Fracturing process employing a heterogeneous propping agent

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR TREATING A SUBTERRANEAN FORMATION PENETRATED BY A WELL BORE WHICH COMPRISES FORCING A FRACTURING FLUID DOWN SAID WELL AND INTO SAID FORMATION UNDER SUFFICIENT PRESSURE TO FRACTURE SAID FORMATION, DISPLACING INTO SAID FRACTURE AT LEAST PART OF SAID FRACTURING FLUID INCLUDING A SOLID PROPPING AGENT SUSPENDED THEREIN, DEPOSITING THE PROPPING AGENT IN THE FRACTURE, THE SAID PROPPING AGENT BEING COMPOSED OF DISCRETE PARTICLES OF EACH AT LEAST TWO SOLID MATERIALS HAVING DIFFERENT MELTING POINTS, THE PARTICLES OF ALL OF THE SOLID MATERIALS COMPRISING THE PROPPING AGENT BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME RANGE OF SIZES, SUBSEQUENTLY APPLYING HEAT IN THE VICINITY OF THE FRACTURE TO CAUSE THE LOWER-MELTING POINT SOLID COMPONENT OF THE PROPPING AGENT TO MELT, AND REMOVING THE MELTED COMPONENT OF THE PROPPING AGENT FROM THE FORMATION WHILE LEAVING ANOTHER OF THE SAID SOLID MATERIALS WITHIN THE FRACTURE TO MAINTAIN A HIGHLY PERMEABLE CHANNEL FOR PASSAGE OF FRACTURE FLUIDS.