What this MCCB carries and where it fits
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-5HL36-0BA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 160 A continuous current, designed specifically for line protection — meaning it protects the feeder or main bus, not a downstream motor or branch circuit. It carries a rated insulation voltage of 800 V and delivers a breaking capacity of 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 75.6 kA at 500 V, and 3.7 kA at 690 V. That spread tells you this breaker is built for high-fault panels where available short-circuit current is substantial at lower voltages. It ships with an undervoltage release (UVR) built in — the design of the auxiliary release is an undervoltage release. That means if the control voltage drops below a set threshold, the breaker trips. Common in safety circuits where loss of control power should kill the main feed. No ground-fault monitoring on this variant; that's a separate version.
Thermal performance and panel fit
The 160 A rating holds flat from 40 °C all the way up to 70 °C ambient — no derating needed in a warm enclosure. That's unusual for a molded case breaker; most start dropping above 40 °C. It means you can pack this into a hot panel or near other heat sources without recalculating the load schedule. Power loss at full load is 28 W maximum, which is modest for a 160 A frame. Physical footprint is 105 mm wide, 181 mm tall, 86 mm deep — standard SENTRON 3VA form factor. The 105 mm width is three pole spaces at 35 mm each, so it occupies the same DIN-rail or mounting-plate real estate as any 3-pole MCCB in this class. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C.
What the ratings mean for your panel
The 187 kA at 240 V is the headline number — that's the interrupting capacity at the lowest common distribution voltage in North America. At 415 V (common in industrial three-phase worldwide) it still holds 121 kA. That's a high-interrupting-capacity (HIC) breaker, not a standard 25 kA or 36 kA unit. If your available fault current is above 100 kA at the main lug, this is the right class of breaker. At 690 V the capacity drops to 3.7 kA, which is typical for MCCBs at that voltage — you'd rarely see a 690 V fault that high in practice. The trip indicator is not fitted on this variant — no visible flag or push-to-trip button on the front. That's worth knowing for troubleshooting: you'll need to check the breaker handle position or use an external indication. The communication function is also absent; this is a standalone breaker, not a networked power distribution unit.