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www.jtday.com.au

51Years

1Reliability Dependability Quality

JT Day’s new junction box assembly facility, believed by Hawke International to be one of

the best equipped workshops within the Hawke International group of Ex junction box modifiers is now up and running. Our first focus will be assembly of the ever-popular PL range from Hawke. The facility has been established to offer greatly improved turnaround of customised junction boxes to the marketplace.

DESPERATE CALLA terrific example of its purposes was demonstrated during late October, when the doors to the workshop had been open for literally only a few hours. Our sales team received a desperate call from a long-standing client who required 150 custom boxes for a rectification program for one of their offshore assets. The boxes were completed on time and delivered for immediate installation. National Sales Manager, Shawn Taylor said “It’s this type of service level we want to maintain as we build on and expand our service offer to the market. It’s all about being able to deliver a flexible solution in the

quickest timeframe.”The assembly facility, established by Hawke International personnel who were brought from the U.K. to our Perth facility, covered across areas such as sales, QA, safety and assembly.

PRECISION WORKThe workshop provides precision drilling and tapping of cable gland and breather entries, punching of continuity plates and terminal assembly utilising the ever popular terminal products and accessories from Weidmuller. The assembly service is provided under close scrutiny of our Lloyds Register ISO

9001:2008 quality program and under the tight control of IEC EX certification for hazardous areas so that our clients can be assured it will be to full specification and standards.

WELL PROVENThe PL box from Hawke is well-proven and very popular within the oil & gas market both onshore and offshore as they demand product that is robust and will withstand the harsh and hazardous environments. The PL range is the ultimate in robust GRP construction and the PL6 series

is designed to withstand impact resistance up to 20Nm. The one piece durable captive moulded silicone gasket provides ingress protection to IP 66 & 67 and in addition meets the stringent Shell DTS01 deluge test.

Local junction box assembly dramatically improves the availability

of customised products

New premises for Queensland operations

INS

IDE P2 P2 P3

JT Day has secured larger premises to service customers in Queensland.The 700sqm premises at Seventeen Mile Rocks are part of JT Day’s expansion strategy to give support to Bechtel’s LNG construction projects at Gladstone.

Two ships fitted and one to go with the unique Hawke Transit System

Why earthing is important

LED lighting: They’re here to stay

The popular PL6 series junction box from Hawke

Reliability Dependability Quality2

Two ships fitted and one to go with the unique Hawke Transit System

Delivery of supplies of Hawke Transit Systems from JT Day for the three new Hobart Class Air Warfare

Destroyers has been proceeding steadily.Supplies have been delivered for two ships with another due for supplies when construction work is ready to receive them.The three destroyers are being built for the Australian Government by Adelaide-based shipbuilder, ASC.ASC chose the Hawke Transit System to maintain integrity of bulkheads and the deck areas through which electrical cables and piping pass as the transit system is a particularly good product for pressure sealing against fire, water and gas.One of the unique aspects of the Hawke Transit System is colour coded blocks that

ensure the top and bottom halves of each block are correctly matched for size so that the chances of errors can be minimised.These blocks in seven sizes ranging from 3mm to 100mm in diameter have been

designed with a degree of flexibility to accommodate variances in cable diameters. As a consequence they offer a simpler, speedier process of installation than that offered by other systems.These size-tolerant blocks are made of zero halogen, intumescent elastomeric polymer with five sealing faces that are displaced by the sealing process to give a tolerance of up to 4mm for cable diameters.Meanwhile the Federal Government has announced that the $36billion Future Submarines project will be going ahead, also based in South Australia.The project will be the largest and most complex Defence project ever undertaken by Australia, involving hundreds of companies and thousands of workers.

