The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2116-8KP36-0AA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 160 A continuous current across the entire 40 °C to 70 °C ambient range — no derating needed up to that ceiling. Interrupting capacity hits 440 kA at 240 V, 330 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 220 kA at 500 V, and 53 kA at 690 V. That covers most industrial service-entrance and feeder applications where high fault current is expected. The ETU850 electronic trip unit gives adjustable time-current curves (tr from 0.5 s to 20 s, tsd up to 0.5 s) plus communication capability, so it ties into a plant monitoring system without a separate gateway module.
Front IP40 protection handles typical enclosure environments; no special gasketing needed for dry indoor panels. Communication function onboard means the ETU850 can report status and trip events over the plant network, reducing the need for separate I/O wiring back to the PLC.
Delta against a common sibling — 3VA2116-5JP32-0AE0
Both are 160 A 3-pole 3VA frames, but the -5JP32-0AE0 carries a different trip unit — the ETU350 or a fixed-thermal-magnetic variant — and lacks the communication function this -8KP36-0AA0 has with its ETU850.
Power loss and endurance
Mechanical endurance rated at 20 000 operations, which is typical for a 160 A MCCB in feeder duty; not a high-cycle motor-starting breaker, but fine for infrequent switching and protection-only service.