A separator and distributor assembly for a falling film evaporator housed within the evaporator shell includes a housing defining a separation volume, a refrigerant inlet configured to admit a liquid and vapor refrigerant flow into the separation volume and one or more refrigerant gutters extending along a lengthwise axis of the housing. The refrigerant gutter has a gutter inlet at a bottom of the separation volume, and the one or more refrigerant gutters are configured to receive separated liquid refrigerant from the separation volume. One or more sparge channels are in fluid communication with the refrigerant gutters. The sparge channel includes one or more sparge openings at a top of the sparge channel vertically below the gutter inlet. The one or more sparge openings are configured to flow liquid refrigerant therefrom.