(Adds BP no comment, details, background)
HOUSTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The furnace on the largest crudedistillation unit at BP Plc's 405,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana, refinery went outand was quickly re-lit on Wednesday morning, sources familiarwith operations at the refinery said Thursday.
The 260,000-bpd CDU, called Pipestill 12, remained inoperation while the furnace was being re-lit, the sources said.
Genscape, which provides information on the energy industry,had reported decreased activity at the unit's furnace stacks onWednesday, saying it was shut down.
A BP spokesman declined to discuss operations at the Whitingrefinery.
CDUs like Pipestill 12 conduct the initial refining of crudeoil at a refinery and provide feedstock for all other units.They refine crude oil at temperatures between 700 and 1000degrees Fahrenheit.
Pipestill 12 is the centerpiece of a recently completed$4-billion revamp of the Whiting refinery to dramaticallyincrease its intake of cheaper crude oil from Canada's tar sandsfields in Alberta from 80,000 bpd to 350,000 bpd.
In addition to the Whiting refit, BP sold off refineries inTexas and California last year to focus on plants in thenorthern United States with easy access to Canadian crude in ashift in North American refining strategy. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe andBernadette Baum)
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