The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1116-4EF36-0DH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 160 A continuous current at 40 °C, sized for line-protection duty in distribution panels. Its TM240 thermal-magnetic release handles overload and short-circuit protection without a separate electronic trip unit — straightforward, no comms, no ground-fault monitoring. The interrupting ratings climb to 121 kA at 240 V and 75.6 kA at 415 V, which covers most industrial service-entrance and feeder applications where high fault current is expected.
Interrupting capacity and thermal derating
At 415 V the breaker clears 75.6 kA symmetrical — enough for a main breaker in a 2000 A panel fed by a medium-voltage transformer. At 690 V it still holds 11.9 kA, useful for 690 V drives or mining gear. The continuous current holds flat at 160 A up to 50 °C, then drops to 153.6 A at 55 °C and 144 A at 70 °C. That derating curve means you can push it to 160 A in a ventilated 50 °C enclosure; above that, the TM240 release needs headroom.
Built-in undervoltage release and auxiliary contacts
This variant ships with an undervoltage release (UVR) — part number 3VA9608-0BB25 integrated — that trips the breaker when control voltage drops below the dropout threshold, standard for emergency-stop or undervoltage protection schemes. The auxiliary contact block provides 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch in the HQ (high-utilization) contact design, rated for signaling status back to a PLC or annunciator panel. No communication function or phase-failure detection on board; this is a pure protection device.
The breaker measures 76.2 mm wide by 130 mm tall by 70 mm deep — fits a standard 3-pole MCCB slot in a SENTRON distribution panel or a generic enclosure with DIN-rail or screw-mount backplate. Front IP40 protects against tools and solid objects; the interior is not sealed, so keep it inside a rated enclosure in washdown areas. Operating range is -25 °C to 70 °C, storage from -40 °C to 80 °C.
Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, so the breaker can be applied on 690 V systems without derating the insulation path. Mechanical endurance is 15 000 operations — typical for a fixed-mounted MCCB in a panel that sees infrequent switching. The trip indicator is present, giving a visual flag when the breaker has tripped on fault.