What this MCCB is and what it does
The Siemens 3VA1180-6EF32-0HH0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) designed for line protection in distribution panels. It is a 3-pole unit rated at 80 A continuous current, with a rated insulation voltage of 800 V. The headline figure here is the interrupting capacity: 220 kA at 240 VAC drops to 154 kA at 415 V, 121 kA at 440 V, and holds at 17 kA at both 500 V and 690 V. That means this breaker can handle very high fault currents on the low-voltage side of a step-down transformer, but the available fault current at the installation point must be checked against the voltage-specific rating. Current rating is thermally sensitive: the breaker carries a full 80 A up to 50 °C ambient, then derates to 78 A at 55 °C, 77 A at 60 °C, 75 A at 65 °C, and 74 A at 70 °C. If the panel ambient runs hot, the effective ampacity drops — size the upstream protection accordingly.
Auxiliary and release configuration
This variant ships with a shunt trip (STL) release and a complement of 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ). The shunt trip allows remote tripping via a control voltage — useful for emergency-stop circuits or interlocking schemes. The auxiliary switches provide status feedback (open/closed) to a PLC or indication panel. The breaker includes a trip indicator and a voltage trigger, but no undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, and no communication function. It is a straightforward line-protection device, not a smart breaker.
Physical fit and panel integration
Dimensions are 130 mm height, 76.2 mm width, and 70 mm depth. The 76.2 mm (3-inch) width is standard for a 3-pole MCCB in the SENTRON 3VA frame — it fits the same DIN-rail or mounting-plate footprint as other 3VA breakers of this frame size. The supplied basic switch is order code 3VA11806EF320AA0, which confirms the internal mechanism. The overall design is for line protection, not motor or generator protection — the thermal-magnetic trip curve is set for feeder and distribution duty.