---
title: "AFBC boiler"
description: "AFBC stands for atmospheric fluidised-bed combustion — the umbrella term covering both bubbling fluidised-bed (BFB) and circulating fluidised-bed (CFB) boilers operating at atmospheric pressure. AFBC distinguishes these from less common pressurised fluidised-bed combustion (PFBC) designs, which were trialled in the 1980s–90s but failed to displace the simpler atmospheric variants."
canonical_url: "https://sylio.co/glossary/afbc-boiler"
last_updated: "2026-06-28T02:29:25.516Z"
---

**AFBC** stands for **atmospheric fluidised-bed combustion** — the umbrella term covering both [bubbling fluidised-bed (BFB)](/glossary/bfb-boiler) and [circulating fluidised-bed (CFB)](/glossary/cfb-boiler) boilers operating at atmospheric pressure. AFBC distinguishes these from less common pressurised fluidised-bed combustion (PFBC) designs, which were trialled in the 1980s–90s but failed to displace the simpler atmospheric variants.

## Practical usage

In Indian, South Asian and African industrial-boiler procurement, AFBC is the most-used label. In European and North American utility-scale terminology, "CFB" and "BFB" tend to be used directly, with "AFBC" reserved for textbooks and older references.

## Fouling and cleaning

Bed-overflow agglomerates, convective-pass ash bridging and air-heater cold-end deposition are common across all AFBC designs. [Sonic horns](/glossary/sonic-horn) are well-established on AFBC convective passes — coverage of this duty is one of Sylio's growth segments in Asian markets.

## Related terms

- [BFB boiler](/glossary/bfb-boiler)
- [CFB boiler](/glossary/cfb-boiler)
- [Boiler](/glossary/boiler)