> But, there are way more other things that correlate with high temperatures besides RH. Many of those are probably more of an impact on performance than RH.
> I don't think that the pumped vacuum (dynamic) is the same situation as a low pressure (static). In the latter case, it's the partial pressure of water at a given temperature that drives the amount of water vapor. So, unless there's liquid water, the partial pressure cannot be sustained. In the former case, the pressure is being actively maintained, and there is a concentration gradient that drives diffusion of molecules toward the pump. This is independent of the partial pressure question, and the other other molecules in the system can also steer the more recalcitrant molecules towards the exit. This mode is similar to that of a high-vacuum diffusion pump, where hot, vaporized oil essentially drives gas molecules away from the vacuum chamber towards the mechanical pump.
The mechanical pumping process, be it diaphragm, scroll, or turbo, is mechanically unaware of whether a molecule is water, or not, and will pump it away. That said, it might be possible that water intrusion into the pumping mechanism might degrade its pumping efficiency.
TTFN
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