What it is and what it does in the panel
The Siemens 3VA1116-6EF36-0HC0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection in commercial and industrial distribution panels. At 40 °C ambient it carries 160 A continuously across three poles, with a rated insulation voltage of 800 V — enough headroom for 480 V and 600 V class systems without derating the insulation. The interrupting capacity hits 220 kA at 240 V, 154 kA at 415 V, and 75.6 kA at 440 V, so it handles high-fault scenarios like transformer secondaries or large motor control centers without needing an upstream current-limiting fuse. It ships with a shunt trip (STL) for remote emergency-off circuits and two auxiliary switches HQ for status feedback to a PLC or annunciator panel.
Temperature derating and power loss — what the numbers mean on site
The 160 A rating holds flat up to 50 °C. Above that it steps down: 158 A at 55 °C, 155 A at 60 °C, 153 A at 65 °C, and 150 A at 70 °C. If the panel ambient runs hot — say inside a non-conditioned enclosure next to a furnace line — you lose only 10 A at the top end, which is better than many MCCBs that drop 20 % by 60 °C. Maximum power loss at full load is 38 W, so the breaker won't cook adjacent wiring in a densely packed panel, but you still want natural convection around it. Operating range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage from -40 °C to 80 °C covers shipping and warehouse extremes.
Panel fit and integration
The breaker measures 76.2 mm wide, 130 mm tall, and 70 mm deep — a 3-inch wide footprint that fits standard Siemens SENTRON mounting bases and most 600 V panelboards. The 3-pole form factor matches existing bus bar layouts; the shunt trip and auxiliary switches are factory-installed, so no field wiring of add-on modules. The line-side and load-side terminals accept copper or aluminum conductors sized for 160 A; torque values per the nameplate label.