Experimental demonstration of mitigating self-excited combustion oscillations using an electrical heater

•Mitigating thermoacoustic oscillations using a heater is experimentally studied.•With the heater unactuated, 130 dB limit cycles are experimentally generated.•Modal analysis of the heater’s effect is performed on attenuating combustion oscillations.•2D numerical simulations are conducted and confirm the heater’s damping effect.•Thermoacoustic oscillations are successfully attenuated by 50 dB in two combustors.