The University of Texas System

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Statoil Gulf Services LLC

Michele O'Callaghan

Pabitra N Sen

Yue Wu

Alfred Kleinhammes

Mohsen Ahmadian-Tehrani

Hydraulic fracturing of a geological formation is performed by injection of a proppant mixture into the geological formation to form fractures in the geological formation. The proppant mixture includes at least a liquid, proppant, and proppant additive particles. The hydraulic fracturing results in a presence of the proppant additive particles within the formed fractures, wherein the proppant additive particles are configured with a first complex conductivity that is measurably different than a second complex conductivity exhibited by materials comprising the geological formation. The formed fractures can then be imaged and mapped in the geological formation with electromagnetic energy at one or more frequencies in a manner so that the proppant additive particles function as a contrast agent due to the first complex conductivity of the proppant additive particles being measurably different from the second complex conductivity. The complex conductivity includes a real conductivity and an imaginary conductivity.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

Michele O'Callaghan