Patent ID: 7416026

Claim:
A flowbore fluid temperature control system comprising: a control system body comprising a flowbore extending through the length of the control system body and comprising an inlet and an outlet such that all flowbore fluid entering the control system body inlet exits the control system outlet; a valve mechanism within the control system body that controls the flow of flowbore fluid through the flowbore while maintaining the flowbore fluid in the control system body flowbore, the valve mechanism comprising: a valve sleeve within the flowbore forming an annulus between the outside of the valve sleeve and the inside of the control system body; the valve sleeve comprising flow ports allowing fluid flow through the valve sleeve and into the annulus; the inside of the valve sleeve further comprising a circumferential groove that reciprocates between multiple first and second positions; a piston slidingly engaging the inside of the valve sleeve, the position of the piston within the valve sleeve controlling the fluid flow through the flow ports; the piston further comprising a ratchet lug extending from the piston that travels within the groove such that: the piston moves axially under a first load until the ratchet lug moves to one of the second positions, the ratchet lug rotating the piston as the ratchet lug travels to one of the second positions; the piston moves axially under a second load until the ratchet lug moves to one of the first positions, the ratchet lug rotating the piston as the ratchet lug travels to one of the first positions; and the piston selectively moves between the first and second positions as the piston rotates within the valve sleeve; and the position of the piston in the first and second positions allows varying flow rates through the valve sleeve; an actuator that adjusts the valve mechanism; an operating system that operates the actuator and controls the flowbore fluid pressure; and the temperature of the flowbore fluid being controlled by controlling the pressure drop of the flowbore fluid across the valve mechanism.