The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1196-5EF36-0AD0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated 16 A continuous at 40 °C, designed for line protection in distribution panels. Its headline interrupting rating hits 187 kA at 240 V — that means it can safely clear a bolted fault at that level without the arc flashing over to adjacent buswork, critical for high-fault-capacity service entrances or transformer secondaries.
Ratings and what they mean for your panel
Rated current holds at 16 A from 40 °C up through 55 °C, then derates to 15 A at 60 °C and above — so in a crowded enclosure running hot, you lose 1 A of headroom. Interrupting capacity drops sharply with voltage: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V, 75.6 kA at 440 V, then 17 kA at both 500 V and 690 V. That 17 kA floor at 690 V is still adequate for most industrial 690 V systems, but verify your available fault current before committing the BOM line. Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, so the breaker's internal creepage and clearance are designed for 690 V systems with margin. The TM240 thermal-magnetic release (design of the overcurrent release) gives a fixed thermal pickup and magnetic trip — no interchangeable trip units, which simplifies ordering but locks you into that 16 A frame.
Physical fit and panel integration
Dimensions: 130 mm height, 76.2 mm width, 70 mm depth. That 3-inch width (76.2 mm) is the standard 3-pole MCCB footprint for this SENTRON frame — it occupies three 25 mm DIN positions. The 70 mm depth means it clears most 200 mm deep enclosures with room for rear-mounted busbars. No undervoltage release, no voltage trigger, no communication function — this is a straight line-protection breaker with no auxiliary electronics.