What this MCCB does — and what the ratings actually mean for your panel
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2010-6HL32-0JC0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection — meaning it sits at the incoming feed, not downstream on a motor branch. Its 100 A rated continuous current (Iu) holds flat from 40 °C up to 50 °C; above that it derates to 96.25 A at 55 °C, 92.5 A at 60 °C, 88.75 A at 65 °C, and 85 A at 70 °C. That derating curve matters when you stuff this into a crowded enclosure with other heat sources — the nameplate 100 A is only valid if the ambient inside the panel stays at or below 50 °C. The interrupting ratings are where this part earns its keep in high-fault installations: 242 kA at 240 V, 187 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 121 kA at 500 V, and 4 kA at 690 V. At 415 V, that 187 kA means it can safely clear a fault downstream of a large transformer or generator without the arc flash propagating upstream — a key spec for selectivity studies on industrial switchboards. The ETU320 electronic trip unit gives you adjustable long-time, short-time, and instantaneous protection curves — not just a thermal-magnetic bimetal. That makes coordination with downstream breakers more precise, especially in selective schemes where you need a deliberate time delay on short-circuit faults.
Auxiliaries and integration — what's built in, what's not
This variant ships with a shunt trip (STL) for remote tripping and 2 HQ auxiliary switches for status feedback back to a PLC or annunciator panel. There is no undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, no phase-failure detection, and no communication module — it's a plain line-protection MCCB with remote-trip and status-only aux contacts. If you need undervoltage protection or ground-fault, you're looking at a different suffix. The basic switch assembly is order code 3VA2010-6HL32-0AA0, and the integrated auxiliary trip is 3VA9688-0BL32 — both serviceable separately if a component fails in the field. The unit draws a maximum power loss of 13.5 W, so heat dissipation inside the panel is modest for a 100 A frame. Dimensions are 105 mm wide, 181 mm high, 86 mm deep — a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint that fits most DIN-rail or panel-mount enclosures. The 86 mm depth is shallow enough to clear most gland plates without a spacer.
Lifecycle and sourcing reality
Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C. Latching endurance is rated for 20,000 operations.