A BAE JETSTREAM 3102 EXPERIENCED UNWANTED AND UNCTLED FUEL XFER FROM THE R TANK TO THE L TANK CAUSING SHUTDOWN OF THE R ENG. NORMAL FUEL FEED CONFIGN FOR THIS ACFT IS TANK TO ENG ONLY.

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ON FLT XYZ FROM ZZZ TO STL APPROX OVER SPI; CREW OBSERVED FUEL IMBALANCE OF NEARLY 150 LBS (R TANK HVY). INITIATED STANDARD XFEED OPS FROM HVY R TANK TO ENGS. AFTER APPROX 6 MINS; CREW OBSERVED INCREASING FUEL LEVEL IN L TANK AND R TANK NOW ENTERING LOW LEVEL CAUTION AREA. TO PREVENT FUEL STARVATION; IMMEDIATELY REVERSED XFEED. THIS ATTEMPT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. DUE TO FUEL STARVATION; THE R ENG BEGAN TO NEGATIVE TORQUE SIGNAL AND CREW PERFORMED INFLT ENG SHUTDOWN. ATTEMPTED TO CHANGE STUCK FUEL VALVE POS BY RESETTING STOP/FEATHER LEVER. THIS ACTION APPEARED SUCCESSFUL AND FUEL LEVEL THEN BEGAN TO INCREASE IN R TANK; AT WHICH TIME CREW PERFORMED A SUCCESSFUL INFLT ENG RELIGHT. CONTACTED ATC AND COMPANY FLT CTL TO DECLARE AN EMER. THEN CONTACTED COMPANY MAINT CTL TO ADVISE THEM OF THE SIT (THEY AFFIRMED OUR ASSESSMENT OF A STUCK FUEL VALVE). CONTINUED TO STL AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE JETSTREAM 31 HAS NON-RETURN FUEL VALVES INCORPORATED INTO ITS FUEL SYS; ONE FOR EACH FUEL TANK WHICH ARE SUPPOSED TO PREVENT FUEL XFER FROM TANK TO TANK (EITHER R TO L OR L TO R). BOTH VALVES FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY ON THIS FLT. OUR MAINT DEPT IS WELL AWARE OF THIS SIT YET NO PREVENTIVE MEASURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO PREVENT ITS OCCURRENCE. EARLIER VALVE REPLACEMENT OR USE OF A BETTER QUALITY VALVE WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS ENTIRE INCIDENT FROM OCCURRING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE ACFT WAS ON DSCNT INTO STL WHEN R TANK QUANTITY WAS INDICATING THE R TANK 150 LBS GREATER THAN L TANK. THE RPTR SAID THE STANDARD PROC WAS USED TO BAL THE FUEL LOAD BY OPENING THE XFEED VALVE AND FEEDING BOTH ENGS FROM THE R TANK. SHORTLY IT WAS NOTED THE L TANK QUANTITY WAS INCREASING AND THE R TANK WAS AT THE LOW LEVEL CAUTION AREA. THE RPTR STATED THE R ENG WAS SHUT DOWN TO PREVENT FUEL STARVATION. THE RPTR STATED THIS AIRPLANE IS NOT CONFIGURED FOR TANK TO TANK FUEL XFER BUT ONLY FOR TANK TO ENG FEED. THE RPTR SAID THE FAILURE WAS BOTH L AND R 'NON-RETURN' VALVES FAILED TO OPEN ALLOWING TANK TO TANK XFER. THE RPTR SAID THIS CHK VALVE OR 'NON-RETURN' VALVE FAILURE IS COMMON BUT IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED. THE RPTR SAID RESETTING THE STOP/FEATHER LEVER REALLY DID NOT CORRECT THE SIT.