Measuring bottom-hole temperature with smart polymers

A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions executable by a computer system to perform operations comprising:

• storing an insertion timestamp associated with insertion of each unit of smart polymers, each insertion timestamp indicating a time that each unit of smart polymers was inserted into a drilling fluid pumped into a well during a drilling operation, the smart polymers being configured to be triggered by exposure to increasing levels of heat experienced in the well;
• controlling, a camera positioned at a sensing location, to continuously capture images and observed characteristics of returning mud exiting through an annulus of the well and comprising the units of smart polymer;
• determining, by using the images and the observed characteristics and the insertion timestamps associated with each unit of smart polymer, an estimate of temperatures at a drill bit of the drilling operation, wherein determining the estimate is based at least in part on executing image processing algorithms;
• and
• triggering, by based at least in part on the estimate of the temperatures, an adjustment of drilling parameters for the drilling operation.

A computer-implemented system, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing programming instructions for execution by the one or more processors, the programming instructions instructing the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
• storing an insertion timestamp associated with insertion of each unit of smart polymers, each insertion timestamp indicating a time that each unit of smart polymers was inserted into a drilling fluid pumped into a well during a drilling operation, the smart polymers being configured to be triggered by exposure to increasing levels of heat experienced in the well;
• controlling, a camera positioned at a sensing location, to continuously capture images and observed characteristics of returning mud exiting through an annulus of the well and comprising the units of smart polymer;
• determining, by using the images and the observed characteristics and the insertion timestamps associated with each unit of smart polymer, an estimate of temperatures at a drill bit of the drilling operation, wherein determining the estimate is based at least in part on executing image processing algorithms;
• and
• triggering, by based at least in part on the estimate of the temperatures, an adjustment of drilling parameters for the drilling operation.