A circulating fluidized bed boiler including a furnace, a separator which
is connected to the furnace to separate fluidized bed material from a
flow leaving the furnace, as well as a return duct between the separator
and the furnace to return the separated fluidized bed material into the
furnace. The return duct includes a loop seal equipped with a heat
exchanger and a supply of fluidizing medium and having an inlet and an
outlet, which open into a chamber including the heat exchanger, i.e. a
heat exchanger chamber, and are situated at different heights, the outlet
being connected through a return conduit to the furnace. The flow
cross-section area of the outlet is at an angle to the flow cross-section
area of the inlet in such a way that the fluidized bed material is
transferred in the heat exchanger chamber in lateral direction with
respect to the inlet direction of its inlet flow. The heat exchanger
chamber includes individually controllable fluidizing means at different
locations in the direction of the horizontal dimension of the flow
cross-section area of the outlet.