Abstract: With the development of the atmospheric and vacuum distillation technology, a considerable progresses in process flow, mass and heat transfer, energy-saving and friendly environment are achieved. Three crude distillation units with different capacities at home and abroad are quoted as cases in this paper. The crude properties, product scheme, process flow and operating parameters are introduced in detail, while their equipment selection and engineering expertise are emphasized. The brief analysis is performed on their utility summary and energy consumption. The comparison and analysis conclude that the three sets of distillations have different characteristics. However, the energy consumption（387.3 MJ/t）of the domestic refinery is far lower than the foreign refineries.

Key words: atmospheric and vacuum distillation, engineering expertise, process scheme, energy consumption, review