Valve with shuttle for use in flow management systems

A method of protecting a pump comprising the steps of:

• lifting fluid from a hydrocarbon reservoir with the pump;
• providing a valve downstream of the pump, the valve including a shuttle and a valve body;
• providing a shuttle through hole, the through hole including a shuttle chamber interconnecting a first shuttle port and a shuttle passage, the shuttle passage leading to a second shuttle port;
• inserting a spherical closure in the shuttle chamber, the spherical closure free to move within the chamber under the influence of a fluid flow passing through the chamber;
• movably inserting the shuttle in a valve body chamber and a positioning a spring between the shuttle and a valve body fixture;
• controlling operation of a spill port with a shuttle nose that incorporates the second shuttle port, the spring tending to close the spill port;
• and,
• closing the spill port when a) flow carries the spherical closure toward the second shuttle port but does not block the second shuttle port and b) the spring gets longer;
• wherein the pump is protected by opening the spill port when a) flow carries the spherical closure to block the first shuttle port and b) the spring gets shorter.