Effect of Oxygen and Nitrogen in Tantalum on its Resistance to Corrosion by Liquid Plutonium Alloys

The effect of oxygen and nitrogen content of tantalum on its resistance to corrosion by molten plutonium-cerium-cobalt alloys was investigated. The impurity content of the tantalum ranged from 100- to 4400-ppm oxygen and from 20- to 1000-ppm nitrogen. The test was completed in five cycles over a period of 4700 h at 650°C. Plutonium penetration occurred at the closure welds through cracks attributed to mechanical stress from expansion of the fuel alloys on freezing and did not occur in capsules prepared from high-purity tantalum.