What it is and what it does
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2225-5HL42-0JH0 is a 4-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection, with a continuous current of 250 A and an ETU320 electronic trip unit. It carries a shunt trip (STL) auxiliary release and an auxiliary contact block with two switches plus one trip alarm switch (HQ). The interrupting ratings tell you where this breaker can be applied: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 79 kA at 500 V, and 5.1 kA at 690 V. That 187 kA at 240 V is a high-fault rating — it clears a bolted fault on a large secondary transformer without the arc flash energy climbing past the breaker's capability.
Thermal derating and panel fit
The breaker holds its full 250 A rating up to 50 °C ambient. Above that it derates: 241 A at 55 °C, 232 A at 60 °C, 222 A at 65 °C, and 213 A at 70 °C. If the panel ambient runs 60 °C, size the load at 232 A continuous — not the nameplate 250 A. Dimensions are 86 mm deep, 140 mm wide, 181 mm tall. That 140 mm width is a standard 4-pole MCCB footprint — it drops into a panel cutout sized for the SENTRON 3VA platform without re-drilling the gland plate.
Lifecycle and sourcing
The basic switch assembly is order code 3VA2225-5HL42-0AA0, and the integrated auxiliary trip is 3VA9688-0BL32. Both are serviceable spares if the main breaker body is in the panel and only the trip unit or aux switch needs replacement.
What it does not include
No undervoltage release, no communication function, no phase-failure detection, and no ground-fault monitoring are built in. The shunt trip (STL) is the only auxiliary release fitted; if you need undervoltage protection or remote comms, this variant is not the one.