What this MCCB carries — and what it means for your panel
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2110-7MS32-0HC0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 100 A continuous current (Iu) with an interrupting capacity of 330 kA at 240 V AC, stepping down to 242 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 187 kA at 500 V, and 52.5 kA at 690 V. That 330 kA figure at 240 V means it handles the full fault current available at a typical North American 240 V service entrance or large distribution panel — you are not leaving SCCR headroom on the table. The 242 kA at 415 V covers European 400 V-class industrial mains. For a starter-protection MCCB, the interrupting curve is what decides whether the breaker clears a bolted fault before the upstream transformer protection needs to coordinate.
Thermal derating — the real continuous current in a warm cabinet
The 100 A rating holds flat from 40 °C through 50 °C ambient. At 55 °C it derates to 96 A, at 60 °C to 94 A, at 65 °C to 92 A, and at 70 °C to 90 A. If your panel sits near a drive stack or in a non-conditioned enclosure, the 55 °C and 60 °C figures are the ones to size against — the breaker does not lose much, but a 100 A load at 60 °C is already 6 A over the 94 A limit. The maximum operating temperature is 70 °C, with storage from -40 °C to 80 °C.
Dimensions and panel fit
The breaker measures 105 mm wide, 181 mm high, and 86 mm deep. That 86 mm depth is the dimension to check against the gland plate clearance or the back-of-door clearance in a shallow enclosure — it fits standard 200 mm deep cabinets with room for wiring gutters. The 105 mm width is the pole pitch footprint; three poles at roughly 35 mm each is typical for a 100 A frame. Mounting is via the SENTRON 3VA base plate, which accepts the standard screw-clamp or plug-in lug kits.
Release and auxiliary configuration
The overcurrent release is an ETU310M electronic trip unit — that is the programmable version with LSI curves (long-time, short-time, instantaneous) plus ground-fault capability if the sensor is added. The breaker ships with a shunt trip (STL) auxiliary release for remote tripping, and two HQ auxiliary switches for status feedback to a PLC or annunciator panel. The basic switch assembly is order code 3VA2110-7MS32-0AA0, and the integrated auxiliary trip is 3VA9688-0BL30. No undervoltage release, no communication module, no phase-failure detection on this variant.