The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2325-7KP32-0AA0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 250 A continuous current and a massive 330 kA breaking capacity at 240 V AC. That interrupting rating drops to 242 kA at 415 V and 440 V, and 187 kA at 500 V — still plenty of headroom for most industrial service-entrance or feeder applications. At 690 V it's still good for 7.5 kA, which covers downstream coordination in a motor control center. This is a line-protection device, meaning it's built for protecting cables and busbars in distribution, not motor overloads. It carries the ETU850 electronic trip unit, which gives you adjustable N-conductor protection from OFF up to 160% of the phase rating, plus communication capability for monitoring and remote trip indication.
Sizing and thermal performance
That's unusual; most breakers start tapering above 40 °C. If your panel sits near a furnace line or in a foundry mezzanine, this breaker won't force you to oversize the frame just to keep the copper cool. Power dissipation hits 37.5 W maximum. In a packed enclosure with multiple breakers side-by-side, that heat adds up. Account for it in your thermal budget — the IP40 front face is fine for a clean panel, but if you're sealing the enclosure tighter, make sure the internal volume can shed the combined losses.
No surprises on a retrofit if you're replacing an older 3VA2 or 3VL frame in the same cutout.