What this 160 A MCCB does for a motor circuit
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2216-5MQ32-0AC0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated 160 A across the full ambient temperature range from 40 °C to 70 °C — no derating needed as the panel warms up, which simplifies panel layout when grouping breakers. It's designed specifically for motor protection, with built-in phase failure detection and a communication function for integration into a plant monitoring system. The interrupting rating at 415 V is 121 kA, which gives solid headroom for high-fault installations common in industrial distribution. At 240 V it handles 187 kA, and at 500 V still holds 75.6 kA — only at 690 V does it drop to 4.5 kA, so keep that in mind if feeding a 690 V motor directly.
Mounting and panel fit
The breaker measures 105 mm wide, 181 mm tall, and 86 mm deep — a standard footprint for this class of SENTRON MCCB. It mounts on a DIN rail or can be screw-fixed to a backplate. The 86 mm depth leaves room for wiring behind the panel door without forcing a deeper enclosure than necessary.
What the ratings mean for your panel
The 160 A rating holds flat from 40 °C to 70 °C — that's unusual and useful. Many breakers derate above 40 °C, but this one doesn't, so you can pack it tighter in a warm enclosure without losing capacity. The power loss at full load is 19.7 W maximum, which is moderate for a 160 A frame and manageable for thermal calculations in a sealed cabinet. The adjustable thermal-magnetic trip range starts at 32 A and goes to 160 A full scale, so it covers a wide motor FLA band. The trip indicator is not present on this variant, so plan for a separate status indication if you need visual trip feedback at the breaker face.