Patent Publication Number: US-2017348657-A1

Title: Dry Powder Blending

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates generally to producing cement and, more particularly (although not necessarily exclusively), to mixing batches of dry powder cement suitable for oilfield cementing operations. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Cementing operations—such as those used in preparing or maintaining well assemblies traversing a hydrocarbon-bearing subterranean formation—can use many varieties of cement blends. Different combinations of chemical additives can be mixed with “neat cement” (e.g., cement free of previously added chemical additives) to form a cement blend and adjust characteristics such as density, setting time, strength, elasticity, plasticity, viscosity, and flow properties of the resulting cement. Yet, additives that are not distributed evenly throughout a cement blend can cause different portions of the cement blend to exhibit different characteristics during cementing operations. Such inconsistent or unpredictable performance of an unevenly mixed cement blend can result in increased costs, decreased safety, or other adverse effects on a cementing operation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of an example of a system for preparing blends of dry powder cement according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of an example of a dry powder mixing tank for blending dry powder cement according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control system according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for blending dry powders according to one aspect of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Certain aspects and examples of the present disclosure are directed to systems for providing dried powder blends of a target consistency, e.g., cement batches of a homogeneous consistency. Such systems can include dry powder mixing tanks that can receive distinct powders (e.g., neat cement and various additives) in one end and eject a mixed powder blend from another end. The ejected mixed powder blend can flow past sensors that can detect the presence and amount of different substances in the flowing blend. Such information from the sensors can be used to determine the composition of the blend over any interval. 
     The blend can move from one location to another. For example, the blend can move from the dry powder mixing tank toward a cement truck or other receptacle for the blend. Changes or anomalies in the composition can be detected by comparing the composition at different intervals as the blend is moving. A lack of anomalies detected in the blend while the receptacle is being filled can indicate that the blend contained in the receptacle is substantially homogenous and likely to perform in a predictable and consistent manner. If any anomalies in the blend are detected, the portion of the blend corresponding to the anomaly can be diverted away from the receptacle by valves or other flow control mechanisms located downstream of the sensors. Diverting the portions of the blend corresponding to anomalies may provide a high degree of certainty that the entire non-diverted blend that is ultimately routed to the receptacle is homogenous. Any blend diverted away from the receptacle can be appropriately handled (e.g., by additional mixing, further additions of substance to attain a desired ratio, or some combination thereof) to minimize waste and ensure a quality product. 
     These illustrative examples are given to introduce the reader to the general subject matter discussed here and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed concepts. The following describes various additional aspects and examples with reference to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like elements, and directional descriptions are used to describe the illustrative aspects. Like the illustrative aspects, the numerals and directional descriptions included in the following should not be used to limit the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 1  schematically depicts an example of a system  100  for preparing blends of dry powder cement. Although the description of  FIG. 1  focuses on blends of dry powder cement, the system  100  can be used for blending any other types of dry powders. 
     The system  100  can produce batches of blended cement powder. Any batch may have specific parameters corresponding to the batch. For example, a target consistency (e.g., composition within a tolerance) may be specified for a batch. As an illustrative example, a batch may have a designated composition of ninety-nine percent neat cement and one percent of a chemical additive, with a tolerance of one tenth of a percent. Neat cement and additive powders can be proportionately combined by the system  100  in respective amounts to attain a ratio of the powders corresponding to the designated composition. Mixing the combined powders can achieve a distribution of the appropriately proportioned powders throughout the blend so that any sample of the blend satisfies the parameters designated for the blend. For example, mixing can make a batch substantially homogenous, having substantially the same distribution of constituent components throughout the batch. 
