MCCB for high-fault service entrance and feeder duty
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-6HL32-0BH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 160 A continuous current with no derating across the full 40 °C to 70 °C ambient range — meaning you can load it to nameplate in a warm enclosure without recalculating the wire size. Its interrupting capacity of 242 kA at 240 V AC puts it squarely in service-entrance and main-feeder duty where fault current from the utility transformer can exceed 100 kA; at 415 V and 440 V it still holds 187 kA, so it handles the high-fault end of a 400 V distribution board. The 86 mm depth and 105 mm width fit the standard SENTRON 3VA mounting footprint, and the built-in undervoltage release (UVR) plus the 2 auxiliary switches + 1 trip alarm switch HQ give the control engineer a clean way to signal the PLC that the breaker has tripped or the control voltage has dropped.
Rated current holds flat across the enclosure temperature range
The 160 A continuous rating is valid from 40 °C through 70 °C ambient — no thermal derating curve to apply. That simplifies panel design: if the breaker sits in a 60 °C switchroom, you still get the full 160 A. The maximum power loss of 28 W at rated load is moderate for this frame size and means the internal heat won't drive up the enclosure temperature significantly beyond what the surrounding gear produces.
Breaking capacity by voltage — selectivity planning
The 242 kA at 240 V AC is the headline number, but the real-world values for 400 V-class distribution are the 187 kA at 415 V and 440 V. At 500 V it drops to 121 kA, and at 690 V it falls to 3.7 kA — that last figure is low enough that you would not use this breaker as the main on a 690 V drive panel unless the available fault current is confirmed below 3.7 kA. For a 400 V main switchboard with a transformer rating above 2 MVA, the 187 kA gives comfortable headroom for full selectivity with downstream 50 kA MCCBs.
Built-in auxiliary switches and undervoltage release
The breaker ships with 2 auxiliary switches and 1 trip alarm switch HQ fitted — no separate order for the switch block. The undervoltage release (UVR) is also factory-installed; it drops the breaker when the control voltage falls below the dropout threshold, which is standard for emergency-stop circuits and undervoltage protection schemes. The trip indicator on the front gives a visual confirmation that the breaker has opened on fault, not manually.
Panel fit and environmental limits
Mounting dimensions are 105 mm wide by 181 mm tall by 86 mm deep — the standard 3VA 160 A frame. It operates from -25 °C to 70 °C and stores from -40 °C to 80 °C, so it is fine for unheated enclosures in temperate climates as long as the interior stays above -25 °C. The 3-pole design means it needs three line-side and three load-side conductors; the line-protection designation indicates it is set up for feeder protection rather than motor protection (no adjustable thermal curve for motor overload).