What this MCCB is and what it protects
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2220-5MN32-0JH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) purpose-built for motor protection — its design includes phase failure detection and a thermal-magnetic trip curve tuned for motor starting inrush, not just cable overload. At 40 °C it holds a steady 200 A continuous rating across the full ambient range up to 70 °C, meaning the breaker does not derate as the panel warms, a real advantage in a crowded enclosure. The interrupting capacity hits 187 kA at 240 V and 121 kA at 415 V, so it can sit upstream of smaller branch breakers in a high-fault industrial service entrance without needing a current-limiting fuse ahead of it.
Breaking capacity — what those numbers mean for panel coordination
The 187 kA at 240 V and 121 kA at 415 V are the maximum fault currents this MCCB can safely interrupt at those voltages. At 500 V the capacity drops to 75.6 kA, and at 690 V it falls to 5.2 kA — a steep derate that tells you this breaker is designed for 240/415 V distribution, not 690 V motor circuits. If your panel's available fault current at the line side is 100 kA at 415 V, this breaker clears it with 21 kA of headroom. That margin simplifies selective coordination studies because you can let downstream 18 kA or 25 kA breakers ride through a fault without upstream tripping.
What rides inside — auxiliary switches and releases
The breaker ships with a factory-installed shunt trip (STL) release for remote tripping and a complement of 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch HQ. That gives you three form-C contacts for status feedback to a PLC or annunciator panel. The basic switch variant is 3VA2220-5MN32-0AA0, so this -0JH0 suffix adds the shunt trip and the HQ alarm switch on top of the base motor-protection trip unit. No undervoltage release is fitted, and no ground-fault monitoring module is included — those are separate add-on accessories if your application requires them.
Physical fit — panel cutout and mounting
Dimensions are 105 mm wide, 181 mm tall, and 86 mm deep — a standard 3-pole MCCB footprint that fits Siemens SENTRON mounting plates and most 200 A panelboard stabs. The 86 mm depth is the body only; add clearance for the shunt trip wiring and the auxiliary switch terminal screws. If you are swapping a competitor's 200 A frame or an older Siemens 3VL breaker, verify the bus-bar slot pitch matches the 105 mm width before ordering — the 3VA2 uses the same bolt-on or plug-in base as other SENTRON 3VA breakers in the same amp class.