# US 12,007,286 B2 · Self-cleaning thermometer for use in a mud pit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,007,286 B2 - Document ID: US12007286B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/973,016 - Filed: 2022-10-25 - Published: 2024-04-25 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2022-10-25 - Assignees: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Applicants: Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. - Inventors: Dale E. Jamison; Andrew Vos - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12007286B2 ## CPC - G01K 13/026: {of moving liquids} - B08B 1/12: Brushes - B08B 1/20: Cleaning of moving articles, e.g. of moving webs or of objects on a conveyor - B08B 13/00: Accessories or details of general applicability for machines or apparatus for cleaning - E21B 21/01: Arrangements for handling drilling fluids or cuttings outside the borehole, e.g. mud boxes - E21B 21/08: Controlling or monitoring pressure or flow of drilling fluid, e.g. automatic filling of boreholes, automatic control of bottom pressure (valve arrangements therefor E21B21/10) - E21B 44/00: Automatic control systems specially adapted for drilling operations, i.e. self-operating systems which function to carry out or modify a drilling operation without intervention of a human operator, e.g. computer-controlled drilling systems; Systems specially adapted for monitoring a plurality of drilling variables or conditions - E21B 47/07: Temperature - G01K 1/08: Protective devices, e.g. casings - B08B 3/04: Cleaning involving contact with liquid - G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00) - B08B: CLEANING IN GENERAL; PREVENTION OF FOULING IN GENERAL - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS ## Abstract A self-cleaning temperature sensor comprises: a bellows coupled to a support structure; a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder; a sensor configured to measure a temperature of a fluid and extending from the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, wherein the sensor comprises an exposure end configured to contact the fluid during sensing by the sensor; sensor wires connected with the sensor and extending to a control system; and a self-cleaning system comprising: a hood having walls extending radially outward a distance along a central axis wherein the hood defines a first volume; and a cleaning brush integrated with or adjacent the bottom of the support structure. In a retracted configuration, the exposure end of the sensor is positioned at a retracted position a distance from cleaning brush, and, in an extended configuration, the exposure end of the sensor extends a distance along the central axis away from the retracted position. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A self-cleaning temperature sensor comprising: a bellows coupled to a support structure, wherein the support structure is configured to support the bellows; a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder extending into the bellows; a sensor configured to measure a temperature of a fluid and extending from the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, wherein the sensor comprises an exposure end configured to contact the fluid during sensing by the sensor; sensor wires connected with the sensor and extending through an interior of the bellows to a control system connection, wherein the control system connection is configured for communication with a control system; and a self-cleaning system comprising: a hood extending radially outward at least a portion of a distance along a central axis from a first end of the hood to a second end of the hood, wherein the hood defines a first volume; and a cleaning brush integrated with or adjacent a bottom of the support structure, wherein, in a retracted configuration of the self-cleaning sensor, the exposure end of the sensor is positioned at a retracted position a distance from cleaning brush, and, in an extended configuration of the self-cleaning sensor, the exposure end of the sensor extends a distance along the central axis away from the retracted position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The self-cleaning sensor of claim 1: wherein the support structure comprises a top, the bottom, and sides/walls, and wherein the bellows comprises a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the bellows is coupled to the top of the support structure; wherein the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder has a first end coupled to the top of the support structure, and a second end extending into the bellows; wherein the sensor extends from the second end of the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder and through a stabilizer; wherein the sensor wires connected with the sensor extend from the stabilizer through an interior of the bellows and the top of the support structure to the control system connection; and wherein the hood comprises walls extending radially outward at least the portion of a distance along the central axis from the first end of the hood to the second end of the hood, wherein the first end of the hood is coupled with the second end of the bellows. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The self-cleaning sensor of claim 2, wherein the first end of the hood is clamped via a first clamp to the second end of the bellows, and/or further comprising a second clamp around the first end of the bellows or around a gasket coupled therewith. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The self-cleaning sensor of claim 3, wherein the first end of the hood further comprises or is coupled with a rubber gasket through which the sensor extends along the central axis. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The self-cleaning-sensor of claim 1, wherein the bellows is configured to prevent fluid entry into the interior of the bellows. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The self-cleaning sensor of claim 1, wherein the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder further comprises a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder inlet in fluid communication with a first end of the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The self-cleaning sensor of claim 1 further comprising connectors for connecting sides of the support structure to a top of the support structure and to a bottom of the support structure. