Project Report

on

Comparison of newly designed commercial Real Gas

Oven (Tandoor) with Traditional Tandoor

Submitted to
Jain Enterprises, Chandigarh

Submitted by

National Research & Technology Consortium

Sector-1, Parwanoo- 173 220
June, 2007
1.0 TANDOOR : A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

A traditional tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in Punjab region, northern India and
Pakistan in which food is cooked over a hot charcoal fire. Temperatures in a tandoor can
approach 480°C. It is common for tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods of time to
maintain the high cooking temperature.

The oldest example of a tandoor was found in the Harappa and Mohenjo Daro
settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. In Sanskrit, the tandoor was referred
to as kandu. The word tandoor comes from the Urdu words tandūr and tannūr; these
derive from the Persian tanūr, which comes from the Arabic word tannūr, from which the
Turkish word Tandır and the Azeri word təndir (which has the same meaning as
explained in the article) originate. It is used for cooking certain types of Indian and
Pakistani food, such as tandoori chicken and bread varieties like tandoori roti and naan.
(The word tandoori is the adjective form.) It is also known as a tonir in Armenian which is
a widely used method of cooking barbeque and lavash bread.

The tandoor is also known by another name of 'Bhatti' in India. The Bhatti tribe of the
Thar Desert of Northwestern India and Eastern Pakistan developed the Bhatti in their
desert abode, and thus it gained the name of Bhatti. It is thought to have travelled to
Central Asia and the Middle East along with the Gypsies or Roma, who originated
amongst the Thar Desert tribes.

1.1 Introduction

A tandoori oven is designed to provide very high, dry heat. Fuel for this fire is provided
by charcoals lining the bottom of the structure. In order to produce temperatures
approaching 480°C, employees maintain a long vigil to keep the tandoori oven's coals
burning all the time. At such high temperatures, most foods cooked in a tandoori oven
develop a very crisp outer layer without sacrificing moistness on the inside.

Tandoori oven is essentially a very large clay pot, often standing shoulder-high above
the kitchen floor. The sides of a tandoori oven curve inwards towards a centralized
exhaust hole. The tandoori oven is akin to a traditional pizza oven used in Italian
restaurants or an open pit barbecue in American grills.
With the change in time and awareness for health & environment, the change in design
of the food processing plant and machineries is inevitable. First, and foremost health and
hygiene is priority, next comes the economy, comfort driven life style and user-friendly
techniques. All these have also compelled over the years the necessary change and
adaptation of new technology in the traditional tandoor.

A new design of such tandoor by name of “REAL LPG Gas Tandoor” was brought for
the design improvement, study and analysis at NRTC.

1.2 Definition and Applications

The traditional Indian clay oven is called the “Tandoor”. A Tandoor is a clay oven with
rounded sides, standing about 5 feet high, with charcoal in the bottom as heat source.
The most commonly cooked eatables like naan and Indian flat bread/chapatti are cooked
in a tandoor oven by pressing the dough on to the inside walls. The intense heat inside,
created by the hot charcoal cook the bread, naan, meat, chicken or fish pieces very
quickly. The food becomes crispy on the outside while remaining juicy inside.

The tandoor is currently a very important fixture in many Indian restaurants around the
world. Food cooked in a tandoor retains all the juices and taste inside and hence is
considered very healthy. Many people have installed a tandoor in their homes for making
bread and kababs. Some modern day tandoors use electricity or gas instead of charcoal.
The main food items are

• Chicken Tandoori
• Chicken Tikka
• Seekh Kabab
• Boti Kabab
2.0 MATTERS OF CONCERN WITH TRADITIONAL TANDOOR CLAY OVEN
Tandoor clay ovens have typically been installed in retail food establishments in
custombuilt, permanent installations made of concrete blocks, bricks, and mortar, with
sand insulation and tile exteriors. These ovens have been a source of many concerns,
including;

