Heat Release Rate Perturbations Research Articles

Experimental investigation on the effects of transverse injection distribution scheme on dual flame dynamics subjected to flow disturbances

Combustion instability has become a major problem in low-emission annular gas turbine combustors. It is of practical importance to investigate the effects of transverse nozzle distribution scheme on multi-flame dynamics subjected to external acoustic perturbations. In this study, the responses of heat release rate perturbations from dual propane/air laminar premixed flames to axial acoustic perturbations have been experimentally measured. Specifically, the velocity disturbance upstream the flame base has been measured by two-microphone method and the flame heat release rate perturbation is obtained by the photomultiplier tube with CH* filter lens. The dynamic evolution of dual flames is captured by the high-speed camera and then analyzed with the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method. Results indicate that there is a critical distribution distance, where the peak gain of the dual flame transfer function is the largest. And the direct injection dual flame transfer function can behave as the low-pass filter. Furthermore, the dual flame transfer function behaves nonlinearly with the increase of the injection angle. The dual flame transfer function for large injection angle can behave as the hybrid mode of the low-pass filter and the band-pass filter. The POD analysis reveals that the coupling effect of gas thermal expansion and stretch effect would contribute to the interaction between dual flame front dynamics. The transverse injection distribution scheme (dual flame distance and injection angle) has a significant effect on the dual flame front dynamics, which in turn affects the flame heat release rate disturbance. The bulk mean flow velocity can enhance the interaction effect between dual flame front dynamics.

Comparisons between the disturbances in chemiluminescence and heat release rate from acoustically perturbed partially premixed and diffusion flames

Heat release rate is a critical parameter in the combustion process, yet its quantification can be challenging to obtain experimentally. In this study, an acoustical measurement system based on the Rijke tube was established to investigate the heat release rate perturbations of 25 propane/air flames under different mixing conditions. For premixed flames, perturbations in CH* and OH* chemiluminescence were consistent with the heat release rate disturbances determined using the acoustical method, thereby validating the proposed acoustical method and platform. Based on these, a comprehensive analysis was carried out on the chemiluminescence results and heat release rate perturbations of flames under different fuel–air mixing conditions, revealing the condition where the chemiluminescence method no longer reliably indicates the heat release rate. The research also investigated the chemiluminescence structure of flames under different fuel–air mixing conditions, identifying a difference in the distribution of CH* and OH* chemiluminescence at higher equivalence ratios (approaching diffusion flame conditions). In fully diffusion flames, the perturbation of OH* chemiluminescence was primarily observed near the base of the flame, while the peak perturbation of CH* chemiluminescence resides within the soot reaction zone downstream of the flame front.

Laser interferometric detection of heat release rate perturbation field of acoustically perturbed laminar premixed flames

Laser interferometry, which was originally used to measure density perturbation, has been previously used to determine the heat release rate perturbation, which is a key factor in the analysis of combustion instability. However, its spatial accuracy is still unsatisfied. In the present work, an improved fringe Fourier analysis method is proposed to process the results obtained from the laser interferometry measurement, aiming to accurately determine the spatial distribution of flame heat release rate perturbation. The measurement of heat release rate perturbation was performed on a acoustic perturbed laminar premixed flame, with the burner outlet diameter of 8 mm. Interference patterns generated by two laser beams with a diameter of 70 mm were recorded at a frame rate of 6000 Hz. A spatial dependent fringe processing method, referred as the improved fringe Fourier analysis, was developed to demodulate the interference phase from the fringe patterns. The proper orthogonal decomposition analysis was performed on these results to analyze the component of interference signals. Validation of the present technique was conducted by comparing the heat release rate perturbation field resulting from the laser interferometric technique to those from the CH* chemiluminescence from the flame. Comparisons were performed both for the global and local values, and the low-frequency natural oscillation effects were analyzed. Finally, a refraction correction method based on background-oriented Schlieren is proposed to compensate the beam deflection caused by flame.

