Flywheel system with parallel pumping arrangement

An apparatus for simultaneously pumping a plurality of different types of gases including water vapor and active gases, comprising:

• a water sorbent;
• and
• a getter pump, wherein the getter pump includes:
• a getter housing having a constricted inlet, and
• a getter material storage chamber disposed within the getter housing;
• getter material;
• disposed within the getter material storage chamber so as to be in fluid communication with the constricted inlet;
• wherein the getter material is a non-evaporable getter material being composed so as to have a surface to volume ratio that yields a pumping speed in the range of from 0.001 to 0.01 liters per second.

A method of reducing gas pressure within a flywheel housing, the method being used for reducing windage losses caused by gases evolving from a flywheel assembly disposed within the flywheel housing, the evolved gases including water vapor and active gases, comprising the steps of:

• (a) pumping the evolved gases from the flywheel housing to a chamber separate from the flywheel housing;
• (b) continuously pumping the water vapor using at least one first pump disposed in the separate chamber;
• and
• (c) intermittently pumping the active gases using at least one second pump disposed in a container external to the flywheel housing and the separate chamber but fluidly coupled to the separate chamber, the at least one second pump intermittently pumping the active gases at times when associated active gas loads approach predetermined levels.