Applications 
  3.3 Motor protection applications of 3VA molded case circuit breakers 
3VA molded case circuit breakers with IEC certificate 
Manual, 03/2019, A5E03603177010-03 
149 
 
3VA2 motor protection circuit breaker up to 500 A, tested according to 
IEC EN 60947-4-1 
As the 3VA2 molded case circuit breakers have been tested according to standard 
IEC EN 60947-4-1 (as motor starters), these devices can also be used as motor protection 
circuit breakers without an additional contactor. In this case the 3VA2 motor protection 
breaker takes on the short-circuit protection and overload protection functions in addition to 
functional switching (ON/OFF) of the motor. 
However, as functional switching of the motor according to utilization category AC-3 reduces 
the electrical service life of the circuit breaker, this use is only suitable for applications with a 
low switching frequency. The maximum adjustable rated current of the circuit breaker is also 
restricted by the increased AC-3 requirements. 
Dependence of motor protection circuit breaker on motor size and electrical service life 
 
1)
  Guide value for 4-pole standard motors at 400 V AC, 50 Hz. Selection depends on the specific startup and rated 
data of the protected motor 
2)
  Rated conditional short-circuit current: 
•  l
q
 = 55 kA - circuit breaker with medium breaking capacity M 
•  l
q
 = 85 kA - circuit breaker with very high breaking capacity C