The effect of flame curvature and flame base movement on the frequency response of a conical Bunsen flame

We create a general model for the tracking of a premixed flame sheet. This model is based on a Lagrangian formulation of the interface motion, which is more computationally efficient than the level-set formulation solved on a grid. We apply this model to a conical Bunsen flame in which flame-base oscillations and flame stretch effects are also considered. We demonstrate that the flame-front dynamics, the heat release rate perturbations, and the flame transfer function (FTF) are affected by three features: (i) the velocity field locally perturbing the flame-front, (ii) the flame-base oscillations normal to the steady flame-front propagating along the flame and (iii) the flame-base oscillations tangential to the flame-front reducing and increasing the flame-length. We provide a physical explanation for the saturation of the FTF phase shift with increasing forcing frequency, which is found experimentally. We show why a n−τ model with fixed τ cannot model this simple flame and that, when building a quantitatively-accurate model of a thermoacoustic system containing this flame, the flame dynamics need to be simulated directly or modelled more accurately than with the n−τ model. The flame model used in this paper has been designed to be differentiable so that it can be used for rapid data assimilation using Laplace’s method. Code is provided so that the user can generate the FTF of a conical premixed flame with any set of parameters and any flame-base trajectory.

Combustion instability control performance of an improved Helmholtz resonator in the presence of bias flow

Combustion instability may appear due to the interference between heat release rate and acoustically-driven flow perturbation in combustors. In the present study, we experimentally studied the effects of incident sound frequency, cavity depth, and sound pressure level on the sound absorption performance of a Helmholtz resonator (HR) with an optimized neck under bias flow. The greater the bias flow rate, the wider the sound absorption frequency band. The insertion of the honeycomb with minor porosity into the neck caused the central sound absorption frequency to shift to the low-frequency regime. The optimal cavity depth of the HR was also shortened, which is beneficial to save space. Moreover, a proper bias flow increased the maximum sound absorption coefficient of the resonator. When the modified HR was installed in the intake section of a swirl spray combustor, the pulsating pressure in the combustion chamber and plenum were reduced by 78% and 56%, respectively. The CH⁎ chemiluminescence intensity was reduced by 96%. Compared with traditional HR, the improved HR suppressed the pressure and heat release pulsation more effectively. Even if the primary air volume flow rate changed from 4.5 m3/h to 9.5 m3/h, the improved HR ensured that the pulsating pressure amplitude was reduced by about 82% on average.

An analytical model for the transversely forced flame transfer functions of conical and V-flame dynamics

Heat release rate perturbations of two-dimensional asymmetric premixed slot flames subjected to transverse perturbations, so called flame transfer functions (FTFs), are theoretically studied in this paper. The proposed models of both the two-dimensional conical flame and V-flame are studied based upon the linear analysis. The flame front dynamic response under the transverse disturbance is captured and solved using the G-equation model. The analytical solution of the FTF is derived using different oncoming velocity perturbation models, in order to reveal the flame heat release rate response mechanism to the transverse disturbances. In the two-dimensional conical flame model, the flame front tip moves with the transverse perturbations, which in turn also affects the FTF. In the two-dimensional V-flame model, the flame front tips are intersected by the flame branches and the unburned gas boundaries; this also contributes to the different behaviours of the FTF. The linear flame tip dynamics and the explicit analytical models of the FTFs of both the conical flame model and the V-flame model are proposed and validated. Results show that the transverse disturbance propagation velocity model has a significant effect on the FTF. The movement of the flame tip is also affected by the transverse convection models.

Combustion instability feedback mechanisms in a lean-premixed swirl-stabilized combustor

Constructive interference between heat release rate and acoustic perturbation is responsible for the growth of acoustic pressure amplitudes, leading to high-amplitude combustion instabilities in combustion systems. This is referred to as the Rayleigh criterion. Even though the knowledge of the heat release-acoustic pressure coupling processes is critical in the description of self-excited combustion instabilities, little is known about how the unsteady coupling processes are determined in response to the variation of time and length scales of acoustic and convective waves present in turbulent reacting flow fields. To address this issue, we performed a large number of measurements of self-excited instabilities, using two different tunable gas turbine combustors, over a wide range of operating conditions. The initiation, evolution, and saturation of pressure disturbances in swirl-stabilized combustion systems were systematically investigated by integrated analyses of pressure-heat release-velocity feedback coupling processes. It was found that self-excited combustion instabilities are governed by the Rayleigh criterion over the entire parameter space. We also observed that at certain inlet conditions, high amplitude velocity and heat release fluctuations coexist even without pressure-heat release coupling, meaning that the Rayleigh criterion is not necessarily associated with the onset of the self-excited instability. The Rayleigh criterion, however, does play an essential role in the linear to nonlinear transition that is necessary for the system to evolve toward a final state of stable limit cycles. We also found that the presence of equivalence ratio nonuniformities exerts a profound influence on instability feedback mechanisms, and consequently the Rayleigh criterion becomes a weak necessary condition for the occurrence of self-excited instabilities. A feedback mechanism that controls the relationship between velocity and acoustic pressure fluctuations was investigated to understand the effect of swirl number on limit cycle behavior. Acoustic admittance analysis reveals that at sufficiently high disturbance amplitude, nonlinear gas dynamic processes become so significant that the nonlinear saturation behavior cannot be defined by the acoustic velocity amplitude normalized by mean flow velocity.

