Abstract
The evolution of variability in the centre temperature of discrete solid products during a batch thermal process is investigated. A simple deterministic model of transient heat transfer in a discrete solid body is outlined. Theoretical solutions based on functions of random variables are derived to characterize the output of such a thermal process where the rate constant is randomly distributed. The solutions are validated by being compared to experimentally measured temperature dispersion. The utility of the approach in improving the design of non-deterministic thermal processes is outlined.