Breaking Capacity and Thermal Derating — What the Ratings Mean for Panel Design
The 3VA1132-6EF36-0AF0: The 220 kA at 240 V is the maximum short-circuit current this MCCB can safely interrupt at that voltage level — critical for high-fault installations near large transformers or utility feeds. At 415 V (common in industrial three-phase systems) the capacity is still 154 kA, and at 440 V it is 121 kA. The 690 V rating of 17 kA is the floor; if your system runs at 690 V, verify the available fault current stays under that. The rated continuous current holds at 32 A from 40 °C through 50 °C ambient; above that it derates linearly to 30.72 A at 55 °C, 30.08 A at 60 °C, 29.44 A at 65 °C, and 28.8 A at 70 °C. For a panel running warm, the effective ampacity is the derated figure — size your load accordingly.
Physical Fit and Panel Integration
The 3VA1132-6EF36-0AF0 measures 130 mm high, 76.2 mm wide, and 70 mm deep. It mounts on a DIN rail or directly to a backplate via the standard SENTRON MCCB footprint. The front face carries an IP40 protection rating — suitable for enclosed panel mounting where no water ingress is expected. The auxiliary contact configuration is 1 auxiliary switch plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ version), which provides both a status signal and a separate alarm on trip. No undervoltage release, no communication module, no ground fault monitoring — this is a straightforward line-protection breaker without add-on electronics.