What it is — and what the ratings mean for fit
Siemens SENTRON 3VA2225-5HN32-0JH0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 250 A continuous current, built around the ETU350 electronic trip unit. This is a line-protection version — no ground-fault module, no communication stack, no undervoltage release. The interrupting ratings tell you where it'll hold: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 79 kA at 500 V, dropping to 5.1 kA at 690 V. That 5.1 kA at 690 V is the weak spot — if your fault current at 690 V exceeds that, this breaker won't clear it alone; you'd need upstream coordination or a higher-rated frame. Thermal derating is real and published: full 250 A up to 50 °C ambient, then 241 A at 55 °C, 232 A at 60 °C, 222 A at 65 °C, 213 A at 70 °C. If your panel runs hot, size the load accordingly — don't count on 250 A above 50 °C.
Panel fit and integration
Footprint is 105 mm wide × 181 mm tall × 86 mm deep — standard SENTRON 3VA frame size for this current class. Bolts into a distribution panel or switchboard; no DIN-rail mounting on this frame, it's screw-fixed. The shunt trip (STL) release is built in, part of the -0JH0 suffix. Auxiliary contact block carries 2 aux switches plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ version) — enough for status feedback to a PLC or remote indication.
What's inside — subcomponents matter
The basic switch is 3VA2225-5HN32-0AA0; the integrated auxiliary trip is 3VA9688-0BL32. If you're stocking spares or replacing just the trip unit, those are the order codes to cross-reference. Max power loss is 48 W — account for that in panel thermal calcs.