Port purging and deicing system

A wind turbine comprising:

• a plurality of turbine blades operably connected around a turbine hub;
• and
• a sensing system configured to monitor air pressure on the turbine blades including a plurality of sensor modules being housed in each turbine blade and a control module housed in the hub, the sensor modules each including a plurality of pressure ports, a local sensing device and a load mitigation device and the control module including a master controller and a dry air system, wherein the sensing system is an active sensing system configured to determine if proper sensing operation is being prevented and to actively eradicate an obstruction that is preventing proper sensing operation from the wind turbine,
• wherein the local sensing device of each of the sensor modules is configured to receive pressure data from two or more respective pressure ports of the plurality of pressure ports and determine a pressure differential between the two or more respective pressure ports.

A method for monitoring wind turbine blade operation with an active sensing system, comprising the steps of:

• monitoring operational characteristics of a turbine blade including detecting air pressure on a surface of a turbine blade by detecting differences in air pressure measured at first and second pressure ports of a complimentary pair of pressure ports housed and spaced on the turbine blade;
• detecting an error in monitoring of the operational characteristics of the turbine blade;
• and
• causing the sensing system to perform an eradicating action to eradicate a portion of an obstruction on the turbine blade, wherein the eradicating action includes supplying both heat and pressurized air at a pressure port.