What this MCCB is and where it fits
The Siemens 3VA2116-5HN36-0AH0 is a SENTRON 3VA2 molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) built for line protection in commercial and industrial distribution panels. It's a three-pole unit rated 160 A continuous at 40 °C, sitting on a 1600 A frame — meaning the frame size is oversized relative to the continuous rating, which gives you headroom for high-fault scenarios without upsizing the enclosure. This breaker carries interrupting ratings that vary sharply with voltage: 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 steep drop at 690 V tells you this is a 480 V class breaker — it'll clear faults at higher voltages but the margin shrinks fast, so verify your system's available fault current against the 690 V curve if you're running a 600 V class panel.
Sizing and thermal performance
The continuous current rating holds steady at 160 A all the way from 40 °C to 70 °C ambient — no derating needed across that range. That's unusual for an MCCB; most breakers start pulling back above 40 °C. If your panel runs hot near a motor drive or sunlit wall, this one won't force a upsized frame just to hold the load. Maximum power loss is 25.5 W — modest for a 160 A breaker. That keeps heat out of a dense panel, which matters when you're stacking multiple breakers in a row.
Auxiliary switch and alarm configuration
This variant ships with two auxiliary switches plus one trip alarm switch (HQ), all factory-fitted. That gives you two form-C contacts for status feedback (open/closed) and a dedicated contact that changes state only on a trip event — useful for remote alarm annunciation or PLC input without extra wiring.
Dimensions and panel fit
Physical footprint: 105 mm wide, 181 mm tall, 86 mm deep. That's a standard 3-pole MCCB envelope — it'll drop into most SENTRON 3VA2 mounting bases or panel cutouts without modification. If you're swapping an older 3VA1 or a competitor's 160 A frame, check the depth clearance; 86 mm is on the shallower side, so it may fit enclosures where deeper breakers won't.