of the invention may use a nozzle or other type of restriction in lieu of a venturi to accelerate the fluid flow across the outlet port 28 or across the liquid inlet port 42 or may use no restriction at all as described above one application for the invention is to protect against u201c kicks u201d such as in subsea applications by circulating out hydrocarbon gas at the seabed floor before the gas is able to rise up to a drilling rig referring to fig1 in an exemplary embodiment illustrated is a conventional sub sea blow out preventer 50 located on the seafloor 52 a marine riser 54 extends from the blow out preventer 50 and within the riser is a drillpipe 56 an embodiment of the separation apparatus 10 is positioned along drillpipe 56 preferably adjacent the blow out preventer 50 in normal drilling operations drilling fluid 58 is pumped down the drillpipe 56 from the drilling rig not shown and returns to the drilling rig via annulus 60 formed between the drillpipe 56 and the riser 54 if a u201c kick u201d is detected for example by a change in the level of the mud tanks or increase in mud circulation rate inlet annulus valve 62 is activated diverting drilling fluid 58 from annulus 60 into the flow shaping line 17 natural gas 64 entrained in drilling fluid 58 from the.