Valves for the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU)
The refinery's first unit: crude oil is heated, flashed and fractionated into straight-run cuts. High-temperature, high-throughput service with continuous 3-5 year run lengths between turnarounds - valve reliability here sets the whole refinery's uptime.
What are the critical valves in a Crude Distillation Unit?
Furnace inlet/outlet isolation (Gate Valves) — High-temperature crude service ahead of the fired heater; thermal cycling drives the gate-valve selection. Column side-draw control (Control Valves) — Product-cut flow control off each fractionation tray. Overhead reflux and relief (Safety & Relief Valves) — Column overpressure protection sized for loss of overhead condensing.
Critical Valve Points
Furnace inlet/outlet isolation
Gate Valves →High-temperature crude service ahead of the fired heater; thermal cycling drives the gate-valve selection.
Column side-draw control
Control Valves →Product-cut flow control off each fractionation tray.
Overhead reflux and relief
Safety & Relief Valves →Column overpressure protection sized for loss of overhead condensing.
Unit-Level Valve Strategy
- Column and exchanger-train isolation is planned around the multi-week turnaround, not routine maintenance - valve population per column runs into the hundreds
- High-temperature crude and hot-oil circuits demand pressure-seal or bolted-bonnet gate valves rated for continuous thermal cycling
- Desalter and wet-crude sections need corrosion-resistant trim (salt/chloride exposure) distinct from the dry fractionation sections
Equipment in this Unit
Fluids in this Unit
Governing Standards
Related process units
Sealing systems specified in this unit
Connected Engineering
Sourcing valves for a Crude Distillation Unit?
Send your unit valve list — we supply the full set (Gate Valves, Control Valves, Safety & Relief Valves) with certification matched to API 650, in one PO.