What this MCCB carries and where it fits
The Siemens 3VA1116-3EF36-0AH0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated 160 A at 40 °C, with a TM240 thermal-magnetic release and a 3-pole line-protection design. Its interrupting capacity reaches 75.6 kA at 240 V and 52.5 kA at 415 V, which means it can safely clear high fault currents typical in industrial distribution panels without cascading failure upstream. The 800 V rated insulation voltage suits it for 480 V and 600 V class systems common in North American and European lineups.
Thermal derating and panel integration
Full 160 A rating holds through 50 °C, then derates to 158 A at 55 °C, 155 A at 60 °C, 153 A at 65 °C, and 150 A at 70 °C. That 150 A floor at 70 °C means a panel running hot — say, near the upper ambient limit — still delivers 94% of the nominal rating. Maximum power loss is 38 W, so ventilation in a sealed enclosure matters less than with older frame sizes. Dimensions are 130 mm high, 76.2 mm wide, 70 mm deep — a 3-inch wide footprint that fits standard 600 mm wide panel layouts without crowding adjacent breakers.
What the TM240 release and auxiliary switch complement tell you
The TM240 designation indicates a thermal-magnetic release with a fixed 160 A continuous current rating and an adjustable magnetic trip threshold — typical for feeder and main breaker duty where coordination with downstream branch breakers is needed. The breaker ships with a 2-auxiliary-switch + 1-trip-alarm-switch HQ configuration built in, so remote status (open/closed/tripped) is available without an add-on module. No undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, and no communication function are fitted on this variant — it is a straight line-protection device.
