What it is and what it does
The Siemens 3VA2225-5HN42-0AE0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) designed for line protection in distribution panels. It carries a continuous rated current of 250 A across four poles, with a maximum breaking capacity of 187 kA at 240 V AC — that's the fault current it can safely interrupt without welding contacts or rupturing the case. At 415 V and 440 V the rating holds at 121 kA; at 500 V it drops to 75.6 kA, and at 690 V to 4.5 kA, so the voltage class of your distribution determines which interrupting rating applies. Rated current is 250 A from 40 °C through 50 °C ambient, then derates linearly: 241 A at 55 °C, 232 A at 60 °C, 222 A at 65 °C, and 213 A at 70 °C. If the panel runs hot — say a packed enclosure near a drive cabinet — use the 55 °C or 60 °C column for your load calculation, not the 40 °C number. Maximum power loss at rated load is 48 W, which matters for thermal management inside a sealed enclosure.
Physical fit and panel integration
Footprint is 140 mm wide by 181 mm tall by 86 mm deep — a 4-pole MCCB that fits standard distribution panel mounting. No communication module, no voltage trip, no undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring on this variant; it's a straight line-protection breaker with four HQ auxiliary switches (the basic switch is order code 3VA2225-5HN42-0AA0). If you need remote signaling or shunt trip, that's a different suffix.