• use of clay and other questionable materials in the manufacture of the ovens,
• extreme heat and smoke production,
• sparking,
• disposal of ashes that may contain embers,
• deterioration of exterior tile finishes,
• cracking of the clay oven itself,
• inferior workmanship, and
• inadequate storage of fuel (charcoal and wood).
3.0 REAL GAS TANDOOR (OVEN)
Jain Enterprises, Chandigarh is an ISO 9001:2000 Certified Co. manufacturing &
exporting domestic & commercial LPG Gas fired Tandoor which warms within 10
minutes. In this Tandoor, any veg & non-veg Tandoori dish can be cooked. It is claimed
to be totally hygienic and its running cost is estimated 40% to 45% cheaper than
charcoal fired tandoor. The design of the LPG fired Tandoor is given below:

12”
Outer Drum
Inner Drum

2”

22”

20”

Heat Plate
4.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

• Comparison of gas emission or pollution for LPG fired tandoor with traditional
tandoor.
• Hygiene study of prepared chapattis through both tandoors
• The inner layer of the tandoor is Al coated which is to be tested for food grade

5.0 METHODOLOGY

• Stack Emission Monitoring in the tandoor for parameters :

PM, SO2, NOx, CO, CO2
• Micro-biological study of prepared chapattis from two different tandoors for observation
of following parameters
- TPC, Coli form, E. Coli and S. aureus
- Detection of metals Al, Pb/heavy metals

6.0 EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP

To study the environmental impact of both the types of tandoors, experimental

arrangement was done at the NRTC campus. Considering the pollution factors due to
operation of the tandoors stack monitoring for both were carried out. The parameters like
SPM, CO, CO2, SOx, NOx were monitored and analysed. The height of the stack was
2.75 m approx from ground level and 2 m from the source of emission of gases.
Diameter of stack was 12 cm and the sampling was performed for around one hour in
both the types of tandoors.
Stack monitoring in traditional Tandoor

Stack monitoring in LPG Tandoor

Sampling of SPM in traditional (left) and LPG (right) tandoors

Traditional tandoor being fired up

LPG tandoor being fired up
 Chapattis being prepared through traditional (top) and LPG (down) tandoor

The chapattis made from the tandoors were also analysed for food quality and hygiene.
7.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
Based on the above experimentation the comparative data of stack emission monitoring
and microbiological analysis are shown in table 1 & table 2.

Table 1: Stack Emission Monitoring Details

Sr. Parameter Protocol Result of Result of Gas

No. Traditional Tandoor
Tandoor
1 Stack temperature (°C) - 622 278
2 Average Velocity (m/s) - 6.85 5.37
3 Flow rate (Nm3/Hr) - 93 118.29
4 Particulate Matter (PM) IS 11255(part1&3) 285 9
(mg/Nm3)
5 Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) SGS/SOP/E&E/14 37 15
(mg/Nm3)
6 Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) SGS/SOP/E&E/14 45 ND (DL = 2
(mg/Nm3) mg/Nm3)
7 Carbon Monoxide (CO) SGS/SOP/E&E/14 ND (DL = 5 ND (DL = 5
(ppm) ppm) ppm)
8 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) (%) Orsat 19.1 0.43

Table 2: Food Hygienic and Microbiological results of the cooked chapattis

Sr. Tests Protocol Result for Result for Gas

No. Traditional Tandoor
Tandoor
1. Al AOAC 17th EDN : 2003 Not detected Not detected
(D.L. 5ppm) (D.L. 5ppm)
2. Pb AOAC 17th EDN : 2003 Not detected Not detected
(D.L. 0.5ppm) (D.L. 0.5ppm)
3. Coliform USFDA (BAM) 8th EDN : 2001 Less than 10 Less than 10
counts cfu/g cfu/g
4. E. coli USFDA (BAM) 8th EDN : 2001 Absent/g Absent/g
5. S. aureus USFDA (BAM) 8th EDN: 2001- Absent/g Absent/g
Chapter 12

It is clear from the above data that the traditional tandoor plays a role in enhancing the air
pollution where as the LPG tandoor has no considerable contribution to the air pollution. The
particulate matter was detected 285(Acceptable limit is 150) in traditional tandoor where as it is
only 9 in LPG tandoor. Similarly CO2 is also detected 19.1% above permissible limit (12%) in
traditional tandoor whereas this is 0.43% in LPG tandoor. Though the values of SO2 , NOx , CO
in traditional tandoor are below permissible limit, but that too are higher in comparison to that in
LPG tandoor.
 Table 3: A comparison between LPG Tandoor and Traditional Tandoor

