The Siemens 3VA1196-4EF36-0DH0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker sized for line protection duty — 16 A continuous at 40 °C ambient, 3-pole, with a 121 kA interrupting rating at 240 V that drops to 11.9 kA at 690 V. That's the kind of short-circuit headroom you want when the transformer is right next door and the fault current is real.
Ratings that matter when the line is live
Rated current holds at 16 A from 40 °C up through 55 °C, then derates to 15 A at 60 °C and stays there through 70 °C — so in a warm panel you lose one amp, not half the rating. The 121 kA at 240 V is the headline number, but the 75.6 kA at 415 V and 52.5 kA at 440 V are the ones that matter for European 400 V distribution. At 690 V it still clears 11.9 kA, which covers most motor circuits on that voltage class. Power loss maxes at 13.1 W — manageable for thermal coordination in a dense panel.
Built-in release and auxiliaries
That means if the control voltage drops, the breaker trips open, which is a common requirement for safety circuits and emergency-stop chains. Also includes 2 auxiliary switches plus a trip alarm switch (HQ type), so you get status feedback without adding external blocks. The trip indicator is present, so a quick glance tells you whether it tripped on fault or was manually opened.
Dimensions are 130 mm high, 76.2 mm wide, 70 mm deep — a 3-pole MCCB that fits standard Siemens SENTRON mounting footprints.