Conquer corrosion in harsh environments with tantalum

Due to its inherent corrosion resistance, tantalum is used to handle highly corrosive chemicals in the chemical process industries (CPI). Most often, this metal is used as a liner, allowing a less expensive material such as steel to serve as the back-up to supply the required strength. If liners cannot be used, solid or explosive-bonded construction can be employed. The paper describes its properties, hydrogen embrittlement, cost comparison with other metals, performance vs other metals, comparison with other refractory metals, and applications of Ta in the CPI.