The Siemens 3VA1196-6EF32-0DH0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) sized for line protection in distribution panels. It's a 3-pole, 16 A unit with a serious breaking capacity — 220 kA at 240 V AC — meaning it can handle high-fault scenarios without letting the arc climb upstream. The 800 V rated insulation voltage gives it headroom for 480 V or 600 V class systems.
Breaking capacity and thermal derating
This MCCB is built for high-interrupting duty. At 415 V it's rated 154 kA, at 440 V it's 121 kA, and it still holds 17 kA up to 690 V. That's a lot of fault-clearing muscle for a 16 A frame. On the thermal side, it holds a full 16 A from 40 °C all the way up to 55 °C — no derating needed in a warm panel. At 60 °C it drops to 15 A, same at 65 °C and 70 °C. So if your panel runs hot, you still get 15 A continuous without tripping.
Panel fit and auxiliaries
The 3VA1196-6EF32-0DH0 fits a 70 mm depth, 76.2 mm width, and 130 mm height footprint — standard for this SENTRON frame size. It ships with an undervoltage release (UVR) and a complement of two auxiliary switches plus one trip alarm switch (HQ). That's enough aux contacts to signal a PLC or annunciator panel without adding a separate accessory module.