In the present work, CO2 corrosion of API 5L X65 pipeline steel in the presence of acetic acid (HAc) was investigated. The objective of this research was to study a qualitative behaviour frequently found in the case of the so-called top-of-line corrosion (TLC). That is, increasing corrosion rates and steep shrinkage after certain - not predictable - time delay. The focus was on the role of HAc in the growth and stifling of localized attacks in CO2-containing media. The kinetic behaviours of carbon steel in such brines indicated that the overall effect of HAc is a balance between an enhanced cathodic reaction rate and a slightly inhibited anodic reaction rate. Results also showed that the active dissolution is not directly related to the presence of acetic acid but rather to what is generically referred to as CO2 corrosion. Zero resistance ammeter (ZRA) measurements on artificial pit electrode assembly, coupled to numerical simulation results, indicated that local HAc concentration gradients sustain the pit growth mechanism to a certain critical depth. Beyond this critical depth, the coupling current sharply drops off and the pit undergoes a process of stifling. However, a substantial effect of the purely ohmic drop on the pit stabilization process appeared unlikely in such conditions. Instead, initiated pits were shown to propagate and stifle mainly according to the counteracting depletions of HAc and CO2. On the basis of the obtained results, a complete scenario was therefore proposed for the morphological trend of localized attacks, which is in good agreement with field occurring TLC cases.

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