What the interrupting ratings mean for your distribution board
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2010-6HN36-0BL0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for line protection, carrying a continuous current Iu of 100 A. Its interrupting capacity is what sets it apart: 242 kA at 240 V and 187 kA at both 415 V and 440 V, dropping to 121 kA at 500 V and 4 kA at 690 V. These are the fault currents it can safely clear without welding contacts or rupturing the case, so the SCCR of your downstream panel is gated by this breaker's rating at the system voltage you actually run.
Thermal derating and ambient limits
The breaker holds its full 100 A rating up to 50 °C ambient. Above that, it derates linearly: 96.25 A at 55 °C, 92.5 A at 60 °C, 88.75 A at 65 °C, and 85 A at 70 °C. If your panel sits near a furnace line or in a hot enclosure, size the load side for the derated value at your actual ambient — the trip curve shifts with temperature, and nuisance tripping on a 100 A load at 60 °C is a real risk if you ignore the curve.
Release and auxiliary configuration
The overcurrent release is an ETU350 electronic unit, which provides adjustable long-time, short-time, instantaneous, and ground-fault protection curves — though this variant ships without ground-fault monitoring. An undervoltage release (UVR) is integrated, so the breaker drops out on loss of control voltage, which is standard for motor feeder protection where you need coordinated undervoltage shedding. The auxiliary contact block is the HQ version with 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm and 1 electrical alarm switch, giving you four dry contacts for status feedback to the PLC or annunciator panel.
DIN-rail footprint and panel integration
At 105 mm wide, 181 mm tall, and 86 mm deep, the 3VA2010-6HN36-0BL0 occupies a standard three-pole MCCB footprint and mounts via screw-clamp to the mounting plate — it does not snap onto DIN rail. The 86 mm depth means it clears a 120 mm deep enclosure without interfering with the gland plate or door-mounted components. Verify the cutout dimensions against your existing panel layout; the 105 mm width matches the SENTRON 3VA frame size for busbar and lug kits.