Aluminum has a long history of safe service in cryogenic air separation units; however, there have been some rare instances of aluminum∕O₂ reactions. Aluminum ignition and propagation depends strongly on the oxygen purity, oxygen pressure, aluminum geometry, and type and energy of igniter. Over the years, the industry has experienced a particular type of aluminum∕O₂ reaction: cavity incidents. These incidents are characterized by the presence of a sealed cavity that is created when welding two metal items together. Such a sealed cavity can lead to aluminum ignition under certain specific conditions: (1) The sealed cavity is submerged in a bath of liquid oxygen. Over a long period of time, liquid cryogen can enter the sealed cavity through slight imperfections in the weld. (2) The sealed cavity is warmed over a short period of time, typically a few hours. (3) The liquid oxygen vaporizes, and the pressure inside the cavity builds to very high levels (potentially over 50 bars). (4) Ignition occurs in the high pressure, high purity oxygen environment, and the resulting aluminum∕oxygen reaction burns through the relatively thick cavity walls. (5) The oxygen and reaction products exit the cavity through the hole, lowering the pressure and extinguishing the reaction. This paper discusses two such incidents, which have occurred since 2001. Both incidents took place in brazed aluminum heat exchanger (BAHX) reboiler support beam systems. In both cases, the BAHX reboiler was damaged, leading to a process leak, which required that the plant be repaired. In one case, the damage occurred while warming a plant. In the second case, the damage occurred during normal operation. This second case does not appear to follow the sequence of events outlined above; however, evidence is presented to support the scenario that the cavity incident occurred during a previous warming of the plant. This initial damage then impaired the normal operation of the reboiler, leading to a second hydrocarbon related reaction during normal operation. The paper discusses the potential ignition mechanisms, probable causes of the incidents, and methods to prevent future re-occurrences.