It has been discovered that a mechanical flotation system having only two cells
can be nearly as efficient as one having more cells, yet provide an apparatus with
a considerably smaller footprint, significantly reduced capital and operating costs,
as well as be resistant to floating oil recovery platform wave effects. The dual-cell
mechanical flotation system has, in sequential order, an inlet chamber and two
gasification chambers or cells, each with at least one gas ingestion and mixing
mechanism, and a discharge chamber. A common primary skim collection channel atop
the partition dividing the gasification chambers efficiently channels away the
bulk of the floating collected matter. At least one baffle depending from the top
of the vessel near the primary skim collection channel helps dampen the action
of the fluid containing the suspended matter when the vessel is affected by wave
motion against the floating oil production platform.