     The system  100  includes storage tanks  102  and a dry powder mixing tank  104 . Neat cement (or other) powder stored in the storage tanks  102  can be introduced into the dry powder mixing tank  104  and mixed with one or more types of additive powders in the dry powder mixing tank  104 . A vacuum pump  106  or a blower  108  (or both) can provide air pressure variation for moving dry powder within the system  100 , such as from one or more of the storage tanks  102  to the dry powder mixing tank  104  or away from the dry powder mixing tank  104 . A blend of powders from the dry powder mixing tank  104  (e.g., cement mixed with additives) can be routed either to a carrier vehicle  110  (or other receptacle for storage or transport of the completed blend), or away from the carrier vehicle  110  for further processing of the blend, e.g., to a re-blend tank  112  for additional mixing to achieve a suitable distribution of the constituent powders in the blend. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration of an example of a dry powder mixing tank  104  for blending dry powder cement according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. The dry powder mixing tank  104  can be associated with a first powder input  120 , a second powder input  122 , a powder output  124 , a mixing structure  125 , a vacuum line  126 , an additive feeder  131 , a conduit  134 , a rotary feeder  136 , a control system  138 , load cells  140  and  142 , and a detection device  144 . Although the dry powder mixing tank  104  is depicted in  FIG. 2  in association with all of these components, in some aspects, the dry powder mixing tank  104  is associated with a different combination of components (e.g., having fewer, more, or zero of any component; having a different arrangement of components; or having some combination of different numbers and arrangements of components). 
     The dry powder mixing tank  104  shown in  FIG. 2  is coupled with the first powder input  120 , the second powder input  122 , and the powder output  124  via ports for each feature. In some aspects, neat cement is introduced into the dry powder mixing tank  104  by the first powder input  120 , additives are introduced through the second powder input  122 , and a resulting powder blend exits the dry powder mixing tank  104  by the powder output  124  (e.g., into the conduit  134 ). 
     The mixing structure  125  can be positioned within the dry powder mixing tank  104 . The mixing structure  125  can facilitate mixing of powders introduced by the first powder input  120  and the second powder input  122 . For example, the mixing structure  125  can include a series of mixing bars. The mixing bars can be arranged at different angles so that each bar is angled from another of the bars. Powder particles falling or otherwise moving through the dry powder mixing tank  104  may strike the bars and deflect at various angles, thereby randomizing the distribution of incoming powder particles and increasing an amount of mixing occurring in the dry powder mixing tank  104 . In some aspects, the mixing bars are rotatable, which can cause additional randomizing and mixing. In some aspects, the mixing bars can be angled toward a common position such that any powder particles sliding down the mixing bar from a powder input (e.g., the first powder input  120  or the second powder input  122 ) will be directed into powder particles from another powder input to increase mixing of the powder particles. The mixing structure  125  can provide mixing to increase a likelihood that powders introduced in appropriate proportions are distributed sufficiently throughout a blend to satisfy parameters of the blend. 
     Any suitable mechanism may be used for moving dry powder with respect to the dry powder mixing tank  104 . In one example, the vacuum pump  106  ( FIG. 1 ) is in communication with the dry powder mixing tank  104  via the vacuum line  126  ( FIG. 2 ) and provides suction to draw neat cement from a storage tank  102  and through the first powder input  120  into the dry powder mixing tank  104 . An amount or rate of neat cement introduced into the dry powder mixing tank  104  can be adjustable, such as by controlling an amount of suction applied by the vacuum pump  106 , by controlling a flow restriction device (e.g., valve  128 ) regulating the first powder input  120 , or some combination thereof. A filter  130  positioned across the vacuum line  126  can prevent neat cement from reaching the vacuum pump  106  or leaving the dry powder mixing tank  104  through the vacuum line  126 . 
     As another example, an auger  132  or other mechanical component of the additive feeder  131  can push or pull additive powder into the dry powder mixing tank  104  through the second powder input  122 . An amount or rate of additive powder introduced into the dry powder mixing tank  104  can be adjusted by controlling the auger  132 . 
     As a further example, the blower  108  ( FIG. 1 ) can be in communication with the conduit  134  ( FIG. 2 ) and provide air pressure to push powder from the powder output  124  and through the conduit  134 . Additionally, although specific powder-moving mechanisms (e.g., vacuum pressure, mechanical motion, and blowing pressure) are respectively described and shown with respect to particular features in  FIG. 2  (e.g., the first powder input  120 , the second powder input  122 , and the powder output  124 ), powder may be moved relative to any of these or other features using any other powder-moving mechanism. 
