Patent ID: 8507412

Claim:
A method for fracturing a formation comprising the steps of: injecting a fracturing fluid into a bore hole to contact at least a part of the formation by the fracturing fluid under a sufficient pressure to fracture the formation; the fracturing fluid comprising: a base fluid and a cross-linkable composition including a gelling agent and a cross-linking agent, optionally a proppant, where the base fluid is a hydrocarbon fluid, the gelling agent comprises a phosphate ester formed from phosphorus pentoxide and an alkoxide donor selected from the group consisting of mono-alkyl-phosphates, di-alkyl-phosphates, tri-alkyl-phosphates, alcohols and mixtures or combinations thereof, where the alkyl groups of the alkoxide donor all have at least 4 carbon atoms, and where one or more of the carbon atoms can be hetero atoms selected from the group of oxygen and nitrogen, and forwarding the produced well fluids, after de-salting, to a high temperature distillation or other separation unit, where the de-salted, produced well fluids produce less to no volatile phosphorus-containing compounds at temperatures up to 250° C.