Whisper H40 Final Report & Power Curve Summaries [RE-wrenches]

Paul Gipe pgipe at igc.org
Mon Dec 8 12:19:22 PST 2003


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Whisper H40 Final Report

Below is my final report on the H40. The article and accompanying charts 
can be found at http://www.wind-works.org/articles/H40Whisper.html .

And additional page has also been added to my web site summarizing the 
power curve measurements to date: 
http://www.wind-works.org/articles/pccombined.html .

Whisper H40 Final Report

December 8, 2003

by Paul Gipe

Key words: H40, Whisper, Southwest Windpower, Small wind turbine testing.


Disclosure: Two AirX turbines as well as a Whisper H40 were provided by 
Southwest Windpower to Paul Gipe at no charge in lieu of noise measurement 
services provided by Paul Gipe.


I removed a Bergey 850 in the late fall of 2002 and during the winter of 
2001-2002 installed a Whisper H40 manufactured by Southwest Windpower.

Description

At 7 feet in diameter (2.1 meters), the H40 is slightly smaller than the 
Bergey 850 it replaced, and sweeps about 40 square feet (3.6 square 
meters), hence the designation: H40.

While still a product of World Power Technologies the H40 was rated at 460 
watts at 10 meters/second (22 mph). During the transition to Southwest 
Windpower the rating was dropped in favor of the swept area designation and 
a reference to a peak power of 900 Watts at 28 mph (12.5 m/s).

Packaging

The packaging was adequate. The blades were well protected but the 
generator was crudely packed in foam and flakes of foam were wedged in the 
generator body. All parts needed were included.

Manual

Again adequate. The installation manual offered good visuals explaining the 
turbine's assembly.

Assembly

The H40 is a very simple turbine and assembly was very straightforward.

Tower

I mounted the H40 on an NRG 65-foot hinged mast of 4.5-inch tube. This is a 
non-standard application for the H40 and I had to have an adapter made at a 
local machine shop.

Control Panel

The control panel was less sophisticated than the old World Power panel. 
There was no meter. But there was a brake switch and it worked under light 
to moderate winds. The panel was ruggedly constructed and easy to mount. 
The arrangement for the terminals for the conductors were much better than 
for the BWC 850.

Operation

The turbine is relatively quiet and operated without problems for nearly 
two years (from early 2002 to December 2003). I removed the H40 to free up 
the tower for tests on a Bergey XL1.

Power Curve

Like several of the turbines I've tested, the H40 does not meet the 
manufacturers power curve. Corrected for sea level conditions the turbine 
peaked at about 700 watts at 28 mph or 200 watts less than the manufacturer 
claimed. Even so, my 1-minute measurements were considerably higher than 
the 10-minute averages recorded by NREL during their power performance 
tests of the H40 <a href="http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/32748.pdf">Power 
Performance Test Report for the Whisper H40</a>.

I ran the tests again in the spring of 2003 and found no deterioration in 
the power curve.

Summary

I detected no external deterioration of the turbine when I removed it from 
the tower after nearly two years of operation in the Tehachapi Pass. Though 
this turbine does not meet its advertised power curve, the H40 has proven 
reliable and trouble free. It's "a keeper" and I have no qualms 
recommending the H40 to others. (This recommendation applies only to the 
H40 and not to the H80.)

Power Curve

Scatter Plot

Power Lost in Conductors

My tower was on the edge of the recommended cable length for #8 AWG copper. 
The power lost in the conductors would have been slightly reduced by using 
#6 AWG copper.

                               -30-



Paul Gipe
208 S. Green St., #5
Tehachapi CA 93561-1741 USA
+661 822 9150
+661 822 8452 fax
pgipe at igc.org
www.wind-works.org
Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, & Business, ISBN 1-931498-14-8 
(spring, 2004)

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