Nucleation Of Water Research Articles

Effects of water subdroplet location on the start of puffing/micro-explosion in composite fuel-water droplets

A new approach to the verification of the predictions of the earlier developed model of puffing/micro-explosion is suggested, based on the implementation in the numerical code of the analytical solution to the heat transfer equation within a composite droplet. Verification is based upon a comparison between the predictions of the numerical code with this model and those of a fully numerical solution to the equation (the heat transfer module available from COMSOL software). The agreement between the predictions of both codes supports both approaches to the problem. The model is generalised to consider the shifting of the water subdroplet away from the centre of the fuel droplet. This generalisation is based on the numerical solution to the heat transfer equation in the composite droplet taking into account this shift. The start of puffing/micro-explosion in the generalised model is related to the time instant when the temperature at the point of the water/fuel interface closest to the surface of the fuel droplet reaches the water nucleation temperature. The shift is characterised by the distance between the centres of the water subdroplet and the fuel droplet. It is shown that even if this distance is half of the maximal possible distance, the errors in times to puffing/micro-explosion obtained using the original and generalised models do not exceed 5%, which can be tolerated in most practical applications.

Mechanism of ice nucleation in liquid water on alkali feldspars.

Crystallization of supercooled liquid water in most natural environments starts with heterogeneous nucleation of ice induced by a nucleation site. Mineral surfaces, which form the majority of aqueous interfaces in Earth's ecosystem, possess a plethora of surface morphological and chemical features that can serve as ice nucleation sites. The nature of surface sites responsible for ice nucleation from supersaturated water vapor have been recently identified for alkali feldspar, a family of rock-building minerals constituting 60% of the Earth's crust. It was demonstrated that ice preferentially forms upon the patches of crystalline surface with (100) orientation, exposed in the surface defects such as cracks, pores, and pits arising due to chemically induced stress and further enhanced by hydrothermal alterations of natural feldspars. However, whether the same sites were responsible for nucleation from liquid water, remained to be shown. Here, we investigate the mechanism of heterogeneous ice nucleation in a layer of aqueous sucrose solution on top of thin sections of feldspar prepared along the (010) crystalline plane. We observe a preferential orientation of ice crystals defined by an epitaxial relationship between feldspar and ice, with ice crystals growing on the crystalline surfaces of feldspar with (100) orientation. We thus conclude that the ice nucleating sites active in deposition freezing mode are also active in the immersion freezing regime. This conclusion is further supported by the enhancement of ice nucleation active site density observed for the thin sections of feldspar prepared sub-parallel to the (100) plane as compared to sections prepared along (010) and (001) crystallographic orientations.

Experimental investigation of homogeneous nucleation of water in various gases using an expansion chamber

Nucleation is an integral part of phase transitions and plays an important role in technology. The control of nucleation in devices such as turbines, rocket and jet engines, wind tunnels, and combustion processes is key to achieving efficient, ecologically sound operation. Our paper presents information about a modernized experimental setup used for homogeneous water nucleation research. The main goal of the study is an analysis of the influence of carrier gas on homogeneous nucleation. The experimental setup based on an expansion chamber has been used for research of homogeneous nucleation over several decades and has undergone various technical improvements. In the Institute of Thermomechanics, the setup was been completely disassembled and cleaned. Pressure transducers, laser, and the data acquisition system have been replaced with modern parts. After that, the chamber was assembled, and thoroughly tested and calibrated. Our investigations were carried with argon and nitrogen as carrier gases in a range of nucleation temperatures 220 – 260 K, pressure range 80-150 kPa, at several concentrations of water vapour. The results thus obtained are consistent with literature data. The findings suggest that this experimental approach is useful for homogeneous water nucleation research.

Fast-freezing behavior of water droplet on subcooled superhydrophobic surface in DC electrostatic field

Water freezing in electrostatic field (EF) exists widely in industry and daily life. In this study, we visualized the freezing behavior of distilled droplet on the superhydrophobic aluminum-surface with varied surface temperatures and EF strengths. It is found that the presence of EF, either upward or downward, can promote the nucleation of water even on the superhydrophobic surfaces. Nucleation is more prominent in the upward EF than in the downward EF provided the same field strength. Stronger EF contributes to shorter freezing-delay time and thus accelerate the overall freezing, although the freezing time becomes longer in stronger EF. Particularly, the interflow of the freezing droplet in EFs was exploited by micro-particle image velocimetry (μPIV). The average velocity of the internal flow was observed to increase with larger EF, implying the intensified internal cooling of water. This work unravels the underlying mechanism of the accelerated freezing behavior of water droplet in EFs and provides new insights into the modern applications in anti-icing and refrigeration industry.

