Hydraulic transients are pressure waves generated in closed pipe systems if flow conditions change abruptly. This practical problem has been studied for over a century and is well understood for pipe systems, with pressure pulses computed with a hyperbolic-like set of mass and momentum equations. Comparatively less research has been performed when pressure waves travel through porous media. In small-size porous media sudden changes in pressure should propagate in the domain more gradually, resembling the solution of an unsteady version of the Darcy Equation, which is a parabolic partial differential equation. As the size of these particles increases, the type of pressure pulses are less clear, and the focus of the present investigation. Hence, this study aims to evaluate and analyze the pipe pressure over time in different types of porous media through experimental studies. A simple supply system was tested for three different porous media placed within a closed pipe. Upon the sudden opening of an isolation valve, pressures are measured and subsequently compared among the different types of porous media tested. This investigation will attempt to determine commonalities between the pressure pulses in open water and porous media conditions.
