Disclosed are acid fracturing methods for subterranean siliceous
formations employing a viscous dissolving fluid to create a permeable
conduit that bypasses the near wellbore damage. The viscous dissolving
fluids used according to the invention are acid-fracturing treatment
fluids containing a dissolving agent viscosified with a material such as
a viscoelastic surfactant, and the fluid is injected into a sandstone
formation at a pressure sufficient to create a hydraulic fracture. Also,
the viscous dissolving fluid leaks off into the faces of the fracture
thus "stimulating" the formation. Hence when the hydraulic fracture has
closed there is a part of the formation that has been effectively
stimulated, creating a pathway for fluids to preferentially flow to the
wellbore. The formation may then be flowed back to produce a substantial
volume of the treatment fluid.