A system and method of removing sand from a wellbore by mixing the sand with a liquid to form a slurry, and forcing the slurry through a discharge line to surface. The sand is separated from the production fluid within the wellbore by centrifugal action created using a specially design screen or tangential perforations, and directed into a portion of the wellbore that is sealed from the remainder of the wellbore. The liquid and sand are mixed together in the sealed portion of the wellbore, and the pressure of the fluid is sufficient to force the slurry uphole. Included in the sealed portion of the wellbore is a perturbation element for mixing the sand and liquid.