A vacuum roots blower includes a rotor capable of being rotated to capture a gas from an inlet and further rotated to discharge the captured gas from an outlet. The captured gas is held within a pocket formed between lobes of the rotor and the adjacent housing within which the rotor is rotated. The vacuum roots blower includes a pressure relief system capable of delivering a pressure relief gas to the pocket. The pressure relief system includes a sonic passage structured to produce a choked flow condition as the pressure relief system fills the pocket with pressure relief gas. In one form the pressure relief gas can be a cooling gas, but other forms such as ambient air are also contemplated.