This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. The migration of fines involves the movement of fine clay and/or non-clay particles (e.g. quartz, amorphous silica, feldspars, zeolites, carbonates, salts and micas) or similar materials within a subterranean reservoir formation due to drag and other forces during production of hydrocarbons or water. Pat. No. 7,550,413, which in turn claims the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 11/849,820 filed Sep. 4, 2007, the latter which claims the benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 11/125,465 filed May 10, 2005, issued Mar. 18, 2008, as U.S. Fines migration may result from an unconsolidated or inherently unstable formation, or from the use of an incompatible treatment fluid that liberates fine particles. Hydrocarbons sometimes exist in reservoirs in subterranean rock formations. Provisional Patent Application 60/570,601 filed May 13, 2004 and is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Non-limiting embodiments as described herein relate to methods and compositions utilizing dual-function nano-sized particles, and more particularly relate, in non-limiting embodiments, to methods and compositions using nano-sized particles effective at reducing fines migration within subterranean formations, and if there is undesired flow back from one or more zones in a well having more than one zone, identifying the zone or zones from which the undesired flow back originated, or both during hydrocarbon recovery operations. The better the connectivity of the pores in the formation (permeability), the better the hydrocarbon production. Fines migration is a complex phenomenon governed largely by mineralogy, permeability, salinity and pH changes, as well as drag forces created by flow velocity, turbulence and fluid viscosity, as described in detail in J. Hibbeler, et al., “An Integrated Long-Term Solution for Migratory Fines Damage,” SPE 81017, SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, West Indies, 27-30 Apr. 2003, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Production may be seriously hindered by blockages due to presence of or migration of fines in the formation. Ser. No. 11/931,706 filed Oct. 31, 2007 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/845,916 filed Sep. 20, 2006, and in turn is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. Ser. No. 11/755,581 filed May 30, 2007, issued Jun. 23, 2009 as U.S. Damage created by fines is typically located within a radius of about 3 to 5 feet (about 1 to 2 meters) of the wellbore, and may occur in gravel-pack completions and other operations. Fines migration may cause the very small particles suspended in the produced fluid to bridge the pore throats near the wellbore, thereby reducing well productivity. Pat. No. 7,343,972 which in turn claims the benefit of U.S. Generally, to produce the hydrocarbons from the formation, a wellbore is drilled in the formation and hydrocarbons travel from the formation to the wellbore through pores in the formation.

The authors note that mobilization of fines can severely damage a well’s productivity, and that fines damage is a multi-parameter, complex issue that may be due to one or more of the following downhole phenomena: (1) high flow rates, particularly abrupt changes to flow rates; (2) wettability effects, (3) ion exchange; (4) two-phase flow, particularly due to turbulence that destabilize fines in the near-wellbore region; and (5) acidizing treatments of the wrong type or volume which can cause fines. However, they note that clay particles may become oil-wet or partially oil-wet, due to an outside influence, and thus the fines and clay particles may become attracted to and immersed in the oil phase. When the applied pump rates and pressures are reduced or removed from the formation, the crack or fracture cannot close or heal completely because the high permeability proppant keeps the crack open. The authors also note that all clays have an overall negative charge and that during salinity decrease, pH increases in-situ due to ion exchange. Gravel packing is a sand-control method employed to prevent the production of formation sand. The propped crack or fracture provides a high permeability path connecting the producing wellbore to a larger formation area to enhance the production of hydrocarbons. J. Hibbeler, et al. Fines fixation has become troublesome during oil and gas production and during many oil and gas recovery operations, such as acidizing, fracturing, gravel packing, and secondary and tertiary recovery procedures. Once the crack or cracks are made, high permeability proppant, relative to the formation permeability, is pumped into the fracture to prop open the crack. As pH increases, surface potential of fines increases until de-flocculation and detachment occurs, aggravating fines migration. A pH increase may also be induced via an injected fluid. Hydraulic fracturing is a method of using pump rate and hydraulic pressure to fracture or crack a subterranean formation.

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In gravel pack operations, a steel screen is placed in the wellbore and the surrounding annulus packed with a gravel of a specific size designed to prevent the passage of formation sand. In some non-limiting embodiments, the nano-sized particles also include a detectable taggant selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metals, transition metals, post-transition metals, lanthanoids, and mixtures thereof. Operations combining fracturing and gravel packing are termed “frac packs”. In a non-limiting aspect, a method is provided that includes determining which zone in a well having more than one treatment-based zone carrier particles were produced from. This type of failure may be repaired or remediated if the engineers know where the failure occurred in the well. The carrier particles have nano-sized particles disposed thereon, and the nano-sized particles are effective to reduce fines migration in a subterranean formation and have a mean particle size of 1000 nm or less; a primary component selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, post-transition metal hydroxides, piezoelectric crystals, pyroelectric crystals, and mixtures thereof. Thus, it would be desirable if methods and/or compositions would be devised to help identify a failed zone in a well having more than one zone using material that are also effective at fixing or stabilizing fines within a subterranean formation so that their migration is reduced, inhibited or eliminated. The selected taggant is selected to be distinguishable from the primary component and to be indicative of one of the more than one zone. If the proppant, for example, flows back into the well it cannot keep the fracture propped open. This may be easy enough if the well has only one zone such as a fracture zone, but if the well has more than one zone, it is typically difficult to determine which zone failed. Hydraulic fracturing, gravel packing, and/or frac pack treatments may fail such that proppant, gravel, or both are produced into the well. The goal is to stabilize the formation while causing minimal impairment to well productivity. The composition of the nano-sized particles is indicative of the zone from which the carrier particles were produced.

In an additional non-limiting aspect, coated carrier particles are provided.

In another non-limiting aspect, a treatment fluid is provided that comprises a base fluid selected from the group consisting of water-based fluids, alcohol-based fluids and oil-based fluids. In yet another non-limiting aspect, a method for reducing fines migration within a subterranean formation and for distinguishing between zones in a well having more than one treatment-based zone is provided. In an additional non-limiting aspect, coated carrier particles are provided. The particulate additive has a mean particle size of 1000 nm or less; a primary component selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, post-transition metal hydroxides, piezoelectric crystals, pyroelectric crystals, and mixtures thereof; and a taggant selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metals, transition metals, post-transition metals, lanthanoids; and mixtures thereof, where the taggant is selected to be distinguishable from the primary component. The treatment fluid also comprises carrier particles selected from the group consisting of sand, gravel, ceramic beads, glass beads, and combinations thereof, and an effective amount of a particulate additive to reduce fines migration and to facilitate identification of a zone in a well having more than one treatment-based zone. The nano-sized particles have a mean particle size of 1000 nm or less, are selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, post-transition metal hydroxides, piezoelectric crystals, pyroelectric crystals, and mixtures thereof. Each zone in the well receives carrier particles that carry an amount of nano-sized particles effective to reduced fines migration in the subterranean formation. The well is drilled in the subterranean formation. The nanoparticles have a mean particle size of 1000 nm or less; a primary component selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metal oxides, alkaline earth metal hydroxides, transition metal oxides, transition metal hydroxides, post-transition metal oxides, post-transition metal hydroxides, piezoelectric crystals, pyroelectric crystals, and mixtures thereof; and a taggant selected from the group consisting of alkaline earth metals, transition metals, post-transition metals, lanthanoids, and mixtures thereof; where the taggant is selected to be distinguishable from the primary component. The coated carrier particles comprise carrier particles selected from the group consisting of sand, gravel, ceramic beads, glass beads, and combinations thereof; nanoparticles disposed on the carrier particles with a coating agent.