HOUSTON, June 12 (Reuters) - BP Plc is preparing tobegin production on an upgraded crude distillation unit at its405,000 barrel per day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana, refinery withinseven to 10 days, sources familiar with refinery operations saidon Wednesday.
The CDU, which has been shut since November and is thecenterpiece of a $4 billion upgrade of the refinery, is nearingthe end of the cold oil circulation process and workers arepreparing to begin heating the CDU to production temperature ofabout 700 degrees Fahrenheit, the sources said.
A BP representative was not immediately available to discussrefinery operations on Wednesday. The company has said the CDU,called Pipestill 12, is expected to be in operation by the endof the second quarter on June 30. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)