A Green’s function approach to the rapid prediction of thermoacoustic instabilities in combustors

The prediction of thermoacoustic instabilities is fundamental for combustion systems such as domestic burners and industrial gas turbine engines. High-amplitude pressure oscillations cause thermal and mechanical stress to the equipment, leading to premature wear or even critical damage. In this paper we present a new approach to produce nonlinear (i.e. amplitude-dependent) stability maps of a combustion system as a function of various parameters. Our approach is based on the tailored Green’s function of the combustion system, which we calculate analytically. To this end, we assume that the combustor is one-dimensional, and we describe its boundary conditions through reflection coefficients. The heat release is modelled by a generalised $n{\it\tau}$ law. This includes a direct-feedback term in addition to the usual time-lag term; moreover, its parameters (time lag, coupling coefficients) depend on the oscillation amplitude. The model provides new insight into the physical mechanism of the feedback between heat release rate and acoustic perturbations. It predicts the key nonlinear features of the thermoacoustic feedback, such as limit cycles, bistability and hysteresis. It also explains the frequency shift in the acoustic modes.

Analysis of chemiluminescence, density and heat release rate fluctuations in acoustically perturbed laminar premixed flames

Laser interferometric vibrometry (LIV) has recently been proposed as an alternative mean to obtain time-resolved density and heat release rate measurements at relatively low cost and experimental effort. This technique is sensitive to fluctuations of the refractive index of gases resulting from density and composition changes along the laser beam intersecting the reacting flow. It yields a line-of-sight integrated signal of the probed flow from which density and heat release rate disturbances may be inferred. The link between these signals with chemiluminescence is examined in the present study by first considering a theoretical analysis to determine the relationships between the LIV, density and heat release rate perturbation signals in a multi-species reactive mixture of gases. For air combustion systems interacting with sound waves, low frequency density perturbations in the flame zone, result mainly from heat release rate fluctuations below a certain frequency threshold. An experimental analysis is then conducted with confined conical laminar premixed flames submitted to harmonic flow modulations. Measurements are presented for methane–air mixtures at different equivalence ratios 0.8 ≤ ϕ ≤ 1.2 and thermal powers. It is shown that fluctuations of the chemiluminescence signal examined in different wavelength bands, including the OH*, CH* or the entire visible emission bands, always capture the same dynamics. This indicates that heat release rate fluctuations can be deduced without specific filters for the laminar premixed methane–air flames investigated. It is then shown that heat release rate measurements deduced from LIV and chemiluminescence data match well. A proportional relation is found that does not depend on the measurement position, modulation frequency and modulation level for fixed injection conditions. This linear relation slightly depends on the mean flow operating conditions partly due to the difficulty to interpret chemiluminescence emission for rich flames.

Time domain simulations of nonlinear thermoacoustic behaviour in a simple combustor using a wave-based approach

Lean premixed combustion chambers are susceptible to combustion instabilities arising from the coupling between the heat release rate perturbations and the acoustic disturbances. These instabilities are not desirable and knowledge of this complex mechanism is necessary in order to prevent or at least suppress them. A low order model is developed comprising a linear acoustic network and an improved analytical form for a flame describing function (FDF). The latter includes both the saturation of the amplitude of heat release rate perturbations and the change of phase lag relative to oncoming acoustic velocity fluctuations when the instability grows into a limit cycle. A stability map is constructed by moving the flame along the Rijke tube based on the eigenvalues resolved from the network. The acoustic model is then converted into the time domain and combined with the flame describing function to determine the evolutions of the heat release rate disturbances and velocity perturbations within the tube. It is shown that this method can be used to capture some quite intricate nonlinear behaviour of combustion instabilities and the results in the time domain are consistent with those predicted in the frequency domain.

