thumb | right | alt=Diagram of a fluid parcel | Diagram of a fluid parcel
In fluid dynamics, a fluid parcel, also known as a fluid element or material element, is an infinitesimal volume of fluid, identifiable throughout its dynamic history while moving with the fluid flow. As it moves, the mass of a fluid parcel remains constant, while—in a compressible flow—its volume may change, and its shape changes due to distortion by the flow. Further note, that unlike the mathematical concept of a fluid parcel which can be uniquely identified—as well as exclusively distinguished from its direct neighbouring parcels—in a real fluid such a parcel would not always consist of the same particles. Molecular diffusion will slowly evolve the parcel properties.