What this MCCB delivers
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2340-5HL32-0KL0 is a 3-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 400 A continuous current at 40 °C, designed for line protection in distribution panels and industrial switchboards. Its thermal-magnetic trip unit is adjustable between 600 A and 4 000 A, giving the specifying engineer flexibility to match cable and load protection curves without swapping the breaker frame. Breaking capacity is the headline: 187 kA at 240 V, 121 kA at 415 V and 440 V, 75.6 kA at 500 V, and 7.5 kA at 690 V. At 480 V common in North American industrial plants, the 121 kA at 440 V is the closest published figure — expect it to hold well above typical available fault currents for most service-entrance and feeder positions. That kind of interrupting rating means this breaker can sit at the main or a high-fault subfeed without cascading upstream. Thermal derating is published across the full operating range: full 400 A up to 50 °C, then 385 A at 55 °C, 370 A at 60 °C, 355 A at 65 °C, and 340 A at 70 °C. For a panel pulling near the nameplate in a non-air-conditioned electrical room, that derating curve is the real-world limit — size the load side accordingly.
Auxiliaries and releases
This variant ships with a shunt trip release (STL) for remote tripping, plus a full complement of signaling: 2 auxiliary switches, 1 trip alarm switch, and 1 electrical alarm switch HQ. That covers remote status feedback and alarm annunciation without needing an add-on module. No undervoltage release is fitted; if UVR is required for your safety circuit, this is not the order code. Power loss is 96 W maximum at rated load — relevant for thermal budgeting inside the enclosure, especially when multiple breakers are ganged in a switchboard section.
Physical fit and environment
Dimensions: 248 mm high, 138 mm wide, 110 mm deep. The 138 mm width is the 3-pole frame footprint — standard for SENTRON 3VA2 breakers in this rating class. Panel cutout and bus-bar spacing should match the existing 3VA2 layout if replacing a like-frame unit. Operating temperature range is -25 °C to 70 °C; storage range is -40 °C to 80 °C. The 70 °C operating ceiling matches the derating curve's top end — the breaker can live in a hot enclosure as long as load current is backed off per the published numbers.