What this breaker does on the line
The Siemens 3VA1116-5EE36-0AC0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker from the SENTRON family, rated for line protection with a continuous current of 160 A and a rated insulation voltage of 800 V. The interrupting capacity hits 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V, and 76 kA at 440 V — numbers that tell you this breaker is built for high-fault panels where the available short-circuit current is substantial. At 500 V and 690 V it still holds 17 kA, so it covers 480 V and 600 V class systems without derating the interrupting rating below the fault level.
Thermal-magnetic curve and temperature derating
The overcurrent release is a TM220 — a fixed thermal-magnetic trip unit. At 40 °C, 45 °C, and 50 °C the breaker carries the full 160 A without derating. At 55 °C it drops to 158 A, at 60 °C to 155 A, at 65 °C to 153 A, and at 70 °C to 150 A. If your panel ambient runs hot, that 150 A at 70 °C is the number to size against. The latching endurance is rated at 15,000 operations, which is standard for a distribution breaker — not a motor-switching duty cycle.
Auxiliaries and panel fit
It ships with two auxiliary switches (HQ type) built in — no separate add-on required. The front face carries an IP40 protection rating, so it's fine inside a standard enclosure but not for washdown. Dimensions are 130 mm tall, 3 in wide, 2.8 in deep. No undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, no communication module on this variant — it's a straight line-protection breaker. If you need those functions, you're looking at a different suffix in the 3VA family.