The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2225-7HL32-0AE0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for 250 A continuous current at 40 °C, designed for line protection in distribution panels and switchgear. Breaking capacity hits 330 kA at 240 VAC, drops to 242 kA at 415/440 V, 187 kA at 500 V, and 4.5 kA at 690 V — the 690 V figure tells you this isn't the breaker for a 690 V main; it's a 480 V class device with headroom. Adjustable thermal-magnetic trip covers 375 A minimum to 2500 A maximum, so it's not a fixed 250 A — you set the overload and short-circuit thresholds to match the downstream cable and load.
Thermal derating matters here
At 40 °C, 45 °C, and 50 °C the breaker holds 250 A continuous. Above 50 °C it derates: 241 A at 55 °C, 232 A at 60 °C, 222 A at 65 °C, 213 A at 70 °C. Operating ambient range is -25 °C to +70 °C; storage from -40 °C to +80 °C. That 48 W maximum power loss at full load adds heat inside the enclosure — factor it into the panel thermal calculation, especially if the MCCB sits alongside other high-current devices.
What's on board and what's not
This variant ships with 4 HQ auxiliary switches but no undervoltage release, no shunt trip, no ground-fault monitoring, no communication module, and no voltage-trip indicator. The basic switch supplied is order code 3VA2225-7HL32-0AA0.