What this MCCB carries and where it fits
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2110-7MS32-0JH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) in the starter protection version, rated for a continuous current Iu of 100 A. It is designed for motor branch-circuit protection in industrial panels — the starter protection variant integrates overcurrent and short-circuit protection for motor starters, meaning it coordinates with a contactor and overload relay downstream rather than serving as a standalone feeder breaker. Breaking capacity is the headline: 330 kA at 240 V, 242 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 187 kA at 500 V, and 52.5 kA at 690 V. Those numbers mean this breaker can safely interrupt fault currents up to those levels at the respective system voltages — critical for high-fault installations like transformer secondaries or large motor control centers where available fault current can exceed 100 kA. The ETU310M electronic trip unit provides adjustable overload and short-circuit protection curves, configurable for motor starting inrush without nuisance tripping. The shunt trip (STL) allows remote emergency-off or interlock tripping from a PLC or E-stop circuit.
Thermal derating — the real-world current
Rated 100 A at ambient temperatures up to 50 °C. Above that, derate linearly: 96 A at 55 °C, 94 A at 60 °C, 92 A at 65 °C, 90 A at 70 °C. If this breaker lives in a non-ventilated enclosure near other heat sources, use the 60 °C or 65 °C column for your continuous load calculation — the 100 A nameplate only holds if the panel ambient stays under 50 °C. Maximum power loss is 75 W. That's the heat the breaker dumps into the enclosure at full rated current — factor it into your cabinet thermal budget, especially in a dense MCC lineup.
Auxiliary contacts and trip indication
Comes with 2 auxiliary switches (NO/NC for status feedback) plus 1 dedicated trip alarm switch (HQ) that changes state only on a fault trip — not on manual open/close. That HQ contact is the one to wire to your PLC alarm input for a true trip signal, not just a breaker-off indication. Voltage trigger and trip indicator are present. The undervoltage release is absent on this variant — if you need UVR for a safety circuit or generator interlock, this is not the order code for that.
Lifecycle and sourcing reality
The base switch (the breaker mechanism without the shunt trip and auxiliaries) is order code 3VA2110-7MS32-0AA0. The integrated auxiliary trip module is 3VA9688-0BL32. If you already have the base breaker available via RFQ confirmation and need to add the shunt trip and aux contacts separately, those are the sub-assembly order codes to source.