     In some aspects, the powder output  124  can include or be coupled with a rotary feeder  136 . The rotary feeder  136  can transfer blended powder from the dry powder mixing tank  104  to the conduit  134 . The rotary feeder  136  can provide a pressure barrier that allows a vacuum from the vacuum pump  106  to be used to move powder on one side of the rotary feeder  136  (e.g., in the dry powder mixing tank  104 ) without interfering with use of a blowing pressure from the blower  108  to move powder on an opposite side of the rotary feeder  136  (e.g., in the conduit  134 ). For example, powder moved into the dry powder mixing tank  104  by a continuous vacuum can be moved by the rotary feeder  136  into a continuous pressure (operating simultaneously with the continuous vacuum) that will carry the powder away through the conduit  134 . 
     The control system  138  can include a processor device and a non-transitory computer-readable medium on which machine-readable instructions can be stored. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable medium include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The processor device can execute the instructions to perform various actions, some of which are described herein. The actions can include, for example, determining amounts of powder entering or exiting the dry powder mixing tank  104 , or controlling components to route portions of the blend output from the dry powder mixing tank  104 . An illustrative example of the control system  138  is described below with respect to  FIG. 3 . 
     Various features associated with the dry powder mixing tank  104  can be in communication with the control system  138 . For example, load cells  140  and  142  can be in communication with the control system  138 . The load cells  140  and  142  can facilitate loss-in-weight metering. In an illustrative example, a first set of load cells  140  associated with the dry powder mixing tank  104  may provide the control system  138  with information about a total weight of the contents of the dry powder mixing tank  104 . A second set of load cells  142  associated with the additive feeder  131  may provide information about a total weight of the contents of the additive feeder  131 . A change in the weight of the contents of the additive feeder  131  can indicate an amount of additives that have been introduced into the dry powder mixing tank  104 . The amount of introduced additives can be subtracted from the total weight of the contents of the dry powder mixing tank  104  to determine an amount of neat cement powder that has been introduced. The introduced amounts of neat cement and additive powders can be used to determine a ratio of the neat cement and the additive powders in the blend in the dry powder mixing tank  104 . The control system  138  may control the first powder input  120  or the second powder input  122  (or both) and adjust the amounts of neat cement and additives added to the dry powder mixing tank  104 , such as to adjust the ratio between neat cement and additive powders toward a designated blend ratio for a particular batch. 
     The control system  138  can be in communication with the detection device  144 . The detection device  144  can be positioned proximate (e.g., adjacent, in, or around) a particular volume  146  of the conduit  134 . The detection device  144  can obtain information about the presence and amount of different substances in the blend of powder passing from the powder output  124  and through the particular volume  146  of the conduit  134 . For example, the detection device  144  can include at least one integrated computational element (commonly referred to as an “ICE”) capable of identifying electromagnetic radiation related to a characteristic of interest of a substance in a fluid (e.g., concentration of the substance in the fluid, particle size distribution of the substance, or the temperature of the substance). As an illustrative example, an ICE may detect the presence and amount of a substance in the powder using photometric detection (e.g., correlating an optical pattern and intensity of light shined through the powder with an optical fingerprint of a chemical identity of a known substance). 
     A composition of the powder blend passing through the particular volume  146  of the conduit  134  can be determined based on information from the detection device  144 . For example, the control system  138  can compare information received from the detection device  144  about amounts of different substances present in the particular volume  146  to determine the relative proportions of the present substances. In an illustrative example, upon receiving data from the detection device  144 , the control system  138  may determine that the composition of the powder blend passing through the particular volume  146  during a first one-second time interval is ninety-seven percent neat cement and one percent each of three different additives, and may determine that the composition during a second one-second time interval, is ninety-eight percent neat cement, one percent each of the first two additives, and zero percent of the third additive. The control system  138  can monitor the composition of the blend and perform actions based on the determined composition. In one example, the control system  138  may produce a record indicating the determined composition with respect to time, e.g., so that an operator may review the record to confirm that a batch of blended powder routed to a carrier vehicle  110  or other storage vessel was sufficiently consistent to fulfill a purpose for which the batch was made. 
