What this MCCB carries and where it fits
The Siemens SENTRON 3VA2340-5HN42-0HL0 is a 4-pole molded case circuit breaker rated for 400 A continuous current at 40 °C, with a maximum breaking capacity of 187 kA at 240 V AC. At 415 V and 440 V it still holds 121 kA, dropping to 75.6 kA at 500 V and 7.5 kA at 690 V — so the SCCR headroom is there for high-fault industrial services, not just residential mains. The 400 A rating holds flat through 50 °C; above that it derates to 385 A at 55 °C, 370 A at 60 °C, 355 A at 65 °C, and 340 A at 70 °C. That thermal curve matters if this breaker sits in a crowded enclosure with other heat sources — the 96 W maximum power loss adds up. This is a line-protection design (not motor-protection or feeder-specific), with a shunt trip release (STL) and an auxiliary switch block: 2 auxiliary switches plus 1 trip alarm switch plus 1 electrical alarm switch HQ. There is no undervoltage release, no ground-fault monitoring, and no communication function — it is a straight electromechanical MCCB with a voltage trigger and a trip indicator. The basic switch core is order code 3VA2340-5HN42-0AA0.
Selectivity and coordination notes
The 187 kA at 240 V and 121 kA at 415 V give this MCCB enough interrupting capacity for most industrial service entrances and high-fault distribution panels downstream of a transformer. For selectivity with upstream breakers, the 3VA2 series uses a time-current curve that coordinates well with SENTRON 3VA1 and 3VA0 frames — but the specific let-through energy (I²t) values depend on the trip unit settings. No electronic trip unit is listed here; confirm the trip curve with the factory settings if cascading into a 3VA1 feeder breaker.