Oxy-fuel combustion with integrated pollution control

An oxygen fueled combustion system comprising:

• a combustion system having a furnace having a controlled environment with substantially no in-leakage from an external environment, and configured to substantially prevent the introduction of air, an oxidizing agent supply for supplying oxygen having a predetermined purity and a carbon based fuel supply for supplying a carbon based fuel and including means for feeding the oxygen and the carbon based fuel into the furnace in a stoichiometric proportion to one another limited to an excess of either the oxygen or the carbon based fuel to less than 5 percent over the stoichiometric proportion, and means for controlling the combustion of the carbon based fuel to produce an flue gas stream from the furnace having substantially zero nitrogen-containing combustion produced gaseous compounds from the oxidizing agent;
• and
• a pollutant removal system including at least one direct contact heat exchanger for bringing the flue gas stream into intimated contact with a cooling water to produce a pollutant-laden liquid stream and a stripped flue gas stream and at least one compressor for receiving and compressing the stripped flue gas stream.