Skip to main content
search

Volsung Help & Support

Volsung 2025.1

This release introduces practical modelling capabilities that help you work faster and tackle more complex geothermal scenarios.

You can now simulate closed‑loop (U‑tube) wells with thermosiphon physics to assess heat extraction without reservoir fluid exchange, improving feasibility studies for innovative designs. Flexible pump placement lets you simulate electric submersible pumps in real‑world applications. Importing GRDECL corner‑point grids speeds up model transfers and supports a grid format commonly used in oil and gas workflows. Water‑table visualisation provides clearer insight into shallow system dynamics, while horizontal well support expands options to support the advanced drilling techniques that are being applied in geothermal.

Finally, usability and reporting updates make it easier to organise outputs, interpret results, and share findings with stakeholders.

New and improved features:

  • Closed-loop (U-tube) well support: Simulate closed-loop systems to support feasibility studies and emerging geothermal designs.
  • Flexible pump placement: Configure pumps at any depth in the wellbore to simulate electric-submersible pumps in real-world applications.
  • GRDECL grid import: Import corner-point, GRDECL files to support model transfers and flexible gridding.
  • Water table visualisation: Track water table movement during simulation for groundwater and liquid level analysis.
  • Horizontal well support: Model horizontal wells to support advanced drilling techniques being applied in geothermal.
  • Usability improvements
    • Clearer PDF reports for faster interpretation
    • Quicker file handling and navigation
    • Automatic organisation of outputs into subfolders

View the full Volsung 2025.1 release notes.

Screenshot of Volsung 2025.1 Closed Loop Simulation

Getting started

Get setup with your Volsung or Gudrun license, download example projects and watch tutorials.

Read more

Download example projects

Get started by downloading a generic wellbore system or a project that uses a Leapfrog model as the input for the numerical model.

Read more

Watch tutorials

Explore tutorials to get started on creating simple 2D and 3D reservoir models, or gain an understanding of well performance.

Tutorials

Read research papers

Access research papers on geothermal modelling with Volsung.

Research Volsung

System requirements

Learn about the computer specifications needed to run Volsung.

System requirements

Supported data/formats

Learn about the data types and formats compatible with Volsung.

Data types/formats

Open source library

Some of the libraries which Volsung is built on require us to make their source code available to users, for example under an LGPL license. Most users will never require these files. Use the links below to download the source code of the libraries:
Please contact us if you wish to alter libraries according to their respective license conditions and we will support you in your efforts.

Linux

Linux (Ubuntu and its Derivative Distros)

Note: If you’re new to Linux and want to try out Volsung’s exceptional NVIDIA GPU acceleration we recommend you try out the Linux Mint distribution with the Cinnamon window manager. You can test run Linux by installing the system on a second hard drive using dual boot or you can even run it on a large USB flash drive. The license files which we distribute will work under both Windows and Linux.

For the installation first ensure that your package repositories are up-to-date:

  • sudo apt update
  • sudo apt upgrade
  • sudo apt install libxcb-xinerama0 dbus-x11

If you plan to use GPU accelerated computing please correctly install your NVIDIA GPU first and ensure that the correct NVIDIA driver (version 460 or higher) is installed on your system. If you install a GPU later on you may need to reinstall Volsung.

Next run the downloaded installer binary from the command line:

  • chmod +x ./volsung-online-installer
  • sudo ./volsung-online-installer

Note if you do not have all required system packages installed then a terminal will pop up to install these missing packages.

SNAP Installation for Linux

For non-Ubuntu based Linux distributions you can install Volsung directly from the SNAP store. Please follow the instructions there.

Go to Snap Store

One small drawback of using Volsung as a SNAP installation is that it does not fully integrate into your desktop environment; i.e. you need to manually set the file associations so that double-clicking a file will open the corresponding Volsung application. How you do this depends on the desktop environment you are using; if you are using open desktop you can use the following scripts:

  • /snap/volsung/current/bin/install-icons
  • /snap/volsung/current/bin/install-mime-types

Note SNAP installations are maintenance free and will upgrade automatically when a newer version of Volsung becomes available.

Volsung python modules

We provide Python modules for interaction with Volsung model input/outputs. They can be used query model outputs of interest, for example to generate custom reports. Some modules also allow you to generate model input files (for example for Gudrun) using the Python API or to query the Volsung internal steam tables (Signy).
The modules are accessible from gitlab; please follow the download and installation instructions there.
Download the modules

Offline installers

Windows

Ubuntu 22.04

Help & Support

Join the community discussion or get help from our support team.

Search our Knowledgebase

Access online support and help resources – learn how to install, configure, and use our products.

Submit a Support Request

Get in touch with your local Seequent support team, if you have questions or need help.

Free training and support

Grow your geoscience knowledge, connect with peers, and refresh your skills

Seequent Community

Discover new opportunities, connect with peers, and share insights and best practices with others in your field.

Visit Seequent Community

Learning Centre

Get started fast or upskill whilst working with our onboarding and advanced free eLearning courses.

Visit Seequent Learning Centre

Seequent Help

Find answers to your technical questions and get the most out of your product, with our in-depth product help information.

Visit Seequent Help