Tomographic reconstruction of heat release rate perturbations induced by helical modes in turbulent swirl flames

Swirl flows with vortex breakdown are widely used in industrial combustion systems for flame stabilization. This type of flow is known to sustain a hydrodynamic instability with a rotating helical structure, one common manifestation of it being the precessing vortex core. The role of this unsteady flow mode in combustion is not well understood, and its interaction with combustion instabilities and flame stabilization remains unclear. It is therefore important to assess the structure of the perturbation in the flame that is induced by this helical mode. Based on principles of tomographic reconstruction, a method is presented to determine the 3-D distribution of the heat release rate perturbation associated with the helical mode. Since this flow instability is rotating, a phase-resolved sequence of projection images of light emitted from the flame is identical to the Radon transform of the light intensity distribution in the combustor volume and thus can be used for tomographic reconstruction. This is achieved with one stationary camera only, a vast reduction in experimental and hardware requirements compared to a multi-camera setup or camera repositioning, which is typically required for tomographic reconstruction. Different approaches to extract the coherent part of the oscillation from the images are discussed. Two novel tomographic reconstruction algorithms specifically tailored to the structure of the heat release rate perturbations related to the helical mode are derived. The reconstruction techniques are first applied to an artificial field to illustrate the accuracy. High-speed imaging data acquired in a turbulent swirl-stabilized combustor setup with strong helical mode oscillations are then used to reconstruct the 3-D structure of the associated perturbation in the flame.

Analytical and experimental investigations of gas turbine model combustor acoustics operated at atmospheric pressure

When coupled to acoustics, unsteady heat release oscillations may cause recurrent problems in many combustion chambers, potentially leading to dramatic damages to the structure. Accumulation of acoustic energy around the eigenmodes of the combustor results from the resonant coupling between pressure disturbances in the flame region with synchronized heat release rate perturbations. Predicting these frequencies and the corresponding sound pressure field is a key issue to design passive or active control systems to prevent the growth of these instabilities. In this study, an acoustically controlled combustion test bench CESAM is used to stabilize a partially premixed swirling propane–air flame. In the premixing tube, reactants are injected tangentially to generate the swirling flow, the flame being stabilized in the combustion chamber by a sudden expansion of the cross section. The premixer backplane is equipped with an Impedance Control System (ICS) allowing to adjust the acoustic reflection coefficient at this location. Acoustics of the coupled-cavity system formed by the premixer and the combustion chamber is investigated analytically by taking into account the measured acoustic impedances at the premixer backplane and in the feeding lines. The chamber length is also modified to examine the effects of the geometry on these predictions. It is shown that the premixer and combustion chamber can be considered as acoustically decoupled for small values of the acoustic coupling index, defined in the article. This offers flexible solutions to control the pressure distribution within the combustor, except when these frequencies match. When the frequencies are close to each other, only the analysis of the damping of the different cavities enables to indicate whether the system is coupled or not. Modifying either the acoustic coupling index or the damping values featuring the same frequency appears then as alternative solutions to decouple cavities.

Scaling the flame transfer function of confined premixed conical flames

The influence of confinement side walls on the response of premixed conical flames submitted to velocity disturbances is investigated experimentally and theoretically. When the flame is sufficiently confined, the burnt gases cannot fully expand at the nozzle outlet. In that case, the confinement ratio Cr=R0/R1 between the burner and flame tube radii and the burnt to unburnt gas volume expansion ratio E=ρu/ρb need to be taken into account in the description of the flame transfer function (FTF). The main effect of confinement is an acceleration of the fresh stream of reactants induced by the over-pressure of the confined burnt gases. Experiments on steady flames reveal that the flame height increases for increasing confinement ratios Cr, leading to a gain shift and a phase drop for the FTF. A theoretical analysis is conducted to model this acceleration and examine its impact on the steady flame shape and flame response to flow disturbances. The change in the FTF phase is shown to be related to a reduction of the mean time lag between heat release rate perturbations and velocity modulations induced by both the velocity acceleration in the fresh reactants and a change in the location of the steady flame front. An expression to scale the FTF of confined flames is derived based on a modification of the classical reduced frequency ω∗ used to scale the response of unconfined flames. This expression includes explicitly the confinement ratio Cr and the volume expansion ratio E. This new dimensionless number enables to plot FTF measured for different confinements with reasonable collapse. It may also be used to transpose FTF gathered on single burners to multiple injection configurations when the burnt gases cannot fully expand due to the presence of neighboring flames.

