Abstract
Electron accelerators operating at energies in the MeV range and kW power levels are used for many industrial applications, including medical device sterilization, nondestructive testing cargo inspection, and radiotherapy. However, many of these applications, especially novel ones, require that size, weight, and costs of the accelerators are significantly reduced to be considered as a suitable source of radiation. Some examples of such applications include field radiography, mobile cargo inspection, radioactive source replacement and industrial irradiation. The dramatic level of miniaturization and cost-reduction is achieved thanks to the implementation of such innovative technologies as high-frequency magnetrons, novel fabrication technology, and solid-state power supplies.
In this paper we will cover the examples of man-portable accelerator-based X-ray sources for NDT and nuclear security applications, where our case studies of the accelerator system optimization for specific applications could be of interest to the broader community.
