What this MCCB delivers — and what the ratings mean for your panel
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-5HL36-0DA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 160 A continuous current (no derating needed across the full 40–70 °C operating range — it holds 160 A flat from 40 °C up to 70 °C). That thermal stability matters when you're packing breakers into a warm enclosure: you don't lose ampacity as the cabinet heats up. Breaking capacity is the headline here: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415/440 V, 75.6 kA at 500 V, and 3.7 kA at 690 V. That 187 kA at 240 V is a serious fault-current rating — it tells you this breaker can interrupt a bolted-fault on a 240 V service without the arc re-striking or the case rupturing. For a 160 A frame, that's high-end interrupting capability, likely driven by the SENTRON 3VA platform's arc-quenching chamber design. Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, so the internal clearances and creepage are sized for 690 V systems with margin. Power loss at rated current is 28 W — a number to factor into your enclosure thermal budget if you're stacking multiple breakers.
Line protection with undervoltage release — what it does and where it fits
This variant is explicitly designed for line protection (not motor or generator protection). The built-in undervoltage release (UVR) trips the breaker when supply voltage drops below a set threshold — a standard requirement in safety circuits and machine-tool applications where you want the breaker to drop out on loss of control power, preventing an unexpected re-start. No ground-fault monitoring, no communication function, no voltage trigger, and no trip indicator on this SKU. It's a straightforward thermal-magnetic or electronic-trip line protection breaker with UVR — no frills, no extra failure points. The basic switch assembly is order code 3VA21165HL360AA0.
Panel fit and environmental limits
Dimensions: 105 mm wide, 181 mm tall, 86 mm deep. The 105 mm width is a 3-pole frame. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to +70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to +80 °C. The storage minimum is the one to watch if this breaker sits in an unheated warehouse — it's fine down to -40 °C before any plastic embrittlement risk.