The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-5JQ32-0KC0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection, carrying a continuous current of 160 A at 40 °C. It's built around the ETU560 electronic trip unit, which gives you adjustable long-time, short-time, instantaneous, and ground-fault protection curves — that's the kind of flexibility you need when coordinating with downstream breakers in a distribution panel. The breaking capacity tells you where this breaker lives: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, dropping to 79 kA at 500 V, and 4.25 kA at 690 V. That 121 kA at 415 V means it handles high-fault scenarios common in industrial mains without needing a current-limiting fuse upstream — saves a fuse holder and a line-up coordination study. Width is 105 mm, height is 181 mm, depth is 86 mm.
Thermal derating and real-world current
The 160 A rating holds flat from 40 °C through 50 °C. Above that, it derates: 154 A at 55 °C, 148 A at 60 °C, 142 A at 65 °C, and 136 A at 70 °C. If your panel ambient sits at 55 °C — common in a packed enclosure near a heat source — you're still good for 154 A continuous. That's a solid margin for a 150 A feeder.
Auxiliaries and communication
This variant ships with two auxiliary switches (HQ type) and a shunt trip release (STL). The shunt trip lets you remotely open the breaker via a control signal — useful for an emergency-stop circuit or a PLC-driven load shed. Communication function is present, which means it can talk to a higher-level system for metering and status, though the exact protocol isn't specified in this listing. No undervoltage release or phase-failure detection on this build; if you need those, you'd look at a different option code.
Environmental and endurance
Operating temperature -25 °C to 70 °C; storage -40 °C to 80 °C. Mechanical endurance is 20,000 operations.