A typical spherical separator is shown in Figure 4-3. The same four sections can be found in this vessel. Spherical separators are a special case of a vertical separator where there is no cylindrical shell between the two heads. They may be very efficient from a pressure containment standpoint but because (1) they have limited liquid surge capability and (2) they exhibit fabrication difficulties, they are not usually used in oil field facilities. For this reason we will not be discussing spherical separators any further.
