Air X Marine wind generator: optimal assembling place

Air X Marine wind generator

assembling place

The Air X by its tail unit in principle looks for itself the correct position to the wind.

Without turbulences	-	it will stay in the wind for years. Result: Full achievement
Light turbulences	-	produce easy cross-winds The Air X oscillates easily left and right, but will remain in the wind. Result: Full achievement.
Strong turbulences	-	produce at short notice (1 until few seconds long) strong cross-winds, which are often stronger than the regular wind. The Air X reacts to it immediately and swings from the main wind into the cross-wind. Cross-winds are however only few seconds stable, as turbulence produces constantly new cross-winds from all possible directions. Therefore the Air X will be few seconds, after it turned on a cross-wind, without wind. Result: The wings will stop spinning and start running again not before the Air X swings back into the wind. Strong turbulences thus constantly turn the Air X from the wind and reduce the potential achievement up to 50% and more.

A flow technically optimal place for the assembly is thus important but not simple to find:

Assembly highly, e.g. over 7/8 rig or on the mizzenmast:

Advantage	-	Higher wind pressure, hardly turbulences, therefore more quietly: Maximum achievement.
Disadvantage	-	Complex construction, complicated assembly, when assembling in the mast often noise on the trunk, repair and maintenance with difficulty.

Assembly low, e.g. scarcely above the cabin roof:

Advantage	-	Simple assembly, simple repair and maintenance.
Disadvantage	-	Smaller wind pressure, strong turbulences by deck superstructures etc., therefore louder: Reduced achievement, particularly, if the turbulences constantly turn the Air X from the wind.

Many sailors decided for the high assembly, in order to avoid disadvantages by turbulences of a low assembly.

But turbulences can have advantages with their increased wind pressure. Approximately around the cabin roof e.g. the wind pressure is increased (see cape effect with up to double wind force). That can lead in principle to higher achievement of a there low installed Air X.

Due to of turbulences an increased wind pressure has however unfortunately the mentioned disadvantages.

TIP:

There is a trick to use the advantages of increased wind pressure/turbulence without the disadvantage of the turbulent cross-winds (thanks at Kaktus Martinique, who had the idea):

To stabilize the Air X with a simple rubber band flexibly in the wind. Why?

The rubber band holds the Air X in principle in the wind direction, which it looked for itself. Sudden and very short arising and again breaking off strong cross-wind is not more sufficient now to turn the Air X from its main wind direction. It swings, held by the rubber band, for a second in the direction of the cross-wind, but is towed back immediately, as soon as the cross-wind breaks in.

The result of that simple solution is upsetting:

Without the rubber band the Air X was turned out of the wind 100 times and more per day (low test assembly scarcely over the cabin roof, strong cape effect, but strong turbulences).
With the rubber band the Air X also with strong cross-winds oscillated slightly to the left and to the right, but remained spinning and never again turned out of the wind.

Differences between the time "before the rubber band" and the time "after the rubber band"

Average wind between 15 and 22 knots (min 13 knots, max 34 knots)
Running time 12 hours/day):
2 battery banks, 500 Amp/h each, 1 Air X per battery bank
Unchanged consumption

Before the rubber band	-	12.0 V up to 12.6 V
After the rubber band	-	12.7 V up to 13.5 V

A rubber band (value 1 US$) decides thus with low installed Air X whether the batteries are full or empty.