Puffing/micro-explosion in composite multi-component droplets

A new simple model for the puffing and micro-explosion of composite multi-component water/liquid fuel droplets is suggested. This model is based on the assumption that a spherical water sub-droplet is located in the centre of a spherical fuel droplet. The effects of droplet thermal swelling are considered; the Abramzon and Sirignano model is applied for the analysis of droplet heating and evaporation. It is assumed that puffing/micro-explosion starts when the temperature at the water/liquid fuel interface becomes equal to the water nucleation temperature. Assuming that the species diffusion coefficient is constant at each time step, the equation for species diffusion inside the droplet is solved analytically. Raoult’s law at the surface of the droplet is used. The analytical solution to the equation for species diffusion is incorporated into the numerical code alongside the previously obtained analytical solution to the equation for heat transfer inside the droplet. Both solutions are used at each time step in the calculations. The model is used for the analysis of puffing/micro-explosion of kerosene/water droplets. The experimentally observed and predicted times to puffing/micro-explosion are shown to be reasonably close, decrease with increasing ambient gas temperatures and increase with increasing initial droplet radii. Taking into account the presence of multiple components in fuel leads to longer times to puffing/micro-explosion compared to the case when kerosene is approximated by cycloundecane (the dominant component in kerosene).

A novel method for the quantitative morphometric characterization of soluble salts on volcanic ash

Formation of soluble sulfate and halide salts on volcanic ash particles via syn-eruptive interactions between ash surfaces and magmatic gases is a ubiquitous phenomenon in explosive eruptions. Surficial salts may be rapidly mobilized into their depositional environment undermining the quality of drinking water, harming aquatic life, and damaging soil and vegetation. Assessment of the potential for salt formation on ash and related environmental impacts have been based almost exclusively on bulk mineralogical or chemical analyses of ash; similarly, quantification of surficial salts has been made via leachate analysis only. However, it is the ash surface state and salt crystal properties that exert the predominant control on its reactivity, thus in determining their immediate environmental impact. Here, using scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, we present a novel image analysis protocol for the quantitative characterization of surficial salts, together with chemical analyses of resulting leachates. As volcanic ash proxies, we used synthetic rhyolitic glass particles (with systematic variations in FeOT and CaO content) and a crushed obsidian. Using an ash-gas reactor, we artificially surface-loaded samples with CaSO4 and NaCl crystals, the most common crystal phases found on volcanic ash surfaces. Analogous variations were found using both methods: for CaSO4 crystals, higher temperature treatments or increasing FeOT content at the same temperature led to higher concentrations of salt leachate and higher salt volumes; unexpectedly, increasing the CaO content caused only a minor increase in salt formation. In addition to bulk salt formation, morphometric results provided insight into formation processes, nucleation and growth rates, and limiting factors for salt formation. Higher temperatures increased CaSO4 crystal size and surface coverage which we infer to result from higher element mobility in the glasses driving crystal growth. Increasing FeOT content of the glasses yielded increased salt surface coverage and leachate concentrations, but decreased crystal size (i.e., the salt number density increased). This latter effect likely relates to the role of iron as an electron-donor to charge balance salt-forming cation migration to the ash surface, indicating the importance of iron in determining surface reaction site density and, consequently, environmental reactivity. The controlling roles of ash composition and temperature on salt formation observed here can improve estimations for surface salt formation, volatile scavenging, and environmental impact for eruptions producing glass-rich ash. Our characterization protocol can therefore become a useful tool for the investigation of solid–gas reactions for terrestrial and planetary processes, and it also appears to be a powerful complement to research into atmospheric processes mediated by ash surfaces, such as ash aggregation and nucleation of water or ice on ash.

