What it is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1196-4EF36-0BA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) designed for line protection in distribution panels and industrial switchboards. It carries a 16 A thermal-magnetic overcurrent release (TM240) and maintains that rating across ambient temperatures from 40 °C up to 55 °C, derating to 15 A at 60 °C through 70 °C — useful when the breaker sits in a warm enclosure near other heat sources. Breaking capacity is the headline number here: 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 means it can interrupt fault currents up to those levels without welding contacts or venting gas — critical for high-fault panels where upstream transformer capacity is large. Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, so it's suitable for 690 V line-to-line systems with margin. Maximum power loss is 13.1 W at rated load — a number to factor into enclosure thermal calculations if the panel is densely packed.
Built-in undervoltage release
This MCCB ships with an undervoltage release (UVR) fitted as standard — the design of the auxiliary release is an undervoltage release (UVR). That means the breaker trips automatically if the control voltage drops below a set threshold, which is a common requirement for safety circuits (e-stop chains, emergency-off functions) where loss of control power should open the main breaker. No separate UVR module to order and install.
Dimensions and panel fit
The 3VA1196-4EF36-0BA0 measures 130 mm high, 76.2 mm wide, and 70 mm deep. That 76.2 mm width is a standard 3-inch footprint for a 3-pole MCCB in this class — it occupies three 25.4 mm (1-inch) pole spaces on a DIN rail or panel-mount adapter. The 70 mm depth is shallow enough to clear most standard enclosure back-panels without a spacer.