Patent ID: 9719010
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: C09K

Claim:
1. An aqueous viscoelastic treating fluid comprising: an aqueous base fluid; a viscoelastic surfactant (VES) gelling agent in an amount effective to increase the viscosity of the aqueous base fluid by forming elongated micelles; and a phyllosilicate mineral particle viscosity enhancer selected from the group consisting of montmorillonites, bentonites, smectites, chlorites, illites, mixed layer clays of the foregoing, and mixtures thereof where the phyllosilicate mineral particle viscosity enhancer has an average particle size ranging from about 1 to about 1000 nanometers, where the phyllosilicate mineral particle viscosity enhancer is present in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 500 pptg (about 0.012 to about 60 kg/m where the aqueous viscoelastic treating fluid has an absence of scale resistant proppants and an absence of proppants; and an absence of proppants that are a mixture of kaolin clay and amorphous to micro-crystalline silica; and an absence of added silica prior to injecting the aqueous viscoelastic treating fluid into a wellbore.