What this MCCB carries and where it fits
The Siemens 3VA1196-5EF32-0AH0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) sized for line protection — 16 A continuous at 40 °C, 3-pole, with a TM240 thermal-magnetic trip unit. That interrupting stack is the headline: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V, 75.6 kA at 440 V, and 17 kA at 690 V. Those numbers mean this breaker clears high-fault currents without upstream coordination issues in most distribution panels. The 70 mm depth and 76.2 mm width fit standard SENTRON mounting footprints; the IP40 front keeps it in enclosed switchgear, not washdown zones.
Thermal-magnetic curve and derating
The TM240 release is fixed — no adjustable thermal or magnetic pickup. Rated continuous current Iu is 16 A, and it holds that rating from 40 °C through 50 °C. Above 50 °C it derates: 15.36 A at 55 °C, 15.04 A at 60 °C, 14.72 A at 65 °C, and 14.4 A at 70 °C. If your panel ambient runs above 50 °C, size the load side accordingly. The latching endurance is rated for 15,000 operations — typical for a distribution MCCB, not a motor-switching contactor.
Auxiliary contacts and status feedback
This variant ships with 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ version). That gives you separate NO/NC status for the breaker position and a dedicated alarm contact that closes only on a trip event — useful for remote fault annunciation in a PLC input. No undervoltage release, no shunt trip, no ground-fault module, no communication function. It is a plain line-protection MCCB with mechanical status feedback.