Fast nucleation of water by self-arrangement of hydrophilic crystals on a hierarchically structured surface promoting coalescence-induced droplet jumping

The enhancement of the condensation efficiency is required for saving energy and resources in industries exploiting condensation. In this regard, the Laplace pressure-driven spontaneous movement of condensed droplets on hierarchical superhydrophobic surfaces has been exploited to increase the condensation efficiency via the fast removal of the condensates from the surfaces. Although the moving droplets enabled the nucleation sites to be exposed to vapor before the droplets were removed from the surface, nucleation after the exposure was delayed by vapor depletion around the moving droplets. Since the heterogeneous nucleation energy barrier depends on the surface wettability, we investigated the effect of the wettability of the nucleation sites on the nucleation after the nucleation sites were exposed owing to the moving droplets. We arranged hydrophilic crystals inside the inner tips of a zigzag-structured surface and adjusted the crystal size with capillary flow-induced self-arrangement. The crystal size was highly related to the nucleation period at the inner tips because the nucleation energy barrier decreased with increasing crystal size. Consequently, the nucleation period reduced by the adequately sized crystals promoted droplet jumping, thereby increasing the frequency and cumulative volume of the jumping droplets by up to 410% and 130%, respectively. Furthermore, we verified that the increased crystal size did not affect the jumping probability on the biphilic-zigzag surfaces; this is because the wetting transition induced by the V-shapes minimized the work of adhesion. These results provide insight into the relationship between the wettability and nucleation period on hierarchically structured surfaces and highlight the synergetic effect between the hierarchical structures and heterogeneous wettability, which promotes droplet jumping.

Enhanced Water Nucleation and Growth Based on Microdroplet Mobility on Lubricant-Infused Surfaces.

Lubricant-infused surfaces (LISs) can promote stable dropwise condensation and improve heat transfer rates due to a low nucleation free-energy barrier and high droplet mobility. Recent studies showed that oil menisci surrounding condensate microdroplets form distinct oil-rich and oil-poor regions. These topographical differences in the oil surface cause water microdroplets to rigorously self-propel long distances, continuously redistributing the oil film and potentially refreshing the surface for re-nucleation. However, the dynamic interplay between oil film redistribution, microdroplet self-propulsion, and droplet nucleation and growth is not yet understood. Using high-speed microscopy, we reveal that during water condensation on LISs, the smallest visible droplets (diameter: ∼1 μm, qualitatively representing nucleation) predominantly emerge in oil-poor regions due to a lower nucleation free-energy barrier. Considering the significant heat transfer performance of microdroplets (<10 μm) and transient characteristic of microdroplet movement, we compare the apparent nucleation rate density and water collection rate for LISs with oils of different viscosities and a solid hydrophobic surface at a wide range of subcooling temperatures. Generally, the lowest lubricant viscosity leads to the highest nucleation rate density. We characterize the length and frequency of microdroplet movement and attribute the nucleation enhancement primarily to higher droplet mobility and surface refreshing frequency. Interestingly and unexpectedly, hydrophobic surfaces outperform high-viscosity LISs at high subcooling temperatures but are generally inferior to any of the tested LISs at low temperature differences. To explain the observed nonlinearity between LISs and the solid hydrophobic surface, we introduce two dominant regimes that influence the condensation efficiency: mobility-limited and coalescence-limited. We compare these regimes based on droplet growth rates and water collection rates on the different surfaces. Our findings advance the understanding of dynamic water-lubricant interactions and provide new design rationales for choosing surfaces for enhanced dropwise condensation and water collection efficiencies.

Critical cluster composition from homogeneous nucleation data: application to water in carbon dioxide\u2013nitrogen carrier gases

Knowledge on critical cluster composition is important for improving the nucleation theory. Thus, homogeneous water nucleation experiments previously carried out in nitrogen and 0%, 5%, 15% and 25% of carbon dioxide ( Campagna et al. 2020a, 2021) are analyzed. The tests were conducted at 240 K and 0.1 MPa, 1 MPa and 2 MPa. The observed nucleation rates are strongly dependent on supersaturation, pressure, temperature and mixture composition. These experimentally found dependencies can be used to derive the composition of critical clusters by means of the nucleation theorem. In this way, a macroscopic quantity, nucleation rate, reveals properties of critical clusters consisting of a few tens of molecules. Two novel methods are presented for the detailed application of the nucleation theorem. The first method extends to mixtures of ,,,,,,,N>2,,,,,, components the approach used in literature for two components. The second method not only applies to N>2 mixtures in a more straightforward manner, but it can also be used for unary as well as for binary and multi-component nucleation cases. To the best of our knowledge, for the first time the critical cluster composition is computed for high pressure nucleation data of a vapor (here water) in mixtures of two carrier gases (here carbon dioxide–nitrogen). After a proper parameterization of the nucleation rate data, both methods consistently lead to the same critical nuclei compositions within the experimental uncertainty. Increasing pressure and carbon dioxide molar fraction at fixed supersaturation leads to a decrease in the water content of the critical cluster, while the adsorbed number of nitrogen and carbon dioxide molecules increases. As a consequence, the surface tension decreases. This outcome explains the observed increase in the nucleation rate with increasing pressure and carbon dioxide molar fraction at constant supersaturation.Graphic abstract

