Abstract: Compositions include (1) aggregating compositions capable of forming deformable partial or complete coatings on formation surfaces, formation particle surfaces, downhole fluid solid surfaces, and/or proppant surfaces, where the coatings increase aggregation and/or agglomeration propensities of the particles and surfaces to form particles clusters or pillars having deformable coatings, and (2) aggregation stabilizing and/or strengthening compositions capable of altering properties of the coated clusters or pillars to form consolidated, stabilized, and/or strengthened clusters or pillars. Methods for stabilizing aggregated particle clusters or pillars include (1) treating the particles with an aggregating composition to form aggregated clusters or pillars and (2) treating the aggregated particle clusters or pillars with a stabilizing or strengthening composition to form consolidated, stabilized, and/or strengthened clusters or pillars.

Abstract: Systems and methods generate optimized formation fracturing operational parameters by iteratively optimizing bottom hole temperature design, perforation design, fracturing fluid pulse design, and proppant design based on formation properties, proppant properties, candidate selection, flow and geomechanical modeling, and engineering design, where the systems and methods as implemented on a digital processing unit.

Abstract: Systems and methods for treating formation intervals including forming a low permeability layer on a surface of the interval and pumping a treating fluid, where the treatment fluid is diverted through the layer permitting improved treatment uniformity across the formation or intervaland permitting a longer interval to be treated, where the layer comprises self-degradable material that degrade over time without harm to the formation or interval surfaces.

Abstract: Methods for forming proppant pillars in a formation during formation fracturing include include periods of pumping a first fracturing fluid including a proppant and an aggregating composition including a reaction product of a phosphate compound or a plurality of phosphate and an amine, periods of pumping a second fracturing fluid excluding a proppant and an aggregating composition including a reaction product of a phosphate compound and periods of pumping a third fracturing fluid including an aggregating composition including a reaction product of a phosphate compound, where the pumping of the three fracturing fluids may be in any order and may involve continuous pumping, pulse pumping, or non-continuous pumping.

Abstract: Compositions include (1) aggregating compositions capable of forming deformable partial or complete coatings on formation surfaces, formation particle surfaces, downhole fluid solid surfaces, and/or proppant surfaces, where the coatings increase aggregation and/or agglomeration propensities of the particles and surfaces to form particles clusters or pillars having deformable coatings, and (2) aggregation stabilizing and/or strengthening compositions capable of altering properties of the coated clusters or pillars to form consolidated, stabilized, and/or strengthened clusters or pillars. Methods for stabilizing aggregated particle clusters or pillars include (1) treating the particles with an aggregating composition to form aggregated clusters or pillars and (2) treating the aggregated particle clusters or pillars with a stabilizing or strengthening composition to form consolidated, stabilized, and/or strengthened clusters or pillars.

Abstract: The present invention provides improved methods for preparing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-capped gold nanoparticles through the use of hydroquinone as a reducing agent. Such methods generally comprise the steps of: (1) providing a seed solution comprising a gold nanoparticle; (2) providing an aqueous growth solution comprising: (i) cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, (ii) hydrogen tetrachloroaurate, and (iii) hydroquinone; and (3) adding a quantity of the seed solution to the aqueous growth solution.

Abstract: The present invention provides improved methods for preparing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-capped gold nanoparticles through the use of hydroquinone as a reducing agent. Such methods generally comprise the steps of: (1) providing a seed solution comprising a gold nanoparticle; (2) providing an aqueous growth solution comprising: (i) cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, (ii) hydrogen tetrachloroaurate, and (iii) hydroquinone; and (3) adding a quantity of the seed solution to the aqueous growth solution.