Patent attributes
A system includes an electric submersible pump assembly and a control valve assembly. The electric submersible pump assembly transports a fluid in a casing string of a well to a surface location and includes a pump that receives the fluid through a pump intake and vents the fluid through a pump discharge when activated. The electric submersible pump assembly further includes a shaft that is fixed to the pump and extends downhole from the pump. The control valve assembly includes a propeller shaft axially movable along a central axis of the system, a propeller attached to the propeller shaft that pushes the propeller shaft downhole when the pump of the electric submersible pump assembly is active, a shaft coupler that connects the propeller shaft and the shaft of the electric submersible pump assembly, and a stinger that has a conduit for the fluid to flow from the casing string to the pump intake. The stinger includes an entrance for receiving the fluid and an exit for venting the fluid to the pump intake of the electric submersible pump assembly. In addition, the control valve assembly includes a flow tube, connected to the propeller shaft, and a spring. The flow tube includes ports which create fluid communication between the flow tube and the stinger when the ports and the entrance of the stinger are aligned. The spring slides the propeller shaft when the pump of the electric submersible pump assembly is inactive.
