Tracerco, based in Billingham, received an Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics (IOP) for developing Discovery.

Discovery is used to establish the integrity of subsea pipeline assets.

The system operates at depths of up to 3000 meters and uses gamma ray tomography to produce high resolution images, allowing customers to make informed decisions regarding issues such as blockages, build-up and corrosion of pipes.

Tracerco says that Discovery scans pipelines from the outside to gain an accurate picture of the condition of the pipe and the flow, with no need to remove the protective coating and no interruption to production,

According to the company, two Discovery instruments are currently in operation and four more are being manufactured this year.

This is the second Innovation Award for Tracerco, who first won an award in 2013 for a product called Optimus, a gamma radiation-based thickness measurement system that increased efficiency in the petrochemical industry.