Method for improving oil and gas well productivity and encapsulated lubricating frac fluid additive by lubrication of stimulated reservoir volume

Abstract

A method for improving oil and gas well productivity includes introducing a lubricating agent into a microfracture in a subterranean formation, coating at least a portion of a first surface and a second surface of the microfracture with the lubricating agent to produce a coated microfracture; and, providing a sufficient time for the coated microfracture to close. The introducing, the coating and the providing cause the first surface and the second surface of the coated microfracture to misalign after the closure of the coated microfracture and an opening to form between the first surface and the second surface. An encapsulated lubricating agent includes 30 to 50 wt % of a lubricating agent, and 50 to 70 wt % of an encapsulant encapsulating at least a portion of the lubricating agent.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.