What the interrupting ratings mean for your panel
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2163-5JP32-0HH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection, carrying a continuous current Iu of 63 A. Its interrupting capacity hits 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 79 kA at 500 V, and 4.25 kA at 690 V — that 187 kA figure at 240 V means it can safely clear a fault current up to that level without the arc flashing over or the breaker rupturing, which is critical for high-fault-capacity panels like those downstream of large transformers or in industrial substations. The ETU550 electronic trip unit gives you adjustable long-time, short-time, and instantaneous protection curves, plus a communication function for remote monitoring via the SENTRON powerconfig software.
Thermal derating and panel integration
At 40 °C, 45 °C, and 50 °C the breaker holds its full 63 A rating. Above 50 °C it begins to derate: 60.6375 A at 55 °C, 58.275 A at 60 °C, 55.9125 A at 65 °C, and 53.55 A at 70 °C. That means if your panel ambient runs 60 °C — common in a sealed enclosure near a furnace line or in a hot-climate outdoor cabinet — you lose roughly 4.7 A of headroom. The 86 mm depth, 105 mm width, and 181 mm height fit the standard SENTRON 3VA mounting footprint; plan for the 4 W maximum power loss in your thermal budget.
Auxiliary and trip configuration
The breaker ships with a shunt trip (STL) auxiliary release and 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ configuration). The shunt trip lets you remotely trip the breaker via a control voltage — useful for emergency-stop circuits or remote shutdown. The undervoltage release is not fitted on this variant, and there is no ground-fault monitoring module. The basic switch assembly is order code 3VA2163-5JP32-0AA0; the integrated auxiliary trip is 3VA9688-0BL30. Latching endurance is rated at 20 000 operations.
Environmental and compliance range
Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C. The rated insulation voltage Ui is 800 V. The trip indicator is present, and the voltage trigger function is included. No phase failure detection or other measurement function is built in.