The 3VA1216-5MH32-0KA0 is a 3-pole SENTRON molded case circuit breaker rated 160 A continuous at 40 °C ambient — that figure holds flat through 50 °C, then derates to 142 A at 70 °C. The TM120M thermal-magnetic release handles overloads and short-circuits without a separate trip unit. Breaking capacity hits 121 kA at 415 V, dropping to 75.6 kA at 440 V and 30 kA at 500 V — enough for most industrial secondary-distribution panels, but check your point-of-fault current. The built-in shunt trip (STL) allows remote emergency-off or undervoltage tripping, though there's no ground-fault monitoring version on this variant.
Sizing and derating — the real limits
This breaker is designed for starter protection (motor branch-circuit), not feeder duty. The 160 A rating is at 40 °C; at 55 °C it's still 156 A, at 70 °C it's 142 A. Power loss maxes at 33 W, which matters for thermal coordination in a sealed cabinet.
The shunt trip (STL) auxiliary release needs a separate control signal — typically 24 VDC or 230 VAC, depending on the coil ordered — wired to the breaker's auxiliary terminals. Insulation voltage rated 800 V, so it's fine for 690 V line-to-line systems (though the breaking capacity at 690 V drops to 4.5 kA).