     In some aspects, the system  100  includes components that can route or direct a powder blend based on a composition determined from information from the detection device  144 . For example, the control system  138  can be in communication with a valve assembly  147  that includes one or more valves in the conduit  134 . Although the valve assembly  147  is shown in  FIG. 2  with two valves (i.e., a delivery valve  148  and a diversion valve  150 ), the valve assembly  147  may include a single valve or more than two valves. The control system  138  can control the valve assembly  147  to direct a powder blend from the dry powder mixing tank  104  toward a carrier vehicle  110  or other receptacle. Alternatively, the control system  138  can control the valve assembly  147  to direct a powder blend away from the carrier vehicle  110 . 
     In an illustrative example, the control system  138  performs a comparison between a set of parameters for a batch and a determined composition of a powder blend passing through the particular volume  146 . When the determined composition is within the parameters (e.g., within a specified tolerance from a specified composition), the control system  138  maintains the delivery valve  148  open and the diversion valve  150  closed to route the powder blend to the carrier vehicle  110 . When the determined blend is outside of the parameters (e.g., outside a specified tolerance from a specified composition for at least a threshold amount of time), the control system  138  shuts the delivery valve  148  and opens the diversion valve  150  to route the powder away from the carrier vehicle  110 . 
     In some aspects, diverted powder blends can be routed to a re-blend tank  112  ( FIG. 1 ). The powder blends collected in the re-blend tank  112  may be further mixed in the re-blend tank  112 , en route to the re-blend tank  112 , during transfer from the re-blend tank  112 , or some combination thereof. Mixing the diverted powder blend may distribute powder particles within the blend sufficiently to meet the parameters for a batch. In an illustrative example, ninety-nine parts neat cement and one part additive may be input into the dry powder mixing tank  104  to provide an appropriate ratio of substances for a batch with a designated composition of ninety-nine percent neat cement. Although the overall ratio of substances is correct in the dry powder mixing tank  104 , the resulting distribution of the additive within the neat cement may be non-uniform in the blend ejected via the powder output  124 . During operation of the system  100  in this illustrative example, the control system  138  accordingly routes all intervals of the blend with a detected composition of ninety-nine percent through the delivery valve  148  and diverts all intervals of the blend with a composition over or under ninety-nine percent through the diversion valve  150  to the re-blend tank  112 . Although some of the diverted powder was over ninety-nine percent and some was under ninety-nine percent, the final ratio of the powder collected in the re-blend tank  112  is likely to be approximately ninety-nine percent neat cement due to the initial proportions of powders introduced into the dry powder mixing tank  104 . The diverted powder collected in the re-blend tank  112  may satisfy the parameters for the batch upon undergoing mixing or re-blending that is sufficient to distribute the additive evenly through the neat cement (e.g., circulating the powder within the re-blend tank  112 , or transferring the powder between the re-blend tank  112  and other tanks). The re-blended powder blend satisfying the parameters of the batch may be routed from the re-blend tank  112  to the carrier vehicle  110  (as at  154  in  FIG. 1 ). 
     In some aspects, diverted powder blends can be routed back into the dry powder mixing tank  104  via a mixed powder input  152  (e.g., with or without traveling through a re-blend tank  112 ). Routing the diverted powder blends into the dry powder mixing tank  104  can facilitate additional mixing of the blend, which may improve the overall distribution of different types of particles throughout the blend. In some aspects, additional neat cement or additive powders can be added to the re-blend tank  112  or the dry powder mixing tank  104  to adjust ratios of substances in the incoming diverted powder blend. 