Nonlinear interaction between a precessing vortex core and acoustic oscillations in a turbulent swirling flame

The interaction of a helical mode with acoustic oscillations is studied experimentally in a turbulent swirl-stabilized premixed flame. In addition to a precessing vortex core (PVC), the helical mode features perturbations in the outer shear layer of the burner flow. Measurements of the acoustic pressure, unsteady velocity field and flame emission are made in different regimes including self-sustained combustion oscillations and stable regimes with and without acoustic forcing. The acoustic oscillation and the helical mode create a pronounced rotating heat release rate perturbation at a frequency corresponding to the difference of the frequencies of the two individual mechanisms. Measurements over a wide range of operating conditions for different flow rates and equivalence ratios show that while the helical mode is always present, with a constant Strouhal number, self-excited thermoacoustic oscillations exist only in a narrow region. The interaction can be observed also in cases of thermoacoustically stable conditions when external acoustic modulation is applied to the system. The evolution of the helical mode with the forcing amplitude is examined. High-speed imaging from the downstream side of the combustor demonstrates that the heat release rate perturbation associated with the nonlinear interaction of the helical mode and the acoustic oscillations produces a ”yin and yang” -type pattern rotating with the interaction frequency in the direction of the mean swirl. At unstable conditions, the oscillation amplitude associated with the interaction is found to be significantly stronger in the heat release rate than in the velocity signal, indicating that the nonlinear interaction primarily occurs in the flame response and not in the aerodynamic field. The latter is, however, generally possible as is demonstrated under non-reacting conditions with acoustic forcing. Based on a second-order analysis of the G-equation, it is shown that the nonlinear flame dynamics necessarily generate the observed interaction component if the flame is simultaneously perturbed by a helical mode and acoustic oscillations.

Acoustically perturbed turbulent premixed swirling flames

The dynamics of a turbulent premixed confined swirling flame is investigated using large eddy simulation. The flame response is determined by introducing an external acoustic forcing at two modulation frequencies corresponding to characteristic values of the flame transfer function obtained experimentally. These values were found to give different responses in terms of gain in a previous series of experiments. The underlying physical mechanisms identified experimentally are investigated numerically. Simulations confirm that swirl number fluctuations and vortex roll-up govern the flame response. It is also confirmed that the first mechanism is associated with a mode conversion process taking place when acoustic waves impinge on the swirler unit. The axial acoustic velocity disturbance on the upstream side of the swirler generates an axial acoustic wave and an azimuthal convective disturbance in the downstream flow. These combined disturbances are retrieved in the simulation and their effect on the swirl number is extracted. Calculations also indicate that vortex shedding synchronized by the acoustic forcing takes place at the injector lip outlet. Vortices originating from this region are convected in the jet shear layer, impinge on the flame, and roll-up the flame tip. This process interferes with oscillations in the flame angle induced by swirl number fluctuations. The phasing of the flame angle with respect to the instant of vortex shedding from the injector lips determines the lifetime of the vortex before interaction with the flame and controls the strength of this interaction. When this lifetime is reduced, the vortex cannot fully develop and the flame response remains weak. For larger lifetimes, the vortex can fully develop and produce larger heat release rate perturbations. This process depends on the forcing frequency, which determines the phasing between swirl number fluctuations and vortices generation.

Development of an acoustic diagnostic for determination of heat release rate perturbations in pulsated flames

Heat release rate fluctuations are the source of combustion instabilities that cause recurrent problems in many combustors. These quantities are difficult to measure and optical techniques are generally implemented. The initial validation of an alternative method is presented in the case of pulsated laminar premixed flames. The technique relies on determining the travel time of ultrasonic waves propagating through the flow. The link between heat release rate fluctuations and perturbations in the travel time of ultrasonic waves is established. Measurements made with this method are compared with optical measurements and an analytical model. A good agreement is obtained for the gain and phase of the transfer function between perturbations in the sound travel time and heat release rate disturbances when the flame is submitted to harmonic modulations of the flow. This work validates the principle of the proposed technique and lays the foundations for future developments.

