24
Air Breeze
Owner’s Manual
Regulation:
As Air Breeze produces power and the battery voltage rises
to the regulation set point voltage, Air Breeze will go into “regulation.” At
that point it stops producing power and the blade rpm will lower dramati-
cally (almost stopping). Air Breeze will remain in regulation until the battery
voltage drops slightly below the regulation set point – this is often referred
to as the
cut-in voltage
. When the cut-in voltage is reached, the blades
will resume spinning in response to the available wind. Regulation mode is
indicated by the Air Breeze LED blinking at a rate of approximately twice
a second.
Stall Mode:
Stall mode is marked by a dramatic reduction in turbine
speed to approximately 500 – 700 rpm. Air Breeze will enter stall mode
when a wind speed of 35 mph (15.6 m/s) is sensed, and it will remain in
stall mode until the speed drops to 32 mph (14 m/s). If a wind speed of
50 mph (22 m/s) is detected, the turbine will completely shut down for 5
minutes.
When in stall mode the Air Breeze LED will blink quickly – approximately
10 times per second.
Braking Mode:
Air Breeze may be placed in braking mode by directly
shorting the turbine positive and negative wires together or by the use of
a stop switch. The stop switch first disconnects the turbine from the bat-
tery and then shorts the positive and negative wires. In very strong winds
the blades may rotate slowly even with the switch activated.
Open Circuit/Free Spinning:
Air Breeze will freely spin if disconnected
from the batteries or if the positive and negative wires are not shorted
together. As Air Breeze freely spins in response to the available wind, the
internal controller will attempt to protect the circuit from high voltage con-
ditions by slowing the turbine. This eliminates the high voltage, and if the
wind is still available, Air Breeze will spin up again.
The result is a repeating cycle of high speed spinning followed by turbine
braking which can cause excessive wear. Southwest Windpower recom-
mends that the turbine not be left in open circuit for extended periods of
time. If necessary, you should leave turbine connected to batteries, install
a stop switch, or short positive and negative wires together.
Seven - Air Breeze Operation
7-1 Operational Summary
Wind turbines operate by capturing the kinetic energy of moving air:
the
wind
. They convert it to rotational motion to turn an alternator that produc-
es electrical power. The electrical power must be regulated to a voltage to
charge the system batteries, and there must be a system to prevent over-
charging the batteries and resume charging as the battery voltage drops.
A means to protect the wind turbine from extreme wind damage must also
be provided.
The Air Breeze accomplishes all these goals by incorporating a three-
phase brushless permanent magnet alternator and microprocessor con-
trolled electronics to optimize its power production capability. The micro-
processor continuously adjusts the loading of the alternator to keep the
blades operating at their optimal angle of attack. The result:
• high power production;
• high blade efficiency; and
• lower blade noise.
7-2 Operating Modes
Charging:
With Air Breeze connected to batteries with the voltage below
the voltage regulation set point, the blades will spin in response to the
wind. With an available wind, the blades will continue to spin until the bat-
tery voltage matches the regulation set point.
Note that Air Breeze requires a minimum battery bank voltage (approxi-
mately 10.5 volts on a 12-volt system) or the controller will behave as if
an open circuit condition exists. Refer to
Open Circuit/Free Spinning
section. When charging the batteries, the Air Breeze LED will be continu-
ously illuminated.
