What this MCCB is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-7KP36-0KA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) designed for line protection in industrial power distribution. It carries a continuous current rating of 160 A across the full ambient range from 40 °C to 70 °C — no derating needed in a warm panel. That 160 A holds at every temperature point in that band, so you don't have to oversize for a hot enclosure. The breaker's breaking capacity hits 330 kA at 240 V, 242 kA at 415 V, and still delivers 187 kA at 500 V, with a steep drop to 3.7 kA at 690 V. For most low-voltage distribution, the 415 V figure is the one that matters — 242 kA is well above typical fault levels in a commercial or light industrial panel.
Ratings that matter for fit
The breaker measures 105 mm wide, 181 mm tall, and 86 mm deep — a standard footprint for a 160 A frame in the SENTRON family. It mounts on a DIN rail or direct panel, and the 3-pole configuration fits typical three-phase distribution. The minimum continuous current it can protect down to is 1.5 A, so it covers small subfeeds as well as the main. Insulation voltage is rated at 800 V, which gives headroom for 690 V systems. Power loss maxes out at 25.5 W — worth accounting for in a sealed enclosure if you're stacking multiple breakers. It includes a communication function, which means it can talk to a monitoring system for remote trip indication or load data. No undervoltage release or ground-fault monitoring on this variant; those are separate order codes.