Motor Protection MCCB with Electronic Trip Unit
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2216-7MN32-0HH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for a continuous current of 160 A, purpose-built for motor protection. It carries an ETU350M electronic trip unit that provides adjustable overload and short-circuit protection curves, with phase failure detection built in — so a lost phase on a motor feeder trips the breaker before the winding overheats. Breaking capacity ranges from 330 kA at 240 V down to 52.5 kA at 690 V, which covers most industrial distribution panels and motor control centers. The 160 A frame also derates smoothly through elevated ambient temperatures: it holds full rating up to 50 °C, then drops to 144 A at 70 °C — useful when the MCCB sits in a non-air-conditioned enclosure near process heat.
Trip Unit and Auxiliary Configuration
The ETU350M is a microprocessor-based release with LSI protection (long-time, short-time, instantaneous). It includes a voltage trigger input and a trip indicator flag on the front face — no need to open the door to see if the breaker tripped on fault. The auxiliary contact block ships as 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ type), wired for remote status monitoring back to a PLC or SCADA input card. A shunt trip release (STL) is integrated at the factory (order code 3VA9688-0BL30 for the auxiliary trip module). This allows remote tripping from an E-stop or safety relay without adding an external undervoltage release — the unit ships without undervoltage release, so if you need UVR protection, specify it separately.
Physical Fit and Panel Integration
Dimensions are 181 mm high × 105 mm wide × 86 mm deep. The 105 mm width is the standard 3-pole MCCB footprint for this frame size — it mounts on a DIN rail or directly to a backplate via the four corner screw holes. The 86 mm depth leaves clearance for rear-connected busbars or plug-in adapters in a typical 600 mm deep enclosure. Rated insulation voltage is 800 V, so it can be used in 480 V or 600 V class systems without de-rating the insulation path. Maximum power loss at rated current is 75 W — account for that heat in enclosed panel thermal calculations, especially when grouping several MCCBs in a row.
Environmental and Compliance
Operating temperature range is -25 °C to +70 °C, with storage from -40 °C to +80 °C. The -25 °C lower limit means it can sit in an unheated warehouse or outdoor enclosure in most climates without a heater. Standard compliance documentation (RoHS, REACH, IEC/UL) is available from Siemens upon request — this is a current catalog part, so declarations and certificates are published.