A self-consistent formulation of 3-dimensional parametric dislocation dynamics, and the boundary-element method, were used to describe dislocation motion - and hence microscopic plastic flow - in finite volumes. Quantitative measures of the accuracy and convergence of the method were developed by making comparisons with known analytical solutions. It was shown that the method exhibited absolute convergence with increasing number of quadrature points on the dislocation loop and with surface mesh density. The error in the image force acting upon a screw dislocation approaching a free surface was shown to increase as the dislocation approached the surface, but was controllable: at a distance of one lattice parameter from the surface, the relative error was less than 5% for a surface mesh having an element size of 1000 x 2000 (lattice-parameter units) and 64 quadrature points. The Eshelby twist angle in a finite-length cylinder containing a coaxial screw dislocation was also used to test the method. Large scale 3-dimensional simulation results of single-slip behaviour in cylindrical microcrystals were also presented. The plastic-flow characteristics and stress–strain behaviour of cylindrical microcrystals under compression were shown to be in agreement with experimental observations. It was shown that the mean length of dislocations trapped at the surface was the predominant factor determining the size-effect in the hardening of single crystals. The influence of surface image fields upon the flow stress was explored, and it was shown that the flow stress was reduced by as much as 20% for single crystals which were less than 0.15μ in size. A Self-Consistent Boundary Element, Parametric Dislocation Dynamics Formulation of Plastic Flow in Finite Volumes. J.A.El-Awady, S.B.Biner, N.M.Ghoniem: Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2008, 56[5], 2019-35