MCCB for motor protection — 100 A, 187 kA at 240 V
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2110-5MN36-0DL0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 100 A continuous current, with a maximum breaking capacity of 187 kA at 240 V AC. It is the motor protection variant of the 3VA2 frame, fitted with the ETU350M electronic trip unit that provides adjustable overload and short-circuit protection curves tailored to motor starting inrush. The 187 kA interrupting rating at 240 V means this breaker can safely clear a fault up to that level without upstream devices needing to coordinate — critical for high-fault panels near large transformers or utility feeds. Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, and the breaker carries phase failure detection as standard — it will trip on loss of any phase, preventing single-phasing damage to a motor load. The undervoltage release (UVR) is integrated, so the breaker drops out if control voltage falls below the dropout threshold, adding a layer of safety for unattended machinery.
Breaking capacity across voltage levels
Breaking capacity drops with system voltage: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 75.6 kA at 500 V, and 17 kA at 690 V. At 690 V the 17 kA rating is the limiting factor — verify the available fault current at the panel's secondary voltage before specifying. The 100 A rating holds from 40 °C through 50 °C ambient; above that it derates to 96 A at 55 °C, 94 A at 60 °C, 92 A at 65 °C, and 90 A at 70 °C. If the panel ambient runs hot, the continuous current limit drops accordingly.
Integration and panel fit
Dimensions are 105 mm wide, 181 mm high, 86 mm deep — a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint that mounts on a DIN rail or panel-mount baseplate. The auxiliary contact configuration includes 2 auxiliary switches, 1 trip alarm switch, and 1 electrical alarm switch (HQ type), wired via the supplied basic switch (3VA2110-5MN36-0AA0) and integrated auxiliary trip (3VA9608-0BB25). Maximum power loss is 75 W at rated current, so account for heat dissipation in the enclosure sizing.