The objective of the present study is to analyse the transient flow through the vacuum ejector system with the help of a computational fluid dynamics method. An attempt is made to investigate the interesting and conflicting phenomenon of the continuous entrainment into the primary stream with limited mass supply from the secondary chamber. The results obtained show that the one and only condition in which a continuous mass entrainment can be possible in such types of ejectors is the generation of a recirculation zone near the primary nozzle exit. The flow in the secondary chamber attains a state of dynamic equilibrium of pressure at the onset of the recirculation zone. A steady flow assumption in such ejector systems is valid only after the dynamic equilibrium state. © 2010 Authors.