What the breaking capacities mean for your panel
The Siemens 3VA2325-6HL32-0JH0 is a SENTRON molded case circuit breaker (MCCB) rated for line protection, 3-pole, with a continuous current rating of 250 A. Its interrupting capacity at 240 V hits 242 kA — that's the short-circuit current it can safely clear without welding contacts or rupturing the case. At 415 V and 440 V it still holds 187 kA, and at 690 V it's rated 40 kA. For a panel designer, those numbers mean this breaker handles high-fault locations like a main incoming feeder or a large motor control center bus without needing upstream current-limiting fuses.
Thermal derating and the ETU320 release
The 250 A continuous rating holds flat from 40 °C up to 50 °C ambient — no derating needed in a typical 40 °C panel. Above that, it drops: 240 A at 55 °C, 235 A at 60 °C, 230 A at 65 °C, 225 A at 70 °C. The overcurrent release is an ETU320, a microprocessor-based trip unit that gives adjustable long-time, short-time, and instantaneous protection curves. That matters when coordinating downstream breakers — you can shape the trip to achieve selectivity without sacrificing response on hard faults.
Auxiliary contacts and shunt trip — what's built in
This breaker ships with 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch (HQ configuration) and a shunt trip (STL) release. The shunt trip lets you remotely open the breaker via a control voltage — useful for emergency-stop circuits or PLC-controlled disconnects. The auxiliary contacts report the breaker's open/closed status back to a controller or indicator lamp. No undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, no communication module on this variant. The basic switch assembly is order code 3VA2325-6HL32-0AA0; the integrated auxiliary trip is 3VA9688-0BL32.
Physical fit and environmental limits
Dimensions are 248 mm high, 138 mm wide, 110 mm deep — a standard MCCB footprint for 250 A frame size. It mounts on a DIN rail or panel-mount via the rear slots. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C. Maximum power loss at rated current is 37.5 W — factor that into enclosure ventilation if the panel is densely packed. The mechanical endurance is rated at 15,000 cycles.