers of the loop seal increases with a rise in the loop
seal aeration rate. The slit is like an ori®ce through which
gas-solids ¯ow. At higher aeration rates, there is a higher
¯ow through the slit which in turn causes higher pres-
sure drops. The equation used to calculate the slit pressure
drop was taken from the experimental data of Jin15 and
Kuramoto16 .
The voidage of the recycle chamber increases as the loop
seal aeration rate increases. Thus, the pressure drop in the
recycle chamber decreases with the loop seal aeration rate.
The bed expansion equation (10) gives a steady decline
in bed density except at very high super®cial gas velocities.
Figure 6 shows the pressure drops along the whole loop
and their change at different solids ¯ow rates. This ®gure
explains the pressure balance and shows how it is main-
tained at varying solids ¯ow rates. Similar pressure distri-
butions around the CFB loop were found in the experiments
of Basu et al.5 .
Effect of Solids Inventory
Li and Kwauk19 used the results of Weinstein et al.20
to suggest that axial voidage pro®les are affected by the
solids inventory in the system. This implies that the system
solids inventory has an effect on the pressure distribution
996
Figure 7. Solids ¯ow rate increases with loop seal air velocity at different
solids inventories (ug = 3 ms ±1).
around the loop. Similar results were obtained by the present
work. Figure 7 shows that at a ®xed aeration rate the
solids ¯ow rate changes with the system solids inventory.
At a given loop seal aeration rate, the solids ¯ow rate
increases as the solids inventory increases. And the opera-
tional range of the loop seal aeration rate also increases
with the solids inventory.
Effect of Standpipe Size
In¯uence of standpipe diameter on the solids ¯ow rate
is shown in Figure 8. It shows that a smaller size standpipe
can handle a given solids ¯ow rate at a smaller loop seal
aeration rate. However, this decreases the solids storage
capacity in a smaller standpipe. There would be a large
change in the solids height in the standpipe for a rela-
tively small change in the solids ¯ow rate. This makes the
system less stable.
Effect of Loop Seal Slit Height
The slit height does not play an important role as long as
it does not provide signi®cant resistance (Figure 9). The
solids ¯ow rates do not change much at different slit
heights. This is a result of smaller values of the linear
velocity of solids through the slit (0.005 0.06 m s 1 in
Figure 9) which offers a resistance small compared to that
in other components in the loop.
Figure 8. Solids ¯ow rate increases with loop seal air velocity for different
standpipe sizes (ug = 3 ms ±1).
BASU and CHENG
Figure 9. Solids ¯ow rate varies with the loop seal air rate at different slit
heights (ug = 3 ms ±1).
Effect of Particle Size
Solids particle size has an effect on the solids ¯ow rate
(Figure 10). Smaller size particle has higher solids ¯ow
rate at a ®xed loop seal aeration rate. At a given riser gas
velocity, smaller size of solids has lower umf , and there-
fore, higher relative velocity (ug umf ). This gives larger
pressure drops across the standpipe, which result in higher
solids ¯ow rate through the loop seal.
Effect of Adjusting Parameters
Finally, the adjusting parameters in the model are dis-
cussed. There are two main adjusting parameters in the
model calculation. One is the fraction of the loop seal air
entering the supply chamber of the loop seal and this para-
meter can be obtained from experiments14 . It was taken as
a constant in the present model and it might change with the
pressure distribution in the loop seal. A lower value gives
lower solids ¯ow rate at a given loop seal aeration rate,
but the operating range of the loop seal air rate increases
(Figure 11).
Another parameter is the constant c of the sharp-crested
theory in the equation (11). As the pressure drop across
this section is not large compared to that in other places,
the in¯uence of c can be neglected.
Figure 10. The variation of solids ¯ow rate with loop seal air velocity for
different particle sizes (ug = 3 ms ±1).
Trans IChemE, Vol 78, Part A, October 2000
 AN ANALYSIS OF LOOP SEAL OPERATIONS IN A CIRCULATING FLUIDIZED BED 997

Q air ¯ow of the loop seal, m3 s 1

Qs solids volume ¯ow, m3 s 1
u0 velocity of gas in the standpipe, m s 1
ug velocity of gas in the riser, m s 1
umf minimum ¯uidizing velocity, m s 1
up absolute velocity of solids particle, m s 1
ur ¯uidizing velocity in the recycle chamber, m s 1
us super®cial velocity of solids in the standpipe, m s 1
usg actual gas velocity in the standpipe, ms ±1
ut particle terminal velocity, m s 1
D u super®cial gas velocity in the standpipe, m s 1
W weir width, m
F s sphericity of a particle,
d average fraction of the overall air entered the supply chamber of
loop seal,
« den voidage in lower dense region of the riser,
« dil voidage in upper dilute region of the riser,
Figure 11. Solids ¯ow rate increases with the loop seal air velocity at
« voidage in the recycle chamber,
different air fractions (ug = 3 ms ±1). r
« s voidage in the standpipe,
mg viscosity of gas, kg ms 1
»g density of gas, kg m 3
CONCLUSION density of solids, kg m 3
»s
A simple model of the operation of the loop seal in
circulating ¯uidized beds is developed on the basis of
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ADDRESS
Correspondence concerning this paper should be addressed to Dr
P. Basu, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie University,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3J 2X4. E-mail: Prabir.Basu@Dal.Co
The manuscript was communicated via our International Editor for
Canada, Professor Philippe Tanguy. It was received 19 March 1999 and
accepted for publication after revision 6 September 2000.
Trans IChemE, Vol 78, Part A, October 2000