What it is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1116-5EF32-0DH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection, carrying a rated continuous current Iu of 160 A and a rated insulation voltage Ui of 800 V. The TM240 overcurrent release handles the thermal-magnetic trip curve, and the breaker includes an undervoltage release (UVR) plus a 2-auxiliary-switch + 1-trip-alarm-switch HQ auxiliary contact block. Breaking capacity hits 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V, 75.6 kA at 440 V, and 17 kA at 690 V — numbers that tell you this thing clears faults hard and fast, which matters when you're coordinating downstream feeders and need the SCCR headroom.
Thermal derating — the real-world current
Rated continuous current holds at 160 A from 40 °C through 50 °C ambient. At 55 °C it drops to 153.6 A, at 60 °C to 150.4 A, at 65 °C to 147.2 A, and at 70 °C to 144 A. If your panel ambient runs hot — say a non-vented enclosure next to a furnace line — that 144 A floor at 70 °C is the number to design to, not the 160 A nameplate. Latching endurance is rated at 15,000 cycles, so it's built for occasional switching, not daily motor-start duty.
Panel fit and integration
Dimensions are 130 mm high, 76.2 mm wide, 70 mm deep. Front protection is IP40 — fine for a dry indoor panel, not for washdown. The undervoltage release (UVR) is built in, so if you're wiring a safety circuit that drops the breaker on loss of control voltage, that's already handled without an add-on module. The auxiliary contact block (2 aux + 1 trip alarm HQ) gives you status feedback for the PLC or annunciator panel. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C.