Parameter LPG Tandoor Traditional Tandoor

Control of Better, Concentrated heat for baking
heat Temperature variation = 200-500 °C Temperature ~ 480 °C
Efficiency 45% 25%
Fuel wastage Minimum Maximum
Design suitable for modification according No modification provision
to application
Maintenance Minimal (Rare) Regular (daily)
Turn-up time Fast, 10 min Slow, 30 min – 1 Hr.
Waste No waste (ashes) Huge
disposal
Smoke Environment friendly, No smoke Pollutant, Huge amount of smoke,
Health hazardous

7.0 ECONOMY STUDY

It has been studied in number of traditional tandoors operating in hotels and dhabas that
on an average one tandoor since morning to night is kept lit and working of about 16
hours a day continuously. However out of the 16 hrs, the only usable period is of about
10 hrs and rest of the period is broken between breakfast-lunch-dinner. This means that
about 60% of the time of running tandoor is merely wastage of fuel and energy.

Whereas due to convenient process and user friendly operation, the LPG gas tandoor is
made in use as and when desired with margin of only 10 minutes from start to come to
ready for service. In this way the break-away period of 6 hrs is easily saved and that
enhances the economy of LPG tandoor.

Based on the approximation of period of use of each type of tandoor and the present
prices of LPG and wood charcoal, following estimation has been done.

Comparative cost estimation for running both types of tandoors

Traditional Tandoor LPG Tandoor (Real Gas Tandoor)

Fuel Wood charcoal LPG
Quantity 25 Kg charcoal + 3 Kg wood 4.5 Kg
(for fire-up) (10 Hrs running per day)
(16 Hrs. running per day)
Cost Charcoal: Rs. 14/- per Kg Rs. 46/- per Kg
Wood: Rs. 5/- per Kg (Rs. 864/- for Commercial LPG
cylinder of 19 Kg)
Cost per day = 14x25 + 5x3 Cost per day = Rs. 205/-
= Rs. 365/-
Saving Negative Rs. 160/-
(About 44% w.r.t. traditional tandoor)
Expenditure Rs. 10950/- per month (30 days) Rs. 6150/- per month (30 days)
Rs. 133225/- per year Rs. 74825/- per year
Saving per Approx. Rs. 58000/-
year
8.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The above studies and analysis reveal that the traditional tandoor, which is in existing
practices, needed to be looked into health and environment aspects. The use of
traditional tandoor leads to air pollution and is also prone to health hazard. Considering
the environmental and economy aspects the newly developed LPG tandoor (Real Gas
Oven) is very suitable for commercial/ domestic use. This has also been reported in UN
report that half of the humanity is at risk from burning solid fuels. In the world’s poorest
countries indoor air pollution is the fourth greatest risk factor for death and disease.

NRTC through this study recommends the alteration of the existing traditional tandoor
with the LPG tandoors sooner the better. However following recommendations are also
necessary for adoption of LPG tandoors.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Ovens must be from an approved source. The materials used in the manufacturing of
the ovens must be nontoxic and free of heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and
cadmium. Documentation, including appropriate test results that verify compliance
with this requirement, could be included with the manufacturer's installation
instructions that must accompany each oven, and should be available for verification
purposes.

2. All materials used in the construction of ovens, supporting structure, insulation, and
exterior surfaces, must be durable and capable of withstanding the high
temperatures typical of these devices.

3. A durable, nontoxic patching compound, specified by the oven manufacturer and

made of approved materials, must be used for repairing cracks. The patching
compound must be labeled as to contents and use. Ovens that can no longer be
adequately repaired must be replaced. Replacement ovens must meet the same
requirements as new ovens.

4. Exterior surfaces of these ovens must be easily cleanable and durable, and conform
to national / international standards. Acceptable materials include stainless steel,
aluminum and heavy-duty ceramic tile, except that the top of the oven shall be
covered with stainless steel. The lip of the opening to the oven should be covered
with galvanized sheet/stainless steel or other approved material.

5. The oven must be properly insulated around its body to reduce safety and fire
hazards and to reduce employee discomfort. Insulation materials shall not come into
contact with the interior of the oven in the event of cracks occurring in the oven wall.

6. It is also recommended that exhaust ventilation should be provided at the oven site.