Traditional products like fluorescents, floodlights, bulkheads, and well-glasses using traditional lamp

sources, such as fluorescent or HID, will not disappear overnight but with the continuing improvements in LED technology, this new light source is proving to be ideally suited to oil and gas installations because of safety factors and reduced energy usage.Ian MacLeod, a spokesman for Chalmit Lighting, our principal supplier of lighting for the oil and gas industry, makes the point that whether using older or newer technology there are pros and cons to the best use of products, dependant on many factors, ambient temperature, installation cost and maintenance costs, to name just a few.Chalmit has been manufacturing Ex LED products since 2004. Their Nexled bulkhead light was the first hazardous area product utilising LEDs as the main light source. Over 10,000 have been installed worldwide.The first ventures into LEDs concentrated

on smaller products using low to medium power LEDs, but as the technology has improved their designs have been scaled up to give products delivering output to match fluorescent and HID lamps.Ian MacLeod said that in designing with LEDs it is important to ensure they do actually perform as expected – putting the required amount of light (lux) on the working plane. In order to ensure designers and users can be assured of the right product for the job, Chalmit releases photometric details that provide an indication of the levels of light output.

Another important factor with LED products is the life, not only of the LED but of the complete luminaire. Chalmit has a long history of designing and manufacturing products that are robust and suitable for the challenges thrown up by oil & gas installations and have used the knowledge to ensure that the key parts of any LED luminaire – the LEDs and the driver – can cope.Another benefit of LED technology is that the components are similar worldwide. No longer are there situations where European lamps and control gear differ from US lamps and control gear – they’re all using similar solid state technology.In the very near future Chalmit will have a full range of Ex products utilising LEDs. When these are added to the already extensive range of Ex products using existing lamp sources, the range of choices will be huge.

LED lighting

THERE’S NO DOUBT LEDS ARE NOT A PASSING FAD

They’re here to stay

Hawke’s unique colour code system

3Reliability Dependability Quality

Why earthing is important

The installation and maintenance of an effective low resistance earthing system is essential for any modern

facility for three key reasons: ▪ Protection of personnel ▪ Protection of equipment ▪ Ensuring electrical noise reduction to

minimise voltage potentials between interconnected equipment

The requirement for effective earthing is critical when considering the following applications: ▪ Lightning protection ▪ Power generation, distribution and

transmission ▪ Telecommunications ▪ Reduction of static electricity

The key parameters of an efficient earthing systemIn order to achieve a low resistance and impedance, earth connections should be short and direct as possible. Maximising the surface contact between the soil and all electrodes and conductors is essential for efficient performance.The system needs: ▪ Excellent electrical conductivity ▪ Low earth resistance and impedance ▪ Conductors capable of withstanding high

fault currents ▪ Robust mechanical connections to

facilitate a long working life ▪ High corrosion resistance

Materials chosen for earthing systems should offer an acceptable compromise between cost and longevity. Compatible metals must be used to minimise corrosion. ▪ Equipotential Bonding

The elimination of dangerous step and touch potentials is achieved through equipotential bonding of all earths.

The importance of low soil resistivityThe resistance of the earth itself (earth / soil resistance) is the greatest influence on overall impedance of an earthing system. Factors such as soil composition, moisture content, seasonal weather, mineral content and possible contaminants determine resistivity.Moisture content is the single largest influence and in most cases, the higher the moisture level the lower the soil resistivity. The installation of a deep driven earthing electrode that reaches the water table beneath the surface represents an ideal earthing system. ▪ Rich dark soils high in organic content

are typically good conductors due to moisture retention which aids in the dissipation of electrical currents.

▪ Sandy soils are ineffective in retaining moisture and typically have higher impedance.

▪ Rocky ground retains virtually no moisture and is very high in resistance.

Designing an earthing systemThere are several factors to consider when planning the design of an earthing system. ▪ Applicable standards and codes to be

followed:

For power system earthing IEEE 80 or other international derivations are widely used. These standards are usually mandatory and some level of expertise is needed to undertake designs to these standards.For lightning protection / static earths commonly used standards are IEC62305, AS1768, NFPA 780. These are often not mandatory but provide recommendations. ▪ Type of facility and the site layout in

regards to available space ▪ Level of soil resistivity at site ▪ Influence of seasonal weather conditions

on soil resistivity ▪ Corrosive nature of soil and

consequently materials chosen for use ▪ Expected life of the facility will affect

material choices ▪ Future extensions ▪ If applicable the status of any existing

earthing system ▪ Step and touch potentials ▪ Volume of pedestrian traffic ▪ Finally, but most importantly, the quality

and compliance of hardware used in the earthing system installation is a major determinant of the reliability of the earthing system.

