HYDRAULIC FRACTURING IN HYDROCARBON RESERVOIRS

1 . A method for treating a subterranean zone, the method comprising:

introducing an acid-generating material and a proppant to the subterranean zone;

creating fractures in the subterranean zone using the acid-generating material; and

positioning the proppant within the created fractures to keep the fractures open.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the acid-generating material and the proppant to the subterranean zone comprises:

mixing the acid-generating material and the proppant to form a mixture; and

introducing the mixture to the subterranean zone.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the mixture comprises a plurality of layers, each of the layers comprising the acid-generating material and the proppant.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the subterranean zone comprises carbonate mineral.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein creating the fractures in the subterranean zone using the acid-generating material comprises:

generating an acid in the subterranean zone with the acid-generating material; and

reacting the carbonate mineral with the generated acid.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the acid-generating material comprises a degradable ester.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the degradable ester comprises polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, or combinations thereof.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the proppant has a maximum dimension less than or equal to 100 micrometers (μm).

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the proppant has a maximum dimension less than or equal to 1 μm.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the proppant has a maximum dimension less than or equal to 100 nanometers (nm).

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing the acid-generating material and the proppant to the subterranean zone comprises:

coating the proppant with the acid-generating material to form coated proppant; and

introducing the coated proppant to the subterranean zone.