The award follows the machine’s success in winning the UK Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT) Award for innovation last year, and being short listed in The Engineer’s Innovation Awards.

Developers of the Typhoon system believe it is the best solution to the problem of cleaning water mains infrastructure on pipes between 4 and 60 inches in diameter.

Typhoon was created in response to a challenge set by Northumbrian Water for an efficient means of cleaning the larger trunk mains as part of its four-year, £30 million, mains cleaning program. The scheme will improve drinking water quality to 500,000 people in South East Northumberland, North Tyneside and the north of Newcastle.

In 2007, the water company tested a number of systems during field trials and awarded Hydrascan – a subsidiary of Kilbride Industrial Services – a contract with Lumsden & Carroll Civil Engineers to clean approximately 50 miles of water mains in Northumberland.

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The tethered pig system uses water jetting for its propulsion and cleaning functions and was developed from technology used in the oil and gas industry.

Requiring only a single entry point, the system cleans up to 1 km of pipe at one time, and will save water authorities and their contractors millions of pounds in the cost of excavating and re-routing traffic for extended maintenance projects in both rural and urban environments.

Managing Director Julian Guy said “We are delighted to receive this award and are increasingly excited about the potential for Typhoon - both in terms of meeting the technological challenge and ultimately improving the quality of our drinking water.”

Water companies and contractors can now get up close to award winning water mains cleaning technology after the launch of Hydrascan’s new above ground demonstration rig.

The demonstration and training facility is on show at the company’s Tyneside depot and features a 60 m section of mains pipe with clear viewing sections so visitors can see the water jet powered ‘Typhoon’ system in action.

Hydrascan technology achieves high levels of cleaning in pipes lined with concrete, cement, bitumen or PE and can be fitted with imaging equipment for surveying pipe condition.

Technical Director Dr Neil Stutchbury said “The hydro powered pig is jetted along a length of pipe where it will switch between propulsion and cleaning operations.

“On its return, multi-directional controlled water jets remove any build up on pipe walls allowing for expedient, thorough and environmentally friendly cleaning at ranges of up to 500 m – totalling 1 km in both directions – from a single entry point.

“Compared to the Typhoon system, current ‘pigging’ and ‘swabbing’ methods require substantially more plant, equipment and machine operatives on site – each pipe length that requires cleaning necessitates an excavation at each end of the pipe length as access to both ends of the pipe is required and only average cleaning results can be obtained.

Hydrascan engineers have a professional background in the design of tethered and free swimming pigs in the oil and gas industries and the system is able to pass around pipe bends and flush out all waste to be pumped off-site and disposed of.