Methods for replenishing particles screened from drilling fluids

Abstract

Methods for selectively replacing the larger particles screened from a drilling fluid may include: circulating a drilling fluid comprising a base fluid and a plurality of particles through a wellbore penetrating a subterranean formation; passing the drilling fluid over a screen having a mesh size, thereby separating the plurality of particles into screened particles having a diameter greater than or equal to the mesh size and retained particles having a diameter smaller than the mesh size; adding a concentration of replenishment particles to the drilling fluid that comprises the base fluid and the retained particles, wherein a PSD of the replenishment particles has a d25REP greater than or equal to the mesh size; and re-circulating the drilling fluid including the replenishment particles back into the wellbore.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.