In pictures: The largest single crude distillation column successfully installed at the Dangote refinery site

Aliko Dangote at the refinery site in Lagos (Twitter DangoteGroup)

Africa's richest man, Aliko Dangote, has once again, recorded progress at his busy refinery site in Lekki Lagos after the successful installation of the crude distillation column.

On Thursday, the largest single crude distillation column where different products boil off (from the crude mixture) and are recovered at different temperatures, was successfully installed at the Dangote Refinery site, the company said in a tweet.

The equipment believed to be the world's largest single Crude Distillation Column arrived at Lagos earlier this month. It was built by Sinopec, a Chinese energy firm.

The firm said the atmospheric tower has a diameter of 12 meters, a length of 112.56 meters and a unit weight of 2252 tons.

Capt. Rajen Sachar, Head, Maritime and Ports Infrastructure at Dangote Group, had also explained that the equipment consists of various chemical components that have different molecular sizes, molecular weights, and boiling temperatures.

He said the crude distillation column works on the principle of fractional distillation, leading to the separation of various components in the mixture based on their different boiling points.