The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1196-4EF36-0AB0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection, with a TM240 thermal-magnetic release. It's designed for 16 A continuous current at 40 °C, and the interrupting capacity hits 121 kA at 240 V — that's the number you care about for fault-clearing at the service entrance or downstream distribution point. The insulation voltage is rated 800 V, so it has headroom for 690 V systems.
Interrupting capacity across voltages
This MCCB delivers 121 kA at 240 V, 75.6 kA at 415 V, 52.5 kA at 440 V, and 11.9 kA at both 500 V and 690 V. That steep drop above 440 V is typical for a compact frame — make sure your available fault current at the point of installation stays under the rating at your system voltage. The 11.9 kA at 690 V still covers most industrial distribution panels, but verify the transformer size and cable length if you're near the limit.
Thermal derating and temperature range
Rated 16 A from 40 °C up to 55 °C, then it steps down to 15 A at 60 °C and stays at 15 A through 70 °C. That's a clean derating curve — no surprises if the panel runs warm. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C, storage from -40 °C to 80 °C. Power loss maxes out at 10.6 W, which helps when you're calculating enclosure heat load.
Configuration and mounting
Three-pole design with no undervoltage release, no shunt trip, no ground-fault monitoring — it's a straight thermal-magnetic breaker. Comes with two HP auxiliary switches built in (the supplied basic switch is 3VA11964EF360AA0). Dimensions are 130 mm tall, 76.2 mm wide, 70 mm deep — that's 5.12 x 3 x 2.76 inches. Mounts on a DIN rail or panel, standard MCCB footprint. No trip indicator, no communication module, no voltage trigger.