Temperature measurements in a string of three closely spaced droplets before the start of puffing/micro-explosion: Experimental results and modelling

The results of experimental and theoretical investigation of the mutual effects of three composite Diesel fuel/water droplets, one behind the other, on their puffing/micro-explosion are presented. The analysis is focused not only on finding the time instant when puffing/micro-explosion starts, but also on the investigation of time evolution of temperature at the water-fuel interface before the development of puffing/micro-explosion. The experimentally observed temperatures at the water-fuel interface are shown to increase almost linearly with time for the lead, middle and downstream droplets. Assuming that puffing/micro-explosion starts when the temperature at this interface reaches the water nucleation temperature, the values of the latter temperature as a function of the heating rate were found from the experimental data. The results are shown to be consistent with the earlier found correlation for this temperature for all three droplets. Time to puffing/micro-explosion is shown to decrease with increasing gas temperature; this time for the lead droplet is always shorter than that of the middle and downstream droplets, and the difference between them decreases as the distance between droplets increases. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of the previously developed model based on the assumption that the water sub-droplet is located exactly in the centre of the Diesel fuel droplet and that this process is triggered when the temperature at the water/fuel interface attains the water nucleation temperature. The effect of interaction between lead, middle and downstream droplets is considered via modifications to the Nusselt (Nu) and Sherwood (Sh) numbers for these droplets due to the interaction between them.

Puffing/micro-explosion in composite fuel/water droplets heated in flames

The results of new experimental and theoretical investigations of puffing and micro-explosion of rapeseed oil/water droplets placed in ethanol and propane/butane mixture flames are presented. It is pointed out that time to puffing/micro-explosion increases with increasing initial droplet radii in both flames. This time is always shorter for a propane/butane mixture flame (with maximal temperature 1,450 K) than for an ethanol flame (with maximal temperature 1,120 K). The experimental results are interpreted in terms of a simplified model of the phenomenon, in which it is assumed that a spherical water subdroplet is placed exactly in the centre of a spherical fuel droplet. The start of puffing/micro-explosion is linked with the time instant when the temperature at the water/rapeseed oil interface reaches the water nucleation temperature. The contributions of thermal radiation and supporting wire are taken into account for the first time for the analysis of the phenomena. It is shown that the model predictions agree with experimental data.

Microtubular PEDOT-Coated Bricks for Atmospheric Water Harvesting.

Atmospheric water harvesting is a promising technology for alleviating global water scarcity. Current water sorption materials efficiently capture water vapor from ubiquitous air; however, they are difficult to scale up due to high costs, complex device engineering, and intensive energy consumption. Fired red brick, a low-cost masonry construction material, holds the potential for developing large-scale functional architectures. Here, we utilize fired red brick for atmospheric water harvesting by integrating a microtubular coating of the conducting polymer PEDOT within its inorganic microstructure. This microtubular polymer coating affords hygroscopicity and high surface area for water nucleation, enables capillary forces to promote water transport, and enhances the water harvesting efficiency. Our brick composite achieves a maximum water vapor uptake of ∼200 wt % versus polymer mass at 95% relative humidity, decreasing to ∼15 wt % at 40% relative humidity. Facile water release is demonstrated via thermal, electrical, and illuminative heating. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates the potential of masonry construction materials for large-scale atmospheric water harvesting.

Puffing/micro-explosion of two closely spaced composite droplets in tandem: Experimental results and modelling

The results of the experimental and theoretical investigations of the mutual effect on their puffing/micro-explosion of droplets in a flow, using an example of two closely spaced droplets in tandem, are presented. It is shown that the time to puffing/micro-explosion (τp) of the lead droplet is always shorter than that of the downstream droplet, and the difference between them decreases with increasing distance between droplets divided by their initial diameters (2Rd0). It is shown that the τp of both droplets increases with increasing Rd0. The experimental results are interpreted in terms of the previously developed model for fuel/water droplet puffing/micro-explosion, based on the assumptions that the water sub-droplet is located in the centre of the fuel droplet and that this process is triggered when the temperature at the water/fuel interface reaches the water nucleation temperature. The effect of interaction between the lead and downstream droplets is taken into account via modifications to the Nusselt and Sherwood numbers for these droplets using the results of numerical calculations. Both experimentally observed and predicted values of τp are shown to increase with increasing Rd0. They are shown to be longer for the downstream droplets than for the lead droplets. The experimentally observed differences in τp for the lead and downstream droplets are close to the predicted differences.

