What it is and what it does
The Siemens 3VA1150-6EE36-0AA0 is a SENTRON 3VA1 molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) for line protection — the main disconnect and fault interrupter in a distribution panel, motor control center, or feeder circuit. Three poles, rated 50 A at 40 °C, with a TM220 thermal-magnetic overcurrent release (fixed thermal and magnetic trip settings). The headline number here is the interrupting capacity: 220 kA at 240 V AC. That's a high-fault rating — it safely clears a short-circuit current up to 220 kA without rupturing or cascading the fault upstream. At 415 V it still holds 154 kA, and at 690 V it's 17 kA. The insulation voltage is rated 800 V, so the breaker is built for 690 V line-to-line systems with margin.
Current derating and thermal limits
The 50 A rating holds flat from 40 °C to 50 °C ambient. Above that it derates: 49 A at 55 °C, 48 A at 60 °C, 46 A at 65 °C, and 45 A at 70 °C. If the panel ambient runs hot — say a tightly packed enclosure near a furnace line — the continuous load must be sized to the derated value, not the nameplate 50 A. Maximum power loss is 14.6 W, which matters for thermal rise inside a sealed cabinet. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range -40 °C to 80 °C. The front face carries IP40 protection — fine for a dry indoor panel, not for washdown or outdoor exposure without an additional enclosure.
Mechanical fit and panel integration
Dimensions: 130 mm high, 76.2 mm wide, 70 mm deep. That's a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint — mounts on a DIN rail or directly to a backplate via the breaker's own mounting lugs. The 76.2 mm width (3 inches) matches the typical 3-pole MCCB slot in a Siemens panelboard or a third-party distribution block layout. No undervoltage release, no shunt trip, no communication module on this variant — it's a straight thermal-magnetic breaker for basic line protection.