What this 3VA2116-5HN36-0CC0 is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-5HN36-0CC0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection, meaning it sits upstream of a motor starter or distribution bus to protect cables and equipment from short circuits and overloads. It carries a rated continuous current Iu of 160 A and an 800 V rated insulation voltage Ui, so it's sized for a 160 A feeder or a large motor branch circuit in a 480 V or 600 V class panel. The interrupting ratings climb to 187 kA at 240 V and 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, then drop to 79 kA at 500 V and 4.25 kA at 690 V — that 4.25 kA figure at 690 V is the limiting case; if your system runs at 690 V, this breaker still clears a fault, but you need to check that the available fault current at that voltage stays under 4.25 kA. The overcurrent release is an ETU350 — an electronic trip unit that gives you adjustable long-time, short-time, and instantaneous pickup settings, plus ground-fault protection if the breaker is ordered with that option (this one ships without ground-fault monitoring). It also comes with an undervoltage release (UVR) that trips the breaker open when the control voltage drops below a set threshold, which is common in safety circuits that need to kill power on loss of control power. The auxiliary contact version carries 2 auxiliary switches HQ, so you get two form-C contacts for status feedback to a PLC or annunciator.
Thermal derating and endurance — what the numbers mean for your panel
This MCCB holds its full 160 A rating from 40 °C up to 50 °C ambient, then starts to derate: 154 A at 55 °C, 148 A at 60 °C, 142 A at 65 °C, and 136 A at 70 °C. If your panel runs hot — say, 60 °C inside a sealed enclosure next to a furnace line — you lose 12 A of headroom. Plan your load accordingly. The maximum power loss is 28 W, which is modest for a 160 A frame; it won't cook the panel, but don't stack it tight against other high-loss devices without some airflow. Latching endurance is rated at 20 000 operations — that's the mechanical life of the latching mechanism, not the electrical life under load. For a breaker that sees occasional switching (maybe once a day for maintenance), that's decades. If you're cycling it multiple times per shift as a disconnect, you'll wear it out faster. The operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C, and storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C, so it's fine for unheated warehouses in cold climates as long as you let it warm up before closing.
What compliance documents to expect
As a Siemens SENTRON MCCB, this part carries the usual suite of compliance documentation: a CE declaration, RoHS and REACH statements, and UL/CSA listings for the North American market. The specific UL file number and CSA report are on the nameplate. If your quality doc control needs a PDF of the EU declaration of conformity or the RoHS compliance certificate, those are available from Siemens' support portal under the 3VA product family.