The name ‘volt free contact’ may suggest that volt free
contacts operate without any voltage, but this is not the case.
Volt free contacts are mechanical switches that have no electrical
connection to any other part of the equipment. This makes the circuit intrinsically
safe. They are sometimes referred to as the secondary sets of contacts of a
relay circuit, which does not make or break the primary circuit being
controlled by the relay. This allows volt free contacts to provide complete
isolation between devices in the circuit.
Volt free contacts operate like an ordinary switch. When
required, the switch closes, allowing current to flow through to trigger other
systems to perform an action, such as lighting a lamp or sounding an alarm.
Volt free contacts are also known as ‘dry contacts’ or ‘potential-free
contacts’.
Standard Volt Free Connection sets supplied by Applied Thermal
Control allow for the monitoring of alarms, allowing flow, temperature, level
and all-OK VFCs to be communicated across 5 wires of D-sub 9pin, at 24V DC. In
cases of high flow, temperature within a detectable range, or high levels, the
circuit will close, causing a signal to be sent.
Other
alarms can be transmitted via VFC when specified and available.