Non-premixed acoustically perturbed swirling flame dynamics

An investigation into the response of non-premixed swirling flames to acoustic perturbations at various frequencies ( f p = 0–315 Hz) and swirl intensities ( S = 0.09 and 0.34) is carried out. Perturbations are generated using a loudspeaker at the base of an atmospheric co-flow burner with resulting velocity oscillation amplitudes | u′/U avg | in the 0.03–0.30 range. The dependence of flame dynamics on the relative richness of the flame is investigated by studying various constant fuel flow rate flame configurations. Flame heat release rate is quantitatively measured using a photomultiplier with a 430 nm bandpass filter for observing CH∗ chemiluminescence which is simultaneously imaged with a phase-locked CCD camera. The flame response is observed to exhibit a low-pass filter characteristic with minimal flame response beyond pulsing frequencies of 200 Hz. Flames at lower fuel flow rates are observed to remain attached to the central fuel pipe at all acoustic pulsing frequencies. PIV imaging of the associated isothermal fields show the amplification in flame aspect ratio is caused by the narrowing of the inner recirculation zone (IRZ). Good correlation is observed between the estimated flame surface area and the heat release rate signature at higher swirl intensity flame configurations. A flame response index analogous to the Rayleigh criterion in non-forced flames is used to assess the potential for a strong flame response at specific perturbation configurations and is found to be a good predictor of highly responsive modes. Phase conditioned analysis of the flame dynamics yield additional criteria in highly responsive modes to include the effective amplitude of velocity oscillations induced by the acoustic pulsing. In addition, highly responsive modes were characterized by velocity to heat release rate phase differences in the ± π/2 range. A final observed characteristic in highly responsive flames is a Strouhal number between 1 and 3.5 based on the burner co-flow annulus diameter ( St = f pU avg/d m ). Finally, wavelet analyses of heat release rate perturbations indicate highly responsive modes are characterized by sustained low frequency oscillations which accompany the high amplitude velocity perturbations at these modes. Higher intensity low frequency heat release rate oscillations are observed for lean flame/low pulsing frequency conditions.

Rayleigh criterion and acoustic energy balance in unconfined self-sustained oscillating flames

Instabilities of confined combustion systems are often discussed in terms of the Rayleigh criterion, which provides a necessary condition for unstable operation and is commonly used to distinguish driving and damping regions. The analysis is also carried out in some cases by making use of an acoustic energy balance in which the Rayleigh term acts as a source. The case of unconfined flames is less well documented but of importance in practical systems used in heating and drying. This study is motivated by problems of self-sustained oscillations of radiant burners for domestic or industrial processes and of various other types of open flames. Application of the Rayleigh criterion and of the balance of acoustic energy to oscillations arising in such unconfined systems is examined. The objective is to see if the Rayleigh condition is fulfilled and to show how the different perturbed variables are linked to each other to develop an unstable oscillation. These issues are investigated by experiments in two geometries. The first case relates to a single “V”- or “M”-shaped flame formed by a burner behaving like a Helmholtz resonator. The second geometry features a collection of conical flames (CCF) established by a multipoint injector. This system is fed by a manifold that features a set of plane modes and resonates like an organ pipe at frequencies corresponding to odd multiples of the quarter wave. The Rayleigh criterion and a related result written in the form of an acoustic energy balance are used to define conditions of instability. A link is established between the pressure signal radiated by the burner and the total heat release rate perturbation yielding the phase lag between these two variables and providing conditions for unstable operation. Systematic experiments carried out in the two burner geometries and model predictions are in good agreement indicating that the Rayleigh source term is positive and that the criterion is well fulfilled by the wavefield component corresponding to the pressure radiated back by the resonator. The gain and loss terms in the acoustic energy budget are estimated in one typical case, indicating that the source term is balanced by the acoustic power radiated away from the flame region, while dissipation of acoustic energy in the burner is shown to be essentially negligible.

Adaptive Control of Combustion Instability Based on Dominant Acoustic Modes Reconstruction

Strong combustion instability within gas turbines may severely reduce the working range, exacerbate emissions, and shorten the engines' life cycles. A typical and practical control strategy is to introduce a secondary heat release rate perturbation using a high-frequency fuel valve so as to nullify the positive feedback between pressure and heat release rate oscillations. This article presents an observer-based adaptive controller, which is aiming at suppressing time-varying multiple unstable modes without knowing the characteristics of the combustion and actuation systems. The key part of this controller is an observer, which is capable of online estimating the dominant frequencies, amplitude, phases, and delay-free reconstruction of the dominant modes. The procedures for frequency estimation are somewhat similar to those of the Discrete Fourier Transform, but this observer is suitable for real-time computation, and is capable of more accurate and faster frequency estimation using a shorter sample length. The procedures for attenuating multiple unstable modes with unknown characteristics are demonstrated by controlling a “virtual” combustor that is a system identification model (Riley et al., 2004) containing 2 unstable modes with comparable amplitude and not-well-separated frequencies.