MCCB for line protection — what the ratings mean on your panel
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1110-4EF32-0CH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection at 100 A continuous current. Its TM240 thermal-magnetic release handles overloads and short circuits without external control wiring — straight pass-through protection for a feeder or main breaker position in a distribution board. Breaking capacity is the headline here: 121 kA at 240 V, 75.6 kA at 415 V, 52.5 kA at 440 V, and still 11.9 kA at 690 V. That 121 kA figure at 240 V means it can clear a bolted fault on a large step-down transformer secondary without the arc re-striking — essential for high-fault industrial panels where upstream coordination demands a high-interrupting device. Current rating holds at 100 A up to 50 °C, then derates to 96 A at 55 °C, 94 A at 60 °C, 92 A at 65 °C, and 90 A at 70 °C. If your panel ambient runs 55 °C, you lose 4 A of headroom — plan the load at 96 A maximum, not the nameplate 100. It ships with an undervoltage release (UVR) integrated, plus 2 auxiliary switches and 1 trip alarm switch (HQ configuration). The UVR drops the breaker on loss of control voltage — common for emergency-stop circuits where a voltage-monitored shunt is required. The auxiliary contacts give status feedback to a PLC or annunciator panel. Dimensions: 70 mm deep, 76.2 mm wide, 130 mm tall. That width is a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint for Siemens SENTRON — mounts on a DIN rail or panel-mount baseplate. IP40 on the front means it's protected against tools and wires >1 mm but not against water ingress; keep it inside a sealed enclosure if washdown is nearby.
Fit and integration — panel swap or new build
The 3VA1110-4EF32-0CH0 is a fixed-format MCCB with no communication module (no PROFIBUS, no Modbus). It's a pure power distribution device — no phase-failure detection, no ground-fault monitoring. If you need those, you add external relays or step up to the 3VA9 accessories or a 3VA1 variant with the optional ground-fault module. Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, so it's safe for 690 V line-line systems. The TM240 release is non-interchangeable — if you need a different trip curve or rating, you replace the breaker, not the trip unit. For DC networks, refer to the 3VA device manual for derating.