Wet Tantalum Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What is a wet tantalum capacitor?
Answer: It is a tantalum capacitor with a liquid acid electrolyte in the can which is the equivalent of Mn02 in our solid tantalum capacitors. This liquid electrolyte is the reason it is called a "Wet".

Question: What type of seal does KEMET use for wet tantalums?
Answer: KEMET uses a dual seal or non-compression seal to maintain hermeticity and prevent the electrolyte from leaking. The final seal is a hermetic glass to tantalum seal.

Question: What are the advantages of a wet tantalum capacitor?
Answer: The primary advantage is higher Cv offerings for it's size. It also has better frequency response characteristics such as D.F. and ESR and lower leakage characteristics, especially on high voltage products as compared to solid tantalum capacitors.

Question: Does KEMET offer commercial and military products for wet tantalums?
Answer: Yes, per our catalog we will offer MIL-PRF-39006/22, /25, /30, and /31 and their commercial equivalents. In addition KEMET will release a high temperature product in January, 2004 as our T197 and T198 series.

Question: Does KEMET manufacture a silver case wet tantalum?
Answer: No, the form factor KEMET selected will meet the size and Cv offerings of approximately 70% of this market. The silver case product is a different technology but we can substitute an all tantalum case for these products.

Question: What is the operating temperature of KEMET's wet tantalum capacitor's?
Answer: For all series except the T197 and T198 the operating temperature is -55°C to +125°C. The T197 and T198 series will operate up to +200°C with de-rating.

Question: What are the applications for wet tantalum capacitors?
Answer: The wet tantalum capacitor is recommended for use in low impedance applications, with voltage ranges fro 6 to 125 volts and capacitance ranges from 1.7uf to 2200uf. It may also be used in reverse voltage conditions up to 3 volts reversed. Typical applications are MWD (measure while drilling) in oil and gas exploration and drilling, avionics, radar, and other high power applications.