Open ocean and coastal new particle formation from sulfuric acid and amines around the Antarctic Peninsula

New particle formation is globally one of the major sources of aerosol particles and cloud condensation nuclei. As primary emissions are a minor contributor to particle concentrations, secondary new particle formation processes are probably key in determining Antarctic aerosol number concentrations. However, our knowledge of new particle formation and its mechanisms in Antarctica is very limited. Here we study summertime open ocean and coastal new particle formation in the Antarctic Peninsula region based on both ship and station measurements. The rates of particle formation relative to sulfuric acid concentrations, as well as the sulfuric acid dimer-to-monomer ratios, were similar to those seen for sulfuric acid–dimethylamine–water nucleation. Numerous sulfuric acid–amine peaks were identified during new particle formation events, providing evidence that alkylamines were the bases that facilitated sulfuric acid nucleation. Most new particle formation events occurred in air masses arriving from the ice-covered Weddell Sea and its marginal ice zone, which are an important source of volatile sulfur and alkylamines. This nucleation mechanism is more efficient than the ion-induced sulfuric acid–ammonia pathway previously observed in Antarctica, and one that can occur rapidly under neutral conditions. This hitherto overlooked pathway to biologically driven aerosol formation should be considered for estimating aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei numbers in ocean–sea ice–aerosols–climate feedback models.

Homogeneous water nucleation in carbon dioxide–nitrogen mixtures: Experimental study on pressure and carrier gas effects

New homogeneous nucleation experiments are presented at 240 K for water in carrier gas mixtures of nitrogen with carbon dioxide molar fractions of 5%, 15%, and 25%. The pulse expansion wave tube is used to test three different pressure conditions, namely, 0.1, 1, and 2 MPa. In addition, a restricted series of nucleation experiments is presented for 25% carbon dioxide mixtures at temperatures of 234 and 236 K at 0.1 MPa. As pressure and carbon dioxide content are increased, the nucleation rate increases accordingly. This behavior is attributed to the reduction in the water surface tension by the adsorption of carrier gas molecules. The new data are compared with theoretical predictions based on the classical nucleation theory and on extrapolations of empirical surface tension data to the supercooled conditions at 240 K. The extrapolation is carried out on the basis of a theoretical adsorption/surface tension model, extended to multi-component mixtures. The theoretical model appears to strongly overestimate the pressure and composition dependence. At relatively low pressures of 0.1 MPa, a reduction in the nucleation rates is found due to an incomplete thermalization of colliding clusters and carrier gas molecules. The observed decrease in the nucleation rate is supported by the theoretical model of Barrett, generalized here for water in multi-component carrier gas mixtures. The temperature dependence of the nucleation rate at 0.1 MPa follows the scaling model proposed by Hale [J. Chem. Phys. 122, 204509 (2005)].

Investigation of water bubble nucleation by using molecular dynamics simulation

Generation of a bubble nucleus is the initial stage of nucleate boiling and an essential part of the nucleate boiling theory. In the present study, the molecular dynamics simulation method is conducted to study the bubble nucleation of water on a grooved copper substrate with hydrophilicity. An idea based on the competition between molecular kinetic energy and molecular potential restriction, corresponding to the motivity and resistance for bubble nucleation at the nanoscale, is extended to identify the intrinsic regime of bubble nucleation of water. If a group of water molecules obtain enough kinetic energy such that their potential restriction is broken and become activated molecules at some time, the bubble nucleus is taken shape. Simulation results of bubble nucleation behaviors on the substrate with different sizes of grooves indicate that this idea works well in clarifying the intrinsic regimes of bubble nucleation and the nucleation difference between different cases. In addition, this idea can be used to obtain the incipient nucleation position, nucleation time, and the volume of the bubble nucleus without any subjective threshold.

Cellulose Nanocrystals Facilitate Needle-like Ice Crystal Growth and Modulate Molecular Targeted Ice Crystal Nucleation.

Ice nucleators are of crucial and important implications in various fields including chemistry, climate, agriculture, and cryobiology. However, the complicated extract and biocompatibility of ice nucleators remain unresolved, and the mechanism of ice nucleation remains largely unknown. Herein, we show that natural nanocrystalline cellulose materials possess special properties to enhance ice nucleation and facilitate needle-like ice crystal growth. We reveal the molecular level mechanism that the efficient exposure of cellulose hydroxyl groups on (-110) surface leads to faster nucleation of water. We further design chitosan-decorated cellulose nanocrystals to accomplish molecular cryoablation in CD 44 high-expression cells; the cell viability shows more than ∼10 times decrease compared to cryoablation alone and does not show evident systematic toxicity. Collectively, our findings also offer improved knowledge in molecular level ice nucleation, which may benefit multiple research communities and disciplines.

