BP Whiting refinery large CDU furnace went out Weds -sources

(Adds BP no comment, details, background)

HOUSTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The furnace on the largest crude distillation unit at BP Plc (LSE: BP.L - news) 's 405,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Whiting, Indiana, refinery went out and was quickly re-lit on Wednesday morning, sources familiar with operations at the refinery said Thursday.

The 260,000-bpd CDU, called Pipestill 12, remained in operation 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 on Wednesday, saying it was shut down.

A BP spokesman declined to discuss operations at the Whiting refinery.

CDUs like Pipestill 12 conduct the initial refining of crude oil at a refinery and provide feedstock for all other units. They refine crude oil at temperatures between 700 and 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pipestill 12 is the centerpiece of a recently completed $4-billion revamp of the Whiting refinery to dramatically increase its intake of cheaper crude oil from Canada's tar sands fields in Alberta from 80,000 bpd to 350,000 bpd.

In addition to the Whiting refit, BP sold off refineries in Texas and California last year to focus on plants in the northern United States with easy access to Canadian crude in a shift in North American refining strategy. (Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and Bernadette Baum)