Dr Nur Hassan had one of the more intriguing PhD thesis titles, among graduates at the recent CQUniversity Rockhampton ceremony.

Bubble rise phenomena in various non-Newtonian fluids conjured up an image of the researcher relaxing with a mood lamp, but the reality was far more constructive.

Professor Masud Khan (right) congratulates Dr Nur Hassan on his PhD

Bubbles are actually used in many industrial and commercial applications. They can be enhancers in sparkling beverages, in cooking processes, in the transfer of heat and mass, in polymer and activated sludge processes and others.

Nur's particular study was undertaken to seek improved efficiency in the design and operation of vacuum pans, which are large cylindrical vessels with vertical heating surfaces used in the sugar industry.

Steam bubbles are passed through sugar syrup to produce crystallization.

Nur observed and obtained experimental data relating to bubble velocity, trajectory, shape and sizes in various new liquids to develop a model which can be used to predict drag and trajectory calculations.

These calculations will help achieve better mass and heat transfer performance and design of these pans.

Dr Nur Hassan receives his PhD at graduation

The results and outcomes of this thesis will make a significant contribution to improving existing processes and developing new technology for the process industries.

Dr Hassan is now working as a researcher with CQUniversity's Process Engineering and Light Metals (PELM) Centre, based at Rockhampton Campus. 

He was supervised by Professor Masud Khan (principal supervisor) and Associate Professor Mohammad Rasul (associate supervisor).