Solids delivery apparatus and method for a well

1. A method usable with a well, comprising:

introducing solids into a hopper of an air blower assembly, thereby producing a solids-containing pneumatic stream at a first location near or at the blower assembly;

communicating the solids-containing pneumatic stream via a conduit from the first location directly to a second location at a hopper of a blender assembly at the second location to mix the solids with at least one other material, thereby producing a flow; and

pumping the flow into the well.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the solids comprise fibers.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first and second locations are separated by at least ten feet.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein communicating the solids-containing pneumatic stream comprises communicating fibers, communicating proppant, communicating a precursor material or communicating a hydratable material.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein communicating the solids-containing pneumatic stream comprises communicating fibers to the blender assembly to mix the fibers with a proppant.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein communicating the solids-containing pneumatic stream comprises communicating fibers to the blender assembly to mix the fibers with a carrier fluid.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein communicating the solids-containing pneumatic stream comprises communicating fibers to the blender assembly to mix the fibers with a cement slurry.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein pumping the flow into the well comprises pumping the flow in connection with a hydraulic fracturing operation.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

controlling a rate at which the solids are delivered into the pneumatic stream based at least in part on a loss in weight; a motion of conveying equipment; a position of a metering gate; a measurement of mixed solids fraction and a rate of the stream; or a measurement of a density and an air flow rate of the pneumatic stream.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

collecting solids escaping the blender assembly carried by air escaping from the solids-containing pneumatic stream.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

reintroducing the collected solids into the blender assembly.

12. A system usable with a well, comprising:

a blower assembly for receiving fibers and generating a pneumatic stream comprising the fibers;

a blender assembly for mixing the fibers with at least one additional material, thereby generating a flow; and

a conduit for communicating the pneumatic stream to the blender assembly, wherein the conduit comprises a first end for receiving the pneumatic stream from the blower assembly and a second end for providing the pneumatic stream directly to a hopper of the blender assembly; and

a pump for pumping the flow into the well.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein:

the blender comprises a hopper;

the conduit comprises a first end coupled to receive the pneumatic stream from the blower assembly; and

the conduit comprises a second end to provide the pneumatic stream to the hopper.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the blender assembly comprises another hopper for receiving the at least one additional material.

15. The system of claim 12 , wherein the conduit has a length of at least ten feet.

16. The system of claim 12 , wherein the fibers are selected from the group consisting essentially of polylactide acid fibers; acrylic fibers; nylon fibers; fiberglass fibers; phenolic formaldehyde fibers; multicomponent fibers; and natural fibers.

17. The system of claim 12 , wherein a flow rate of the fibers in the pneumatic stream comprises a volumetric rate near or exceeding one cubic foot per minute.

18. The system of claim 12 , further comprising:

a first vehicle, wherein the blower assembly mounted to the first vehicle; and

a second vehicle, wherein the blender assembly mounted to the second vehicle.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the first vehicle is adapted to transport the fibers to a well site in a first section of the first vehicle, the blower is disposed in a second section of the vehicle, and the first vehicle comprises a movable surface to move the fibers from the first section of the first vehicle to the second section of the first vehicle.

20. A method usable with a well, comprising:

in blending equipment, mixing fibers into a mixture to be communicated downhole in the well, the blending equipment comprising a fiber hopper to receive the fibers and a second hopper to receive another material of the mixture;

in pneumatic blowing equipment separated from the blending equipment, introducing the fibers into a material hopper of the pneumatic blowing equipment to produce a forced stream of the fibers;

routing the forced stream of fibers from the blowing equipment to the blending equipment using a conduit having a length of at least ten feet; and

positioning an end of the conduit to deliver the forced stream directly into the fiber hopper of the blending equipment; and

pumping the mixture into the well.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein mixing the fibers comprises mixing the fibers with one of a hydraulic fracturing fluid and a cement slurry.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein introducing the fibers comprises regulating a mass flow rate of the fibers into the material hopper of the pneumatic blowing equipment based on a monitored time rate at which the fibers are being delivered to the forced stream.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein regulating the mass flow rate comprises, based on the monitored time rate, regulating a speed of a beater, a speed of a rotating air lock of the pneumatic blowing equipment, or a combination thereof.