160 A MCCB with ETU320 — line protection for high-fault panels
The Siemens 3VA2116-5HL36-0HL0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 160 A continuous current at 40 °C, with a 3-pole configuration and an ETU320 electronic trip unit for line protection duty. Its interrupting capacity reaches 187 kA at 240 V and 121 kA at 415 V — figures that place it in the high-fault category for industrial main feeders or large sub-distribution boards where available fault current is substantial. The breaker carries a shunt trip release (STL) as the auxiliary release design, and its auxiliary contact suite includes 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch and 1 electrical alarm switch HQ.
Thermal derating and panel fit
The 160 A rating holds from 40 °C through 50 °C without derating; above that, it steps down to 154 A at 55 °C, 148 A at 60 °C, 142 A at 65 °C, and 136 A at 70 °C. Mounting dimensions are 105 mm wide by 181 mm tall by 86 mm deep — a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint that fits most SENTRON panelboard and switchboard cutouts without adapter plates. Maximum power loss is 25.5 W; factor that into enclosure thermal rise calculations when grouping multiple breakers in a sealed cabinet.
Lifecycle and sourcing posture
The basic switch component is order code 3VA2116-5HL36-0AA0, and the integrated auxiliary trip is 3VA9688-0BL30; these are serviceable sub-assemblies if field replacement is ever needed.
Specified for coordination and selectivity
Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, and the latching endurance is rated at 20 000 operations — a figure that supports the breaker's use in applications requiring periodic switching under load, not just infrequent fault clearing. The ETU320 release provides adjustable long-time, short-time, and instantaneous protection curves, making it suitable for selective coordination with downstream breakers in a distribution hierarchy. No undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, no communication function, and no phase-failure detection are fitted on this variant — it is a straightforward line-protection breaker without add-on modules.