What it is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1116-5EF32-0KC0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection at 160 A continuous, with a TM240 thermal-magnetic overcurrent release. It carries a shunt trip (STL) auxiliary release and two HQ auxiliary switches for remote status feedback. The breaker's interrupting capacity varies by voltage: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V, 75.6 kA at 440 V, and 17 kA at 690 V — enough to handle high-fault utility feeds or transformer secondaries without cascading upstream.
Ratings that decide the fit
The 160 A rating holds steady from 40 °C through 50 °C, then derates slightly to 153.6 A at 55 °C and 144 A at 70 °C. That means in a warm panel (55 °C ambient) you still get 153.6 A — enough margin for most motor or feeder circuits sized at 150 A. The rated insulation voltage is 800 V, so it's safe on 480 V and 600 V class systems. Front IP40 keeps dust out of the enclosure face; the rest of the breaker is inside the panel.
Panel integration and wiring
At 70 mm deep, 76.2 mm wide, and 130 mm tall, it fits standard 3-pole MCCB mounting footprints. The two HQ auxiliary switches give you N.O./N.C. contacts for trip indication or status to a PLC — no separate aux block needed. The shunt trip allows remote tripping from an E-stop or safety relay. No undervoltage release is fitted on this variant, so if you need UV protection you'd order a different suffix.
Compliance and documentation
The SENTRON 3VA series carries IEC 60947-2 certification for molded case circuit breakers. The reference code per IEC 81346-2 is Q. The basic switch variant is 3VA11165EF320AA0, and the integrated auxiliary trip unit is 3VA9688-0BL33. RoHS and REACH declarations are standard from Siemens for this product line.