Downhole centrifugal separation and removal of sand from wells using progressing cavity pump

1. A method for removing sand from fluid in a subterranean hydrocarbon development well, the method including:

producing a cyclonic flow pattern of a sandy fluid of a subterranean well within a wellbore of the subterranean well with tangentially formed openings along a fluid flow path of the sandy fluid, where the cyclonic flow pattern causes sand traveling in the sandy fluid to fall downhole as separated sand, and causes a de-sanded fluid stream to be directed uphole towards a production tubing;

producing the de-sanded fluid stream through the production tubing;

collecting the separated sand proximate to a suction end of a progressing cavity pump; and

operating the progressing cavity pump so that the separated sand flows through the progressing cavity pump and out a discharge end of the progressing cavity pump, to produce the separated sand through a sand discharge tube, where a flow path of the sand discharge tube is separate from a flow path of the production tubing.

2. The method of claim 1 , where the tangentially formed openings are located in a sidewall of a cyclonic separator located within the wellbore.

3. The method of claim 1 , where the tangentially formed openings are tangentially oriented perforations within a reservoir formation.

4. The method of claim 1 , further including adding water to the separated sand to form a sand slurry before producing the sand slurry through the sand discharge tube.

5. The method of claim 4 , where the de-sanded fluid stream is a dry gas.

6. The method of claim 1 , further including cooling the progressing cavity pump with a water cooling system.

7. The method of claim 6 , where the water cooling system includes a duplex umbilical tube with a cooling water pumped into the wellbore through a first bore of the duplex umbilical tube and the cooling water is pumped out of the wellbore through a second bore of the duplex umbilical tube.

8. The method of claim 1 , where the sandy fluid is produced from a horizontal section of the subterranean hydrocarbon development well.

9. A method for removing sand from fluid in a subterranean hydrocarbon development well, the method including:

producing a cyclonic flow pattern of a sandy fluid of a subterranean well within a wellbore of the subterranean well with tangentially oriented perforations within a reservoir formation, where the cyclonic flow pattern causes sand traveling in the sandy fluid to fall downhole as separated sand, and causes a de-sanded fluid stream to be directed uphole towards a production tubing;

producing the de-sanded fluid stream through the production tubing; and

producing the separated sand through a sand discharge tube that is separate from a flow path of the production tubing, where the separated sand flows through a progressing cavity pump to produce the separated sand in the sand discharge tube.

10. The method of claim 9 , further including cooling the progressing cavity pump with a water cooling system.

11. The method of claim 10 , where the water cooling system includes a duplex umbilical tube with a cooling water pumped into the wellbore through a first bore of the duplex umbilical tube and the cooling water is pumped out of the wellbore through a second bore of the duplex umbilical tube.

12. The method of claim 9 , further including adding water to the separated sand to form a sand slurry before producing the sand slurry through the sand discharge tube.

13. The method of claim 12 , where the de-sanded fluid stream is a dry gas.

14. The method of claim 9 , where the sandy fluid is produced from a horizontal section of the subterranean hydrocarbon development well.

15. A system for removing sand from fluid in a subterranean hydrocarbon development well, the system including: tangentially formed openings along a fluid flow path of a sandy fluid of a subterranean well, the tangentially formed openings oriented for producing a cyclonic flow pattern of the sandy fluid within a wellbore of the subterranean well, where the cyclonic flow pattern causes sand traveling in the sandy fluid to fall downhole as separated sand, and causes a de-sanded fluid stream to be directed uphole; production tubing that includes a flow path for producing the de-sanded fluid stream; a progressing cavity pump having a suction end and positioned such that the separated sand collects proximate to the suction end, flows through the progressing cavity pump, and travels out a discharge end of the progressing cavity pump; and a sand discharge tube that includes a flow path for producing the separated sand where an umbilical is configured to add a slurry water to the separated sand to form a sand slurry before producing the sand slurry through the sand discharge tube.

16. The system of claim 15 , where the flow path of the sand discharge tube is separate from the flow path of the production tubing.

17. The system of claim 15 , where the tangentially formed openings are located in a sidewall of a cyclonic separator located within the wellbore.

18. The system of claim 15 , where the tangentially formed openings are tangentially oriented perforations within a reservoir formation.

19. The system of claim 15 , further including a one way valve located between the cyclonic flow pattern and the progressing cavity pump.

20. The system of claim 15 , where the de-sanded fluid stream is a dry gas.

21. The system of claim 15 , further including a water cooling system that includes a duplex umbilical tube with a first bore of the duplex umbilical tube operable for pumping cooling water into the wellbore and a second bore of the duplex umbilical tube operable for pumping the cooling water out of the wellbore.

22. The system of claim 15 , where the subterranean hydrocarbon development well has a horizontal section operable for producing the sandy fluid.