The three key aspects of the top of the line corrosion process are condensation, chemical speciation and corrosion. The focus of this study is on the modeling of the condensate composition through a thermodynamic approach. Specifically, the aim of this study is to determine the concentration of acetic acid in the condensate. The presence of acetic acid tends to increase the corrosion rate and to promote localized corrosion.
The results of this study show that the concentration of free acetic acid in the condensate is determined predominantly by the pH of the liquid phase, which is changed by the corrosion process. The concentration of total acetic acid decreases as the temperature drop increases, that is, as the condensation rate increases. The understanding and results gained from this study would lead to the creation of a complete predictive model for top-of-the-line corrosion.