The world’s best selling marine wind turbine is by far the Air-X Marine. This small wind generating turbine was designed for sailboats and other boats too. This was designed with the weather elements in mind for this marine grade wind turbine, as it has marine powder coating and stainless steel fittings for corrosion protection in a marine environment. The Air-X Marine is simple to install and all that is needed for mounting is a 1.5” schedule 40 pipe (1.9” OD, 48 mm) which is not included.
The Air X Marine Wind Turbine has a start-up wind speed of only 6 Knots (7 mph, 2.7 m/s) and at wind speeds of 28 mph thas a start-up wind speed of only 6 knots (7 mph, 2.7 m/s) and at wind speeds of 28 mph the Air-X Marine churn outs 400 Watts of power, the powering possibilities are never-ending. With blue water cruisers purchasing over 70,000 turbines worldwide in just a few short years, the AIR X Marine has become the standard wind turbine. The power supplied by the wind generation from the Air-X Marine is enough for you to power your boat’s water-maker, lights, communication equipment, refrigerator and navigational equipment. No matter how high the wind speed the Air-X Marine has a patented peek power tracking system. Other users have operated all of the equipment aboard their 40 ft (12 m) sailboat including (with an inverter) a microwave, coffee pot, bread maker, TV, VCR, toaster, as well as 12 volt system radio, radar, lights, loran, and refrigerator. The AIR-X Marine was their only source of recharging aside from occasional engine motoring.
Previously Air wind modules relied on for protection their aero-elastic blade design extreme winds, causing a disturbing flutter noise in winds above 35 mph (16 m/s). The Air-X Marines blades are made of carbon fiber composite plus there is a new microprocessor-based speed control which results in increased performance, improved battery charging capability and reduces the “flutter” noise commonly found with most small wind turbines. The turbine’s smart controller allows it to actually control blade rotation speed eliminating the buzzing noise .The controller enables for peak-power monitoring of the wind by optimizing the alternator’s output on all points of the cubic curve and then efficiently supplies the energy to the battery. Furthermore, the new series of carbon-reinforced blades with a modified pitch angle further increases power production. The new electronics are a considerable improvement over the AIR 403 controller that consists of diode-rectification and a simple on/off voltage switch.
The engineers have also developed a much lower stress design. The new AIR-X limits power on the input side of the electronics by controlling the torque from the blades. The power no longer has to be dispersed by the electronics resulting in lower stress on the circuit, bearings and other materials. Furthermore, strain on wind turbines happens primarily in high winds. In these situations, the electronic stall design decreases the blade speed to 600 rpm, thereby greatly reducing turbine and tower loading while still creating electricity. Since you don’t have to control the operating switch manually in high wind situations you can feel assured that you are benefitting. Air-X Marine has superior resistance to the effects of the sun, wind, and water by greatly improving body preparation and the applications of the marine paint during production guaranteeing a more durable powder-coat protection to the body and internal components. Even when subjected to the most intense sun, wind, and water circumstances the Air-X Marine does better than the others.
The Air-X Marine also has increased battery charging where previous AIR designs necessitated 300-400 amp-hour battery banks so the trickle charge of the wind turbine could be adequately absorbed. The AIR-X’s charge controller periodically stops charging and reads the battery voltage then compares it to the voltage setting to see if the battery is charged then it completely shuts off all current going to the battery. This operation is completed within a few milliseconds. The Air-X circuit will repeat this the closer the battery is to reaching its full state of charge. The best part is that any size battery from 25 to 25,000 amp-hours or higher can be charged safely. When the battery has reached its fully charged state, the AIR-X will come to almost a full stop. Only when the battery has dropped under its voltage set point will it startup again and recommence charging. This creates a huge benefit by prolonging the battery life and not overcharging it.
Specifications for this product:
- Voltage: 12, 24 and 48 VDC available.
- Rated Power: 400 watts at 24 Knots (28 mph, 12.5 m/s).
- Turbine Controller: Microprocessor-based smart internal regulator with peak power tracking.
- Body: Cast aluminum (AirX Marine is powder coated for corrosion protection). Improved powder coating protection, as the body is acid etched and treated with alodine before powder coating with a UV resistant marine paint.
- Blades: (3) Carbon Fiber Composite Blades.
- Assembly includes: Assembly includes “Tef-gel” compound to resist corrosive activity between unalike metals like stainless steel and aluminum.
- Overspeed Protection: Electronic torque control.
- Kilowatt Hours: 38 kWh/mo @12 mph (5.4 m/s).
- Survival Wind Speed: 110 mph (49.2 m/s).
The Air X wind turbine carries a 3 year warranty and is produced by Southwest Windpower. The AIR series wind turbine was launched to the public in 1994 and now about 18,000 Air Marine, Air Wind Module, and Air Industrial wind turbines are manufactured and shipped to over 100 countries, making it the best selling battery charging wind turbine in history.
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