What it is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-6HN32-0DH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for a continuous current of 160 A, with an ETU350 electronic trip unit for line protection. It handles fault currents up to 242 kA at 240 V, 187 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 121 kA at 500 V, and 5 kA at 690 V — so it can sit upstream of a transformer or a large motor feeder and still coordinate with downstream devices without cascading failure. The ETU350 release gives you adjustable long-time, short-time, and instantaneous pickup, which means you can dial in selectivity for a distribution panel without swapping trip units. Rated insulation voltage is 800 V. The breaker includes an undervoltage release (UVR) as standard.
Thermal derating and real-world current
The 160 A rating holds flat from 40 °C up to 50 °C, which covers most panel ambient conditions. 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 runs hot — say next to a drive cabinet or in a poorly ventilated enclosure — that 136 A at 70 °C is the number to size against, not the catalog 160 A.
Mounting and wiring fit
Footprint is 105 mm wide × 181 mm high × 86 mm deep. That's a standard 3-pole MCCB form factor — it'll drop into a panel that was laid out for a SENTRON 3VA2 frame without redrilling the backplate or moving the bus bars. The auxiliary contact block is preconfigured with 2 auxiliary switches plus a trip alarm switch (HQ version), so you don't need to order a separate add-on for status feedback to the PLC or SCADA.