As a member of a complex technical team, Viktor handles testing SIMATIC modules for their reliability under natural radiation conditions. When working, he and his team conduct complex tests with neutron particle accelerators at nuclear research facilities to simulate hundreds or thousands of years of terrestrial radiation in a one-hour measurement.

Modules experience natural radioactivity during continuous 24/7 operations in factories. This poses a significant threat to maintenance costs, as they can increase by 10-25q% due to the effects of radiation. However, by conducting radiation testing, the team can gain insights into module behavior under harsh conditions, assess the impact of minor flips on module memories, and develop effective solutions for potential issues. Moreover, stable performance is crucial for various other applications, particularly those where clients cannot immediately halt an automated process. The entire process of observation and findings can greatly contribute to the implementation of improved firmware algorithms in the final product.

During the mission with SIMATIC modules, Viktor’s team implemented new error code corrections in the design of the modules. However, their main challenge was to find out if the new implementations work – precisely when talking about radiated robustness.

The robustness against radiation is a key point for a redundancy system. In factories, this system runs over many years without any power reset, and its quality should always reach the absolute maximum. For Viktor’s team, the quality of the product is a staple – and that shows. “Thanks to our implementations today, our clients can maintain stable SIMATIC system performance over many years without any issues,” he says.

Despite achieving optimal outcomes, technologies require constant updates – and this also applies to Viktor and his teams' SIMATIC modules. Previously, the team encountered soft errors caused by natural radioactivity in the SIMATIC modules. They began exploring ways to simulate natural radioactivity for durability tests and discovered that a neutron particle accelerator was the only solution. Although Prague, where Viktor works, has at least three facilities that support radioactive experiments, Siemens had never attempted such tests before. This presented the perfect opportunity to make a change and improve the quality of the product.

This newfound problem became a starting point with very few leads. The team had to figure out almost everything from scratch. This included setting up the test, determining the appropriate neutron energy, establishing the neutron flux intensity, and devising a method to evaluate the test results. Given the difficulty of the task, all of this required a significant amount of time and patience from the team.

Viktor and his team are keen on exploring and working on the latest developments within their engineering backgrounds. 

“At Siemens Advanta, everyone is up for a good challenge. We are working with diverse R&D experts to fix problems and envision long-term predictive maintenance solutions for the SIMATIC line. Together, we are proud we can strengthen the SIMATIC product and protect its reputation as a market leader among our clients,” says the team.

Viktor and his remote IO team are experiencing their best in Siemens Advanta – while making projects that make an impact.

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