What this MCCB is and where it fits
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA1220-5EF42-0CA0 is a 4-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection, carrying 200 A continuous current (Iu) and a TM240 thermal-magnetic overcurrent release. That 200 A holds flat from 40 °C up to 50 °C, then derates stepwise to 176 A at 70 °C — so if your panel runs hot near a drive bank or transformer, you still get the full rating up to 50 °C without having to oversize the frame. Breaking capacity is the headline number that decides whether this breaker clears a fault without welding its contacts or taking out the upstream gear. At 240 V it interrupts 187 kA; at 415 V it's still 121 kA; at 440 V it drops to 36 kA; and at 690 V it holds 17 kA. For a 200 A frame those are high-interrupt ratings — it's built for installations with high available fault current, like a main feeder in an industrial switchboard or a large motor control center. Rated insulation voltage Ui is 800 V, so the breaker's internal clearances and creepage are designed for 690 V systems with margin. The IP40 front protection means it's splash-proof from the front but not sealed — fine for a dry indoor panel, not for washdown areas.
What the TM240 release and undervoltage release mean for your panel
The TM240 release is a thermal-magnetic trip unit: the thermal element handles overloads (slow, inverse-time curve), and the magnetic element handles short-circuits (instantaneous). It's a fixed-trip design — no interchangeable rating plugs, so the 200 A frame is what you get. That's typical for a distribution feeder where the load is known and stable, not for a motor branch that needs adjustable overloads. This breaker includes an undervoltage release (UVR) — part number 3VA9608-0BB24 for the integrated auxiliary trip. The UVR trips the breaker when supply voltage drops below a set threshold. That's common on safety circuits or emergency-stop chains where you want the breaker to open on loss of control power. It also means you need to verify the coil voltage matches your control circuit before wiring. There's no auxiliary contact block, no communication module, no ground-fault monitoring, and no voltage-trip trigger on this variant. If you need remote status feedback or ground-fault protection, you'd step up to a different order code in the 3VA family.
Physical fit: dimensions and panel integration
The breaker measures 140 mm wide, 158 mm tall, and 70 mm deep. That depth includes the body only — add clearance for the handle throw and cable bending radius. It's a standard 4-pole MCCB footprint for the 200 A frame size, so it will drop into most panel layouts designed for SENTRON 3VA breakers of this rating. The width is the critical dimension for multi-breaker lineups; at 140 mm per pole set, a 4-pole unit occupies the same width as two 2-pole units ganged together.