What this MCCB carries and where it fits
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1116-6EF36-0BH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated 160 A continuous at 40 °C, designed for line protection in distribution panels. Its 220 kA interrupting capacity at 240 VAC means it can clear a bolted fault at that voltage without the arc flashing over to adjacent buswork — a spec that matters when the transformer is big enough to feed a whole plant floor. The frame holds steady at 160 A all the way up to 50 °C; above that it derates to 158 A at 55 °C, 155 A at 60 °C, 153 A at 65 °C, and 150 A at 70 °C. That thermal curve is what you check when the breaker lives in a non-climate-controlled enclosure next to a furnace line. Breaking capacity drops as voltage rises: 154 kA at 415 V, 75.6 kA at 440 V, and 17 kA at both 500 V and 690 V. The 800 V rated insulation voltage tells you the internal creepage distances are sized for 690 V systems with margin. The built-in undervoltage release will trip the breaker if control voltage drops below the dropout threshold — standard for safety circuits where a loss of control power must open the main feeder.
Panel fit and auxiliaries
At 70 mm deep, 76.2 mm wide, and 130 mm tall, this breaker fits the standard SENTRON 3VA mounting footprint — same bolt-hole pattern as the rest of the 160 A frame family. The auxiliary switch configuration ships with two auxiliary switches plus one trip alarm switch (HQ type), so you get a separate contact for remote status and a dedicated alarm for fault trips. That saves an add-on module if your PLC needs both a run-permissive and a separate trip signal. Max power loss is 40.5 W at full load — factor that into enclosure ventilation calcs if you're stacking several breakers in a sealed panel. The trip indicator gives a local visual flag on the breaker face, which helps a maintenance tech walking a row of panels spot a tripped unit without opening the door.