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The self-cleaning sensor of claim 1 further comprising a tube comprising sides and a top extending a distance from a top of a bottom of the support structure along the central axis toward a top of the support structure, and providing an additional volume, whereby, when extending from the retracted configuration to the extended configuration, a total volume equal to a portion of the sum of the first volume and the additional volume is pushed through cleaning brush. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The self-cleaning sensor of claim 1 positioned in a mud pit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The self-cleaning sensor of claim 9, wherein the self-cleaning sensor is: positioned along a midline of the mud pit, wherein the midline extends about midway between a top and a bottom of the mud pit positioned proximal an inlet of the mud pit, wherein the inlet is an inlet for fluid into the mud pit; positioned proximal an outlet of the mud pit, wherein the outlet of the mud pit is an outlet for fluid from the mud pit; and/or positioned between the inlet and the outlet of the mud pit. ### Claim 11 A method comprising: positioning a self-cleaning sensor into a fluid, wherein the self-cleaning sensor comprises: a bellows coupled to a support structure, wherein the support structure is configured to support the bellows; a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder extending into the bellows; a sensor configured to measure a temperature of a fluid and extending from the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, wherein the sensor comprises an exposure end configured to contact the fluid during sensing by the sensor; sensor wires connected with the sensor and extending through an interior of the bellows to a control system connection, wherein the control system connection is configured for communication with a control system; and a self-cleaning system comprising: a hood extending radially outward at least a portion of a distance along a central axis from a first end of the hood to a second end of the hood, wherein the hood defines a first volume; and a cleaning brush integrated with or adjacent a bottom of the support structure, wherein, in a retracted configuration of the self-cleaning sensor, the exposure end of the sensor is positioned at a retracted position a distance from cleaning brush, and, in an extended configuration of the self-cleaning sensor, the exposure end of the sensor extends a distance along the central axis away from the retracted position; extending the sensor from the retracted configuration to the extended configuration such that exposure end of the sensor is cleaned via passage through the cleaning brush and passage, of at least a portion of the first volume of the fluid through the cleaning brush breaks gels, if present, in the fluid; measuring a temperature of the fluid in real time with the self-cleaning sensor; and communicating the measured temperature of the fluid in real time to the control system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 further comprising adjusting an operating parameter of a drilling system via the control system based on the measured temperature. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the control system utilizes the measured temperature of the fluid in the mud pit to calculate a volume and/or mass of the mud pit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13 further comprising utilizing the calculated volume and/or mass of the mud pit for event detection. ### Claim 15 A method comprising: regularly measuring a temperature of a fluid in a mud pit in real time with a self-cleaning sensor by: exposing an exposure end of the sensor to the fluid; measuring the temperature of the fluid with the self-cleaning sensor; and communicating the measured temperature to the control system, wherein the self-cleaning sensor comprises: a bellows coupled to a support structure, wherein the support structure is configured to support the bellows; a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder extending into the bellows; a sensor configured to measure a temperature of a fluid and extending from the pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder, wherein the sensor comprises the exposure end, wherein the exposure end is configured to contact the fluid during sensing by the sensor; sensor wires connected with the sensor and extending through an interior of the bellows to a control system connection, wherein the control system connection is configured for communication with a control system; and a self-cleaning system comprising: a hood extending radially outward at least a portion of a distance along a central axis from a first end of the hood to a second end of the hood, wherein the hood defines a first volume; and a cleaning brush integrated with or adjacent a bottom of the support structure, wherein, in a retracted configuration of the self-cleaning sensor, the exposure end of the sensor is positioned at a retracted position a distance from cleaning brush, and, in an extended configuration of the self-cleaning sensor, the exposure end of the sensor extends a distance along the central axis away from the retracted position. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 further comprising utilizing the measured temperature for monitoring and/or controlling operation of a mud circulation system. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein monitoring and/or controlling comprises utilizing the measured temperature to calculate a mud pit volume and/or mass in real time. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17 further comprising utilizing the calculated mud pit volume and/or mass for event detection. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 further comprising utilizing the real time measure temperature to control operation of a drilling system to prevent over pressurization or under pressurization of a wellbore being drilled. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15 further comprising, prior to measuring the temperature of the fluid with the self-cleaning sensor: cleaning the exposure end of the sensor and breaking gels local to the exposure end of the sensor, if present, in the fluid by extending and retracting the sensor from the retracted configuration to the extended configuration and back a plurality of times.