FEFLOW

 

DHI FEFLOW is the world’s leading finite element subsurface flow and transport modeling software—trusted by hydrogeologists, environmental engineers, and researchers for over four decades. FEFLOW’s finite element approach provides unmatched flexibility in representing complex geometries, anisotropic materials, and unstructured meshes, making it the preferred choice for challenging groundwater systems. Version 2026 v11 continues DHI’s legacy of engineering excellence, offering enhanced multiphase flow capabilities, improved reactive transport solvers, expanded geothermal modeling tools, and seamless integration with the MIKE platform. Whether modeling coastal aquifers with saltwater intrusion, designing geothermal energy systems, assessing contaminant fate and transport, or evaluating climate change impacts on water resources, FEFLOW delivers the accuracy, flexibility, and reliability that demanding hydrogeological projects require.

💧 Primary Users

This professional groundwater modeling software is designed for:

• Hydrogeologists & Groundwater Engineers simulating complex subsurface flow, heat, and contaminant transport.

• Environmental Consultants & Remediation Specialists assessing contaminant plume evolution and remediation strategies.

• Mining & Geothermal Engineers predicting dewatering requirements and geothermal reservoir response.

• Civil Engineers & Urban Planners evaluating groundwater-surface water interaction and infrastructure impacts.

• Academic Researchers & Educators conducting advanced groundwater research and teaching.

 

 

⚡ Key Features & Capabilities

🔧 Finite Element Mesh & Discretization

Unstructured Mesh Generation:

• Triangular and quadrilateral elements for 2D (vertical, areal)

• Prismatic, tetrahedral, and hexahedral elements for 3D

• Local mesh refinement in areas of interest

• Anisotropic element stretching for long, thin domains

Mesh Import/Export:

• Direct import from ArcGIS, AutoCAD, and common mesh formats

• Export to other finite element codes

• Mesh quality checking and improvement tools

💧 Flow Modeling

Flow Equations:

• Saturated and variably saturated flow (Richards equation)

• Density-dependent flow (saltwater intrusion, brine disposal)

• Fracture flow (equivalent porous media, discrete fractures)

• Dual porosity / dual permeability (fractured rock, karst)

Boundary Conditions:

• Specified head (Dirichlet), flux (Neumann), seepage face

• River/Aquifer interaction with streambed resistance

• Drainage with water table control

• Evapotranspiration (depth-dependent, vegetative cover)

• Recharge (areal, time-varying, climate data)

Fluid Properties:

• Temperature-dependent viscosity and density

• Salinity-dependent density (equation of state)

• User-defined property relationships

🌡️ Heat Transport

Thermal Processes:

• Conduction in porous media + fluid

• Advection and thermal dispersion

• Free and forced convection

• Geothermal gradients and heat flux

Applications:

• Geothermal heat pump systems (open/closed loops)

• Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES)

• Ground source heat exchanger design

• Subsurface thermal impact assessment

🧪 Contaminant & Reactive Transport

Transport Processes:

• Advection, mechanical dispersion, molecular diffusion

• Sorption (linear, Freundlich, Langmuir; equilibrium/kinetic)

• First-order decay (radioactive, biodegradation)

• Dual-domain mass transfer (physical non-equilibrium)

Reactive Transport:

• Sequential electron acceptor reactions (oxygen, nitrate, iron, sulfate, methanogenesis)

• Multi-species reactions via Phreeqc coupling (USGS geochemical engine)

• Biodegradation (Monod, dual Monod, competitive inhibition)

• Mineral precipitation/dissolution (calcite, pyrite, etc.)

🌊 Variable Density (Saltwater) Flow

• Coupled flow and transport for salinity

• Equation of state (density as function of salt concentration, temperature)

• Coastal aquifers, seawater intrusion

• Brine migration and storage

🏔️ Integrated Surface-Subsurface (MIKE SHE coupling)

• Overland flow and infiltration (MIKE SHE, WMS)

• 1D river network connection with FEFLOW groundwater domain

• Real-time exchange between surface and subsurface

📊 Stochastic & Uncertainty Modeling

• Parameter randomization (Monte Carlo, Latin Hypercube)

• Geostatistical property fields (kriging, sequential Gaussian simulation)

• Sensitivity analysis and model calibration (PEST, UCODE)

🗺️ GIS & Data Integration

• Direct read/write of Shapefile, GeoTIFF, DEM, LiDAR

• Map projection support (WGS84, UTM, local)

• IDW, kriging, and spline interpolation from borehole data

🆕 What’s New in Version 2026 v11

• Variable Density FEFLOW-Phreeqc Coupling – Fully coupled saltwater + geochemistry (evaporites, carbonates)

• Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) – Explicit fracture representation (3D planar polygons)

• Thermal Dispersion – Anisotropic, velocity-dependent for ATES and geothermal design

• Satellite-Based ET – Real-world evapotranspiration from Sentinel, Landsat

• FEFLOW to MIKE 1D – One-way/iterative coupling for integrated surface water/groundwater models

• GPU Acceleration – CUDA support for transport and reactive transport solvers (3-5× speedup)

• Python API – Full model building, modification, and batch simulation automation

• Cloud-Ready – Run on AWS or Azure instances for distributed Monte Carlo analysis

🎯 Industry Applications

💧 Water Supply & Resource Management

• Wellhead protection zones, sustainable yield

• Climate change impact on recharge and storage

• Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) design

🧪 Contamination & Remediation

• Plume delineation and natural attenuation

• Remediation design (pump-and-treat, bioremediation, chemical oxidation, thermal)

🌋 Geothermal Energy

• ATES (Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage)

• Open-loop and closed-loop ground source heat pumps

• Geothermal power plant reinjection

🏭 Mining & Energy Extraction

• Dewatering prediction, sinkhole/land subsidence

• Oil sands tailings pond seepage

• Brine disposal and deep well injection

🌊 Coastal & Island Hydrogeology

• Saltwater intrusion (current and future sea level rise)

• Managed aquifer recharge for barrier islands

🏗️ Civil & Infrastructure

• Subway/tunnel dewatering

• Excavation drainage, foundation uplift

• Groundwater-surface water interaction for retention ponds