The world’s number one selling marine wind turbine is by far the Air-X Marine. It is a small wind turbine designed for sailboats and other boats. The marine grade wind turbine was designed for boats with all the weather elements in mind with its powder coating and stainless steel fittings for corrosion protection in a marine environment. The Air-X Marine is easy to install and all that is necessary 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 produces 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. Power supplied from the AIR-X Marine is great for the refrigerator, auto-pilot, water maker, lights, navigational equipment, and communication equipment. The AIR-X Marine features patented peak power tracking for maximum power no matter how great the wind speeds. 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 besides 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. To eliminate the buzzing noise the turbine’s smart controller allows it to control the rotation speed .The controller allows for peak-power tracking 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. Additionally, the new series of carbon-reinforced blades with a modified pitch angle further increases power production. The new electronics are considered a great improvement over the AIR 403 controller that consists of diode-rectification and a simple on/off voltage switch.
A much lower stress design has been engineered. 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. Primarily in high wind speeds is when strain on a wind turbine occurs. Throughout these situations, the electronic stall design lessens the blade speed to 600 rpm, therefore considerably reducing turbine and tower loading at the same time still producing power. The benefit is the greater assurance in turbine operation in high wind settings without having to manually operate the stop switch. Air-X Marine has exceptional resistance to the effects of the sun, wind, and water by significantly improving body preparation and the treatments of the marine paint during fabrication ensuring a more heavy-duty powder-coat protection to the body and internal components. Even when subjected to the most intense sun, wind, and water conditions the Air-X Marine surpasses the others.
The Air-X Marine also has improved battery charging where earlier AIR designs necessitated 300-400 amp-hour battery banks so the trickle charge of the wind turbine could be effectively absorbed. The AIR-X’s charge controller intermittently interrupts charging and reads the battery voltage then weighs it against the voltage setting to see if the battery is charged then it completely shuts off all current going to the battery. This operation is performed within a few milliseconds. The nearer the battery is to reaching its full state of charge, the more often the AIR-X’s circuit repeats this action. What this ultimately means is any size battery bank from 25 to 25,000 amp-hours or higher can be charged safely. The Air-x will come to nearly a complete stop once the battery has reached its fully charged state. Only when the battery has fallen below its voltage set point will it startup again and restart 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). With the improved powder coating protection the body is treated and acid etched with alodine before being finalized with a marine paint that is UV resistant.
- Blades: (3) Carbon Fiber Composite Blades.
- Assembly includes: Assembly includes “Tef-gel” compound to resist corrosive activity between unlike metals such as 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 made by Southwest Windpower. The AIR series wind turbine was introduced to the public in 1994 and now around 18,000 Air Marine, Air Wind Module, and Air Industrial wind generators are produced and shipped to over 100 countries, making it the best selling battery charging wind generator in history.
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