Electron accelerators operating at 1-10 MeV energies and power levels of 1-30 kW are used for many industrial applications, including food sterilization, industrial irradiation, NDT, and radiotherapy. However, many of these applications, especially novel ones, require that the accelerators' size, weight, and costs be significantly reduced to be considered a suitable source of radiation. Some examples of such applications include field radiography, mobile cargo inspection, radioactive source replacement, and wastewater treatment. The dramatic level of miniaturization and cost-reduction is achieved thanks to the implementation of such innovative technologies as high-frequency magnetrons, split accelerating structure fabrication technology, and solid-state Marx modulators.

RadiaBeam is an accelerator technology R&D company that designs and manufactures linear accelerators and systems for such applications, as well as electron beam sources, instrumentation, and diagnostic systems for research laboratories. Simultaneous engagement with the research and industrial markets often guides RadiaBeam towards developing custom and semi-custom irradiation systems, specifically tailored to address the needs of customers either in niche markets or engaged in experimental application studies, where off-the-shelf accelerator solutions are not readily available. In this presentation, we will review some examples of such custom systems developed in recent years, including self-contained irradiator systems, custom linacs for medical applications, energy-modulated high current accelerators for NDT, and other systems, where our case studies of the accelerator system optimization for specific applications could be of interest to the broader community.