     In some aspects, a detection device  144  can be implemented elsewhere in the system  100 , e.g., to provide additional information about a composition or amount of powder moving past a specific position. For example, detection devices  144  coupled with the first powder input  120 , the second powder input  122 , the mixed powder input  152 , or any combination thereof may provide information that can be used to determine amounts of different powder types that have been introduced into the dry powder mixing tank  104  (e.g., in addition to or as an alternative to obtaining such information from the load cells  140  and  142 ). In some aspects, such information may be used to determine appropriate amounts of neat cement or additives to be added to the dry powder mixing tank  104  to achieve a desired ratio of substances for a batch of blended cement. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control system  138  according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. The control system  138  can include a controller or processor  202 , memory  204 , a communications module  206 , an input monitoring module  208 , an input control module  210 , an output monitoring module  212 , and a routing module  214 . The control system  138  can include any appropriate combination of hardware and software suitable to provide the functionality of these components. Although the control system  138  shown in  FIG. 3  includes all of these components, in some aspects, components may be omitted or part of distinct control systems  138 . For example, the input control module  210  and the output monitoring module  212  may be associated with different processors  202  of different control systems  138  that may or may not communicate with each other via respective communications modules  206 . 
     The memory  204  (e.g., RAM or ROM) can store machine-readable instructions accessible by the processor  202 . The processor  202  can execute the instructions to perform various actions, such as accessing or operating the other various components of the control system  138 . The memory  204  additionally or alternatively can store data to be organized and analyzed. 
     The communications module  206  can communicate information to or from the processor  202 , such as from components described above with respect to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . In some aspects, the communications module  206  can communicate commands or instructions from the processor  202  to control the operation of other components. 
     The input monitoring module  208  can monitor the powder input into the dry powder mixing tank  104 . For example, the input monitoring module  208  may utilize information related to components such as the load cells  140 ,  142 , the additive feeder  131 , or the valve  128  regulating the first powder input  120  of  FIG. 1  to determine amounts of powders that have been added to the dry powder mixing tank  104 . In some aspects, the input monitoring module  208  of the control system  138  may receive first information from a first set of load cells and second information from a second set of load cells to determine an amount of contents that has been introduced from a component not coupled with load cells. For example, the input monitoring module  208  may use information from load cells  140  coupled with the dry powder mixing tank  104  and information from load cells  142  coupled with the additive feeder  131  to determine an amount of neat cement added to the dry powder mixing tank  104  from a first powder input  120  that is not equipped with load cells. 
     The input control module  210  can control the powder input into the dry powder mixing tank  104 . For example, the input control module  210  may control components such as the additive feeder  131  (e.g., the auger  132 ), the valve  128  restricting the first powder input  120 , the vacuum pump  106 , the blower  108 , the rotary feeder  136 , or other components associated with the dry powder mixing tank  104  to control amounts of different types of powders (e.g., neat cement and additives) that are added to or present in the dry powder mixing tank  104 . In some aspects, the input control module  210  may control the powder input into the dry powder mixing tank  104  in response to information from the detection device  144 . 
     The output monitoring module  212  can monitor powder that is output from the dry powder mixing tank  104 . For example, the output monitoring module  212  may use information from components such as the detection device  144 , the rotary feeder  136 , the vacuum pump  106 , or the blower  108  to determine information about the blend ejected from the dry powder mixing tank  104 , e.g. amounts of different substances in the blend or speed of the blend. The output monitoring module  212  may compare the output powder with parameters or tolerances set for a particular batch. 
     The routing module  214  can determine the manner in which the blend from the dry powder mixing tank  104  is to be routed. For example, the routing module  214  may control the valve assembly to route the blend to a carrier vehicle  110  or other storage vessel, a re-blend tank  112 , or the dry powder mixing tank  104 . In some aspects, the routing module  214  may route the blend based on information from the output monitoring module  212 , such as based on the indications that the blend satisfies or fails parameters tolerances set for the blend. 
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method  400  for blending dry powders according to one aspect of the present disclosure. The method  400  can utilize components of a system as described herein, such as the system  100  described above with respect to  FIGS. 1-2  or variations thereof. 
     In block  410 , powder is received in a dry powder mixing tank. The powder can include a first powder and a second powder. For example, neat cement can be introduced via a port for a first powder input  120  and additives can be added through a port for a second powder input  122 . In some aspects, a vacuum pump  106  or a blower  108  can move the powder into the dry powder mixing tank  104 , such as through variations of air pressure provided by the vacuum pump  106  or the blower  108 . 
