What this MCCB is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2140-5JP46-0AA0 is a 4-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 40 A continuous current, designed for line protection in distribution panels. It carries an interrupting capacity of 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 75.6 kA at 500 V, and 3.7 kA at 690 V — meaning it can safely clear a fault up to those levels without welding its contacts or cascading the arc upstream. The ETU550 electronic trip unit gives you adjustable long-time, short-time, instantaneous, and ground-fault protection curves, so you can coordinate selectivity with downstream breakers.
Sizing and thermal performance
This breaker holds its 40 A rating across the full operating temperature range from -25 °C to 70 °C — no derating needed for ambient heat inside a closed panel. Maximum power loss is 1.6 W, so it won't cook adjacent devices in a dense DIN-rail layout. The insulation voltage is rated 800 V, giving headroom for 690 V line-to-line systems.
Panel fit and integration
Dimensions are 181 mm high, 140 mm wide, 86 mm deep. The 4-pole form factor mounts on a DIN rail or panel-mount base in a standard distribution board. The front face carries IP40 protection — fine for a dry indoor enclosure; keep it behind a sealed door if the panel sees washdown or dust. Communication function is built in (ETU550 supports PROFIBUS or PROFINET communication modules for remote monitoring and trip-data readout). No undervoltage release or ground-fault monitoring module is included on this variant; those are add-on accessories.