What this MCCB is and what it does
The Siemens 3VA1116-5EF42-0CC0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) designed for line protection — meaning it sits at the feeder or main distribution point in a panel, protecting downstream cables and equipment against overcurrent and short-circuit faults. It is a 4-pole unit, rated 160 A continuous at 40 °C ambient, and carries a breaking capacity of 187 kA at 240 V AC — that is the maximum fault current it can safely interrupt without welding or rupturing. The 800 V rated insulation voltage tells you it is built for 690 V line-to-line systems with margin.
Breaking capacity and thermal derating — what the numbers mean for your panel
The 187 kA at 240 V is the high-end short-circuit rating; at 415 V it is still 121 kA, and at 690 V it drops to 17 kA. That means this breaker can be used in high-fault locations (close to a transformer or generator bus) as long as the system voltage is matched. The thermal derating curve is flat from 40 °C to 50 °C — still 160 A — then drops to 150 A at 70 °C. If your panel ambient runs hot, you stay within the 150 A continuous mark at the top end of the operating range.
Integrated auxiliary and undervoltage release
This variant ships with two auxiliary switches (HQ type) and an undervoltage release (UVR). The UVR trips the breaker when the control voltage drops below a set threshold — standard for safety circuits where a loss of control power must open the main contacts. The auxiliary switches give you status feedback (open/closed/tripped) for a PLC or remote indication, without needing an add-on module.