What this MCCB is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1010-3ED42-0JC0 is a 4-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated 100 A at 40 °C, designed for line protection in distribution panels. Its 75.6 kA breaking capacity at 240 V means it can safely interrupt high fault currents without upstream cascading — sized for main or large feeder duty in commercial and industrial switchboards. The 800 V rated insulation voltage gives headroom for 480/600 V systems. This variant ships with a factory-installed shunt trip release (STL) and two HQ auxiliary switches, so it integrates directly into remote-trip or emergency-stop circuits without adding external accessories. The basic switch is order code 3VA10103ED420AA0, meaning the breaker body itself is a standard line-protection unit; the -0JC0 suffix adds the release and aux-switch package.
Current rating and thermal derating
The breaker holds its full 100 A rating up to 50 °C ambient. Above that, it derates linearly: 98 A at 55 °C, 96 A at 60 °C, 94 A at 65 °C, and 91 A at 70 °C. If your panel runs hot — say, a non-ventilated enclosure near a furnace line — use the 55 °C figure for sizing. The 25 W maximum power loss is the heat the breaker dumps into the enclosure; factor it into your thermal budget.
Breaking capacity across voltages
The interrupting rating drops as system voltage rises: 75.6 kA at 240 V, 52.5 kA at 415 V, 32 kA at 440 V, and 7.5 kA at both 500 V and 690 V. On a 480 V wye service (277/480), the 32 kA at 440 V is the closest published figure — conservative practice would use that for coordination studies. The 7.5 kA at 690 V covers the rare 600 V class installation.
Physical fit and panel integration
The breaker measures 130 mm high, 101.6 mm wide, and 70 mm deep. It mounts on a DIN rail or directly to a backplate via the SENTRON 3VA mounting accessories. The 4-pole width (101.6 mm) is the standard 4-module footprint for this frame size — verify busbar and enclosure cutout spacing against that dimension.