     In block  420 , a blend from the dry powder mixing tank can be moved through a conduit. For example, a mixed blend of cement may output from the dry powder mixing tank  104  and moved through the conduit  134 . In some aspects, a vacuum pump  106  or a blower  108  can move the powder through the conduit  134 . For example, the vacuum pump  106  may move powder into the dry powder mixing tank  104  and the blower  108  may move powder through the conduit  134  or vice versa. In some aspects, the blower  108  and the vacuum pump  106  may be operated simultaneously. For example, a continuous flow of powder into and out of the dry powder mixing tank  104  may be provided by the blower  108 , the rotary feeder  136 , and the vacuum pump  106 . 
     In block  430 , an amount in the blend moving through the conduit can be determined. For example, an amount of neat cement, an amount of one or more additives, or an overall composition of the blend in the conduit  134  may be detected by the detection device  144 . 
     In block  440 , the blend from the conduit can be routed based on the determined amount. For example, the blend from the conduit  134  may be routed based on the amount of neat cement, the amount of the one or more additives, or the overall composition of the blend in the conduit  134  detected by the detection device  144 . In some aspects, the blend is routed by a valve assembly  147 . In some aspects, the blend can be routed to a carrier vehicle  110  or a storage receptacle in response to the determined amount being within parameters, such as within a set tolerance. In some aspects, the blend can be routed by diverting the blend of powder away from the carrier vehicle  110  or the storage receptacle in response to the determined amount being outside the parameters or set tolerance. In some aspects, routing the blend based on the determined amount includes routing the blend so as to treat the diverted blend by at least one of mixing the diverted blend or adding powder to the diverted blend and routing the treated diverted blend to the carrier vehicle  110  or the storage receptacle. 
     In some aspects, a tool, a system. or a method is provided according to one or more of the following examples or according to some combination of the elements thereof. In some aspects, a tool or a system described in one or more of these examples can be utilized to perform a method described in one of the other examples. 
     Example #1 
     Provided can be a system comprising: (A) a dry powder mixing tank having (i) at least one input port for receiving first dry powder that includes a first substance and for receiving second dry powder that includes a second substance having a chemical composition different from the first substance, and (ii) an output port for outputting a blend of the first dry powder and the second dry powder into a conduit; (B) a detection device proximate the conduit and arranged for detecting amounts of the first substance and the second substance in the blend in the conduit; and (C) at least one valve controllable to route the blend in the conduit in response to information from the detection device about an amount of the first substance or the second substance in the blend. 
     Example #2 
     Provided can be the system of Example #1, wherein the first dry powder comprises cement, and wherein the second dry powder comprises an additive for adjusting a characteristic of the cement. 
     Example #3 
     Provided can be the system of Example #1 (or any of Examples #1-2), wherein the at least one input port comprises (i) a first input port for receiving the first dry powder that includes the first substance, and (ii) a second input port for receiving the second dry powder that includes the second substance having a chemical composition different from the first substance. 
     Example #4 
     Provided can be the system of Example #3 (or any of Examples #1-3), further comprising: (A) a first set of load cells coupled with the dry powder mixing tank; (B) a second set of load cells coupled with one of (i) a first dry powder source coupled with the first input port or (ii) a second dry powder source coupled with the second input port; and (C) a control system communicatively coupled with the first set of load cells and the second set of load cells, the control system comprising a processor and a memory device coupled with the processor, the memory device containing a set of instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: (i) receive first information from the first set of load cells about a first weight of contents in the dry powder mixing tank; (ii) receive second information from the second set of load cells about a second weight of contents introduced from the one of the first dry powder source or the second dry powder source coupled with the second set of load cells; and (iii) determine, based on the first information and the second information, an amount of contents that has been introduced from whichever of the first dry powder source or the second dry powder source that is not coupled with the second set of load cells. 
     Example #5 
     Provided can be the system of Example #1 (or any of Examples #1-4), further comprising a plurality of mixing bars arranged inside the dry powder mixing tank so that each mixing bar is angled from another mixing bar. 
     Example #6 
     Provided can be the system of Example #1 (or any of Examples #1-5), further comprising a plurality of rotatable mixing bars arranged inside the dry powder mixing tank. 
