Oxy-fuel combustion is a promising technology for carbon capture in natural gas power plants. Challenges in implementing the technology for gas turbines stem from the altered fluid properties in using carbon dioxide as the diluent in the combustion process instead of air as used in conventional combustion. A one-dimensional strained flame code is used to simulate the effects on flame consumption speed and emissions. Next, experiments are conducted in a 50 kW swirl-stabilized combustor to compare air and oxy-combustion thermoacoustic instabilities which are inherent to premixed combustion systems. The dynamic stability characteristics of the two flame types are shown to collapse as a function of adiabatic flame temperature for a given inlet Reynolds number. Data from an open exhaust configuration, which removes combustion dynamics, is also presented to compare flame structures and blowoff conditions. These cases are captured using high speed Particle Image Velocimetry (! PIV).