A method of simulating aluminum oxides defects in aluminum castings comprises determining the free surface area for a plurality of particles of aluminum in an aluminum melt, storing the free surface area for each particle of aluminum, tracking the free surface area change during mold filling, and calculating the total area of entrained or surface oxide films based on the free surface area change during mold filling. The method may further comprise a scalar variable method and a discrete particle method coupled together to simulate the aluminum oxide defects in aluminum castings.