Interaction of water with zeolites: a review

ABSTRACT Water is ubiquitous in many thermal treatments and reaction conditions involving zeolite catalysts, but the potential impacts are complex. The different types of water interaction with zeolites have profound consequences in the stability, structure/composition, and reactivity of these important catalysts. This review analyzes the current knowledge about the mechanistic aspects of water adsorption and nucleation on zeolites surfaces and the concomitant role of zeolite defects, cations and extra framework species. Examples of experimental and computational studies of water interaction with zeolites of varying Si/Al ratios, topologies, and level of silanol defects are reviewed and analyzed. The different steps associated with the process of steaming, including the Al-O-Si bond hydrolysis and subsequent structural modifications, such as dealumination, mesopore formation, and amorphization, are evaluated in light of recent DFT calculations, as well as SS NMR and other spectroscopic studies. Differences between the mechanisms of water attack of the zeolite in vapor or liquid phase are highlighted and explained, as well as the effect of hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties of the zeolite walls. In parallel, the various roles of water as modifier of reactivity are reviewed and discussed, both for plain zeolites as well as rare-earth or phosphorous-modified materials.

Heterogeneous Nucleation of Butanol on NaCl: A Computational Study of Temperature, Humidity, Seed Charge, and Seed Size Effects.

Using a combination of quantum chemistry and cluster size distribution dynamics, we study the heterogeneous nucleation of n-butanol and water onto sodium chloride (NaCl)10 seeds at different butanol saturation ratios and relative humidities. We also investigate how the heterogeneous nucleation of butanol is affected by the seed size through comparing (NaCl)5, (NaCl)10, and (NaCl)25 seeds and by seed electrical charge through comparing (Na10Cl9)+, (NaCl)10, and (Na9Cl10)− seeds. Butanol is a common working fluid for condensation particle counters used in atmospheric aerosol studies, and NaCl seeds are frequently used for calibration purposes and as model systems, for example, sea spray aerosol. In general, our simulations reproduce the experimentally observed trends for the NaCl–BuOH–H2O system, such as the increase of nucleation rate with relative humidity and with temperature (at constant supersaturation of butanol). Our results also provide molecular-level insights into the vapor–seed interactions driving the first steps of the heterogeneous nucleation process. The main purpose of this work is to show that theoretical studies can provide molecular understanding of initial steps of heterogeneous nucleation and that it is possible to find cost-effective yet accurate-enough combinations of methods for configurational sampling and energy evaluation to successfully model heterogeneous nucleation of multicomponent systems. In the future, we anticipate that such simulations can also be extended to chemically more complex seeds.

High‐Speed 3D Imaging of Multiphase Systems: Applying SCAPE Microscopy to Analog Experiments in Volcanology and Earth Sciences

AbstractMultiphase suspensions are complex systems where microscopic interactions between suspended bubbles, particles, and liquids can significantly alter bulk behavior. Observing the internal mechanics of such suspensions can help constrain the dynamics of natural multiphase flows. To capture these internal processes at high speed and in three dimensions, we propose the use of Swept Confocally Aligned Planar Excitation (SCAPE) microscopy in analog experiments. This imaging technique, developed for neuroscience and biology, uses a sweeping light sheet to illuminate and image fluorophores within a sample. We performed experiments using water and various oils as the liquid phases, glass or PMMA particles for solids, and air or CO2 for gas, which we imaged at rates &gt;50 volumes per second, over a volume size of ∼1 × 1 × 0.4 mm. We focused on three case studies: (1) bubble nucleation, growth, and rise in sparkling water, where we found that bubble detachment from angular PMMA particles left residual bubbles that also grew and detached, generating more bubbles compared to smooth particles; (2) flow of immiscible liquids (water droplets suspended in canola oil) in a porous matrix of PMMA beads, which highlighted the importance of pore and throat sizes on droplet velocities; and (3) injection of air bubbles into concentrated suspensions of glass beads or crushed PMMA particles in a refractive‐index‐matched liquid, which revealed particle motion and strong alterations of the bubble shape. We conclude that SCAPE microscopy is a powerful tool to study the dynamics of multiphase systems.