     Example #7 
     Provided can be the system of Example #1 (or any of Examples #1-6), further comprising: (A) a rotary feeder positioned for moving the blend of the first dry powder and the second dry powder from the output port into the conduit; (B) a vacuum pump in communication for moving dry powder relative to one of the dry powder mixing tank or the conduit; and (C) a blower in communication for moving dry powder relative to the other of the dry powder mixing tank or the conduit. 
     Example #8 
     Provided can be the system of Example #1 (or any of Examples #1-7), wherein the at least one valve is controllable to divert the blend in the conduit in response to information from the detection device indicating that the amount of the first substance or the second substance in the blend is outside set parameters for the amount. 
     Example #9 
     Provided can be the system of Example #8 (or any of Examples #1-8), further comprising a re-blend tank downstream of the at least one valve, wherein the at least one valve is controllable so as to divert the blend in the conduit to the re-blend tank. 
     Example #10 
     Provided can be the system of Example #8 (or any of Examples #1-9), wherein the at least one valve is controllable so as to divert the blend in the conduit to the dry powder mixing tank. 
     Example #11 
     Provided can be a system (or the system of any of Examples #1-10) comprising: (A) a dry powder mixing tank having at least one input port for receiving dry powders; (B) a rotary feeder arranged for moving a blend of powders out of the dry powder mixing tank; (C) a conduit arranged for receiving the blend of powders from the rotary feeder; (D) a vacuum pump in communication for moving dry powder relative to one of the dry powder mixing tank or the conduit; and (E) a blower in communication for moving dry powder relative to the other of the dry powder mixing tank or the conduit. 
     Example #12 
     Provided can be the system of Example #11 (or any of Examples #1-11), further comprising a detection device arranged for detecting amounts of different substances in the blend of powders passing through the conduit. 
     Example #13 
     Provided can be the system of Example #12 (or any of Examples #1-12), further comprising at least one valve controllable to route powder in response to information from the detection device about an amount of at least one substance in the blend of powders passing through the conduit. 
     Example #14 
     Provided can be a method comprising: (A) receiving a first powder and a second powder into a dry powder mixing tank; (B) moving a blend of powder from the dry powder mixing tank through a conduit; (C) determining an amount of the first powder or the second powder in the blend of powder moving through the conduit; and (D) routing, by a valve assembly, the blend of powder from the conduit based on the determined amount of the first powder or the second powder in the blend of powder moving through the conduit. 
     Example #15 
     Provided can be the method of Example #14, wherein the first powder comprises cement, and wherein the second powder comprises an additive for adjusting a characteristic of the cement. 
     Example #16 
     Provided can be the method of Example #14 (or any of Examples #14-15), wherein routing, by a valve assembly, the blend of powder from the conduit based on the determined amount of the first powder or the second powder in the blend of powder moving through the conduit comprises routing the blend of powder to a carrier vehicle or a storage receptacle in response to the determined amount being within a set tolerance. 
     Example #17 
     Provided can be the method of Example #16 (or any of Examples #14-16), wherein routing, by a valve assembly, the blend of powder from the conduit based on the determined amount of the first powder or the second powder in the blend of powder moving through the conduit further comprises diverting the blend of powder away from the carrier vehicle or the storage receptacle in response to the determined amount being outside the set tolerance. 
     Example #18 
     Provided can be the method of Example #17 (or any of Examples #14-17), further comprising: (A) treating the diverted blend by at least one of mixing the diverted blend or adding powder to the diverted blend; and (B) routing the treated diverted blend to the carrier vehicle or the storage receptacle. 
     Example #19 
     Provided can be the method of Example #14 (or any of Examples #14-18), wherein a vacuum pump is used for moving powder into the dry powder mixing tank and a blower is used for moving powder through the conduit, or wherein a blower is used for moving powder into the dry powder mixing tank and a vacuum pump is used for moving powder through the conduit. 
     Example #20 
     Provided can be the method of Example #19 (or any of Examples #14-19), wherein the vacuum pump and the blower are operated simultaneously. 
     The foregoing description, including illustrated aspects and examples, has been presented only for the purpose of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Numerous modifications, adaptations, and uses thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure.