The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-6HN32-0HL0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 160 A continuous current, designed for line protection in distribution panels. Its breaking capacity hits 242 kA at 240 V and 187 kA at 415 V, so it handles high-fault scenarios without cascading upstream — that's the rating that decides whether it clears a dead short on a large transformer secondary or a bus riser.
Breaking capacity and selectivity
Breaking capacity drops to 121 kA at 500 V and 3.7 kA at 690 V — the steep fall at 690 V means this breaker is not the right choice for a 690 V feeder unless the fault current is tightly limited. At 415 V, 187 kA gives you headroom for most industrial service-entrance or sub-distribution boards. Rated current holds flat at 160 A from 40 °C up to 70 °C ambient — no derating needed across the typical panel temperature range, which simplifies the BOM line for a panel builder who doesn't want to oversize for a hot enclosure.
Auxiliary and release configuration
This variant ships with 2 auxiliary switches, 1 trip alarm switch, and 1 electrical alarm switch (HQ design), plus a shunt trip release (STL). That's enough auxiliary contacts to signal the PLC and a remote alarm without adding a separate interface relay. The basic switch core is order code 3VA21166HN320AA0. No undervoltage release fitted, no ground-fault monitoring, no communication function — this is a plain line-protection breaker for a standard feeder, not a smart or GFCI variant.
Dimensions and panel fit
Footprint is 105 mm wide by 181 mm tall by 86 mm deep — that's 4.13 in by 7.13 in by 3.39 in. Standard 3-pole MCCB form factor for a 160 A frame; it'll drop into a panel cutout sized for the SENTRON 3VA2 family without re-drilling the gland plate.
Environmental limits
Operates from -25 °C to 70 °C, stores from -40 °C to 80 °C. Maximum power loss is 25.5 W — negligible for panel thermal budgeting at this frame size.