A NH3 separator is a device used in industrial applications to separate a liquid-vapor mixture into its constituent phases. It can be a vertical or horizontal container, and serves as both two-phase and three-phase separator.

A NH3 separator may also be referred to as a flash drum, bursting vessel, blind drum or blind vessel, compressor suction drum, compressor suction scrubber or inlet drum, or vent scrubber. When used to remove suspended water droplets from air currents, it is often called a defroster.

In NH3 separators gravity is used to cause the denser fluid (liquid) to settle to the bottom of the vessel where it is withdrawn, the less dense fluid (vapor) is withdrawn from the top of the vessel.

In general, vertical separators are used when there is a high gas-liquid ratio or a high gas volume. Horizontal separators are used for large volumes of liquid.

Vapor-liquid separators are widely used in a large number of industries and applications, such as:

• Oil refineries.
• Marine platforms.
• Natural gas (LNG) processing plants.
• Petrochemical and chemical plants.
• Refrigeration systems.
• Air-conditioning.
• Compressor systems.
• Gas pipelines, etc.