What this MCCB is and what it does
The Siemens 3VA2110-7MS36-0JL0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) designed for starter protection — meaning it's built to protect motor starters and their associated wiring from short circuits and overloads, not just general distribution. It's a 3-pole unit rated at 100 A continuously across the full ambient range from 40 °C to 70 °C, so no derating headache when the panel runs hot. The interrupting capacity is the headline: 330 kA at 240 V, 242 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 187 kA at 500 V, and 3.7 kA at 690 V. That 330 kA at 240 V means it can safely clear a fault current up to that level without rupturing — essential for high-fault installations like large transformer secondaries or industrial switchboards. The sharp drop at 690 V (3.7 kA) is typical for this frame size; if your system runs at 690 V, verify the available fault current is below that threshold. The adjustable current range is 300 A to 1 500 A — that's the magnetic trip setting, not the continuous rating. The continuous rating is fixed at 100 A; the adjustable range sets the short-circuit and instantaneous pickup level, so you can coordinate with downstream devices without swapping the breaker.
Panel fit and integration
Dimensions are 86 mm deep, 105 mm wide, 181 mm tall. That's a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint for the 3VA2 frame — it mounts on a DIN rail or directly to a backplate via the supplied mounting brackets. The 105 mm width means it occupies three 35 mm module spaces on a DIN rail, so plan your enclosure fill factor accordingly. The breaker ships with a factory-fitted auxiliary switch block: 2 auxiliary switches + 1 trip alarm switch + 1 electrical alarm switch HQ. That gives you remote status indication for the main contacts, a trip signal, and an electrical alarm contact — enough for most PLC or SCADA interfaces without adding external relays. A shunt trip release (STL) is also built in, allowing remote tripping via a control voltage. The supplied basic switch is order code 3VA21107MS360AA0 — that's the internal switching mechanism. If you ever need to replace just the switch core (for example, after a fault), that's the service part number.
What to watch for
No undervoltage release, no communication module, no phase-failure detection, no ground-fault monitoring — this is a basic starter-protection MCCB. If your application requires remote monitoring or ground-fault protection, you'll need a different variant (e.g., the 3VA2 with communication option or the 3VA1 with ground-fault module). Maximum power loss is 10 W — negligible for most panels, but worth noting if you're packing many breakers into a sealed enclosure with limited ventilation. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C.