US Patent 10113406 Pulsed hydraulic fracturing with nanosilica carrier fluid

Fracturing a reservoir includes providing a pad fluid to the reservoir via a wellbore in a well to create fractures in the reservoir, providing a fracturing fluid to the fractures via the wellbore, providing a nanosilica carrier fluid to the fractures via the wellbore, activating the nanosilica particles with an activator to yield a nanosilica gel, and shutting in the wellbore at a wellbore pressure, thereby allowing the nanosilica gel to form proppant pillars in the fractures. The nanosilica carrier fluid includes nanosilica particles, and providing the nanosilica carrier fluid to the fractures comprises pulsing quantities of the nanosilica carrier fluid into a continuous flow of the fracturing fluid or alternately pulsing quantities of the nanosilica carrier fluid and the fracturing fluid. An elapsed time between pulsing the quantities of the nanosilica carrier fluid is between 2 seconds and 10 minutes.