The first part of this work focuses on control experiments performed on an unstable kerosene-fueled turbulent combustor. Using a phase shift controller and primary fuel modulation stability is successfully gained for a wide band of global equivalence ratios allowing the limitations of the control scheme to be characterized. It is shown that control signal saturation can significantly impact the ability of the control scheme to stabilize the system. Three different regions of controllability are defined based on the degree of saturation. A hysteresis behavior is also found to exist for the controller settings depending on whether stability is being maintained or realized for an unstable system.

The second part of this work focuses on the impact that primary fuel modulation has on the fuel spray. Measurements for a simplex nozzle and an air-assist nozzle are taken under both static and dynamic operating conditions with a Phase Doppler Anemometry system. The dynamic modulation is found to significantly impact the spray properties of both nozzles.