This is why some standards for design also have requirements associated with testing and certification of components. Some applicable testing standards include IEEE 837, and EN 50164.

By Paul Hollingsworth, CEO Lightning Protection International

Footnote:JT Day has signed a distribution agreement with LPI for earthing/direct strike products for the oil & gas market.

The MacLean Group’s Operations Director, Mary Pitts was in Perth recently after visiting JT Day’s

Brisbane and Melbourne offices.Ms Pitts was the director of the MacLean Electrical Group who first identified JT

Day as being the company that would give the Scotland based specialist electrical equipment supplier for the petrochemical industry entry into the Australian oil and gas industry.It was her seventh visit to Perth.

Weidmuller Australia recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with an Australiana-themed

luncheon party at its headquarters in Emu Plains. Surrounded by hay bales and a myriad of photos marking the history of the company, Managing Director, Weidmuller Australia, Andrew Finch welcomed guests, the company’s 60 employees and third-generation family member, Christian Glasel, who is Chairman of the Weidmuller Supervisory Board & Representative of the Glasel family.Mr Glasel was in Australia for the first time. He said setting up globally with Weidmuller Australia and its Klippon Electrical brand back in the 70s was a huge step for the German-based family business.

Trevor Hitchcock, Founding Managing Director, Weidmuller Australia started the company in September 1972 after coming from England. He worked with two generations of the Glasel family, during his 29-year history with the company.

Perth: 93 Inspiration DriveWangara WA 6065 Tel: +61 08 9303 2248 Fax: +61 08 9303 2446perth@jtday.com.au

www.jtday.com.auMelbourne: Level 4, Suite 13 150 Albert Road South Melbourne VIC 3205 Tel: +61 03 9685 7522 Fax : +61 03 9685 7599 melbourne@jtday.com.au

Brisbane: Toowong TowerSuite 5-8, Level 5, 9 Sherwood RdToowong QLD 4066Tel: +61 07 3310 8756 Fax: +61 07 3310 8757brisbane@jtday.com.au

4 Reliability Dependability Quality

Our brands:

®

Ops director does her rounds

Weidmuller celebrates 40 years

$2million order for earthing equipment

A welcome to some new faces

JT Day has recently supplied its biggest ever order of earthing equipment.

The $2million order being installed at the Gladstone LNG project was manufactured by Tasmanian based company, Lightning Protection International Pty Ltd (LPI).LPI is a fully Australian owned manufacturer of direct strike lightning protection, transient voltage surge suppression and earthing/grounding solutions.

Their equipment is highly applicable to the liquefied natural gas and coal seam gas industries where earthing equipment is essential for the protection of personnel and equipment.LPI has a significant track record, having installations at Pluto and Gorgon LNG operations in W.A., Chevron, West Java, Conoco Phillips North Sulawesi and Suban Gas all in Indonesia, the Macedon project, W.A. and GLNG, Queensland.

Senior Weidmuller representatives, Mr Jan Lont, VP Asia Pacific Region, Mr Volpert Briel, Executive Board Member, Mr Trevor Hitchcock, Former & First Managing Director, Mr Christian Gläsel, Chairman Supervisory Board and 3rd Generation Representative of the Gläsel Family, Mr Andrew Finch, MD Weidmuller Australia

Since JT Day’s last publication in August this year we have made a few new appointments to the team. Jacob Madurun joined JT Day earlier in the year as Warehouse Supervisor, Mick Stevenson moves from the internal Weidmuller portfolio into the our new workshop facility and as such Samantha Plews joins our internal sales team working within the Weidmuller portfolio. In addition, Nick Boyce moves from contractor to employee within our warehouse.

The team at J.T. Day wishes all customers and

their families a Merry Christmas and Happy

New Year!