ASTM Standard D8152 defines the methodology for performing a manual MPD test. This method is in the Public Domain.
Upstream Technologies has automated this ASTM standard allowing anyone to perform this test.
Upstream Technogies has patented this automation. U.S. Patent #10,739,242
Engineers
Use the MPD infiltrometer to provide a site-specific Ksat for design of infiltration practices.
No more relying on vague ranges provided by soil surveys! Also use it to quickly verify the construction
of these practices before authorizing payment to the contractor.
Public Works
Perform annual Ksat tests on all of your agencies rain gardens, infiltration basins, and swales.
Easily monitor any changes in infiltration capability over time.
History
The MPD methodology and calculations have a long history dating back to 1911 with the
Green-Ampt theory for estimating infiltration, which incorporates many variables that other methods,
such as Darcy's Law, do not. Some of these variables include: Soil Suction Head, Porosity, Hydraulic Conductivity and Time.
Two men, Philip & Dunne, then furthered this research and developed a methodology that incorporated the
use of a cylinder, filled with water and measured head drop over time. The subsequent math equations incorporate the
Green-Ampt theory
to predict the field saturated (or steady state) infiltration rate, also known as Hydraulic Conductivity.
Philip and Dunne published their methodology in 1993 for peer review.
The University of Minnesota modified Philip & Dunne's work with a variation to the equation in 2007,
renaming the method: Modified Philip Dunne or (MPD). This method has been peer reviewed and
vetted in the world-wide academic and scientific communities since 2007, becoming an
ASTM STANDARD D8152 in 2018.
