Xray CT Booking System
Xray CT Booking System

Introduction

This is the booking system for the X-ray CT scanner at HKUST. Please read through the descriptions and notations below before making the booking.

Section A: Booking rules

  1. The opening hours of the Lab are from 9:00am to 17:30pm, Monday to Friday (i.e., during office hours when the lab technicians are available). The Lab will be closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. Any unauthorised access to the Lab and operation of the Scanner without the supervision of the Lab technician will lead to the disqualification of the user with an immediate effect.
  2. Each booking day will have 5 timeslots, each with 1.5 hours (i.e., 9:00 10:30, 10:30 12:00, 13:00 14:30, 14:30 16:00, 16:00 17:30).
  3. Booking is made in a unit of ‘token’. Booking a timeslot requires ONE token.
  4. Every month, all Users in a Supervisor’s group will share the total monthly tokens assigned to their group. On the other hand, weekly tokens will be assigned to all users on a first-come-first-serve basis when there are any unused timeslots.
  5. There are two types of tokens, namely Continuous Tokens Allowed (CTA) and Monthly Tokens Allowed (MTA).
    • CTA is the number of consecutive bookings of timeslots that can be made. For example, a CTA of 20 means that a User cannot book more than 20 consecutive timeslots.
    • MTA is the number of timeslots that can be booked in a month. For example, MTA of 40 means that a User cannot book more than 40 timeslots in that month.
    • There are two types of booking schedules:
      • Monthly booking
        Booking for next month is always made on the last day of the present month. Users can make the bookings from 13:00 23: 00 on the last day of the present month, respectively. For example, if a User wishes to make a booking on any timeslot in August, he/she should enter the booking system on 31 July any time between 13:00 23:00 to make the booking. Monthly booking is restricted by both MTA and CTA.
      • Weekly booking
        Booking for the present month can be made every Sunday of the month if there is any vacant timeslot exists in the forthcoming week, which is not restricted by MTA. This booking option aims to facilitate Users who want to make ad-hoc bookings in addition to their planned test schedule during monthly booking schedule, in order to make full use of the Scanner. Although there is no MTA restriction, it is possible that there may not be any vacant timeslot in the month when the Scanner is fully booked.
    • Cancellation of any booked timeslot is allowed, but a cancellation request MUST be made at least one week before the booked timeslot(s).
    • The unused MTA will be automatically cleared every month and will not be accumulated.

[IMPORTANT]: No-show penalty
For users who did not show up to claim the Lab according to the booked timeslots for more than two tokens (according to the data from the door access system) and who did not cancel their booking one week in advance, emails will be sent to the X-ray CT administrators, the corresponding Handler and the Supervisor to inform the suspension of the User’s account. The suspension will be held before the next monthly booking day in the present month.

Section B: Lab access rules

Every Sunday from 14:00 to 15:00, all users who booked next week's timeslots need to come to Room 1209 (Lift 19) to take the lab access card. After usage, the access card should be returned to the below deposition box on the wall.
Figure 1 Access card collection box

Section C: Learning materials

There is a list of materials that may help you use our facility:
  • Handbook
  • Responsible exception clauses
  • Radiation safety training MC01&02_Radiation
  • User Manual for X-ray CT system
  • Operation manual for CT scan and 3D reconstruction
  • Training videos
  • Radiation (control of irradiating apparatus) regulations
The documents can be downloaded through the following links:

Section D: General introduction of the handbook (download in learning material)

The handbook aims to facilitate the safe and efficient usage of the X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanner for users within HKUST. Importantly, to meet the multilevel requirements from both HSEO and the Government of the HKSAR, together with creating a fair, effective and convenient booking platform, all users SHOULD read carefully and obey strictly the regulations addressed in this handbook. The handbook consists of four parts, of which a brief description is shown as follows and Figure 2:
  • Registering a HSEO user account (see 1.1)
  • Training required by the HSEO (see 1.2)
  • Certificate (see 1.3)
As shown in Figure 2 Part I, the user is required to register an account (1.1) with his/her HKUST e-mail at the HSEO system. Then, the user will be asked by the HSEO to perform the MC02 training (1.2), including online testing and a face-to-face safety briefing. After satisfying the training requirements, the user will obtain a certificate. Note that a personal Thermoluminescent Dosemeter (TLD) badge to detect the X-ray exposure amount is encouraged, though it is optional. Please approach HSEO for info of renting a personal badge.
  • Registering an X-ray CT lab account (see 2.1)
  • CT training (see 2.2)
    • Safety rules (see 2.2.1)
    • Training videos (see 2.2.2)
  • Signing exception clauses (see 2.3)
  • Booking a time slot (see 2.4)
    • Booking rules
    • Booking procedures
  • Receiving an email after a successful booking (see 2.5)
  • Making a payment (see 2.6)
As shown in Figure 2 Part II, the user is required to register an account (2.1) with his/her HKUST e-mail at the booking system, including setting a personal profile and uploading the certificate obtained from HSEO, as noted in Part I. Then, after the approval from the X-ray administration group, the user should conduct a CT training (2.2) using the provided materials in the booking system, including the safety rules (2.2.1) and training videos (2.2.2). Note that each user SHOULD sign the exception clauses (2.3) and upload it to the booking system before using the scanner. To book a time slot, the user SHOULD read the booking rules (2.4.1) and strictly follow the booking procedures (2.4.2). After booking a valid time slot, the user will receive a confirmation email (2.5), notifying the success of booking time slot(s), the location of the lab, the payment details, the check-in and check-out procedures, and other relevant information provided by the X-ray administration group. Access fee to the CT scanner applies and the details are given in (2.6). Please note that this booking information will be carbon-copied to the supervisor and the handler of the user’s research group.
  • Collecting access card for lab access (see 3.1)
  • Checking-in (see 3.2)
  • Manual for Samples Scanning (see 3.3)
  • Returning access card (see 3.4)
  • Checking-out (see 3.5)
  • Video surveillance (see 3.6)
As shown in Figure 2 Part III, the user is required to register a card for lab access after a successful booking. The user SHOULD arrive in time to collect the card (3.1) at the assigned location notified in the confirming email (2.5). The user SHOULD show the card and his/her student ID if requested by the X-ray CT administrators. Please note that only the person, whose ID is consistent with the information shown in the booking time system, is allowed to enter the X-ray CT lab. The check-in is conducted by tapping the door access button using the card (3.2). Then, the user can use the X-ray CT scanner according to the instructions provided by the training materials (see 2.2) and also the procedures provided (3.3), including the sample scanning (3.3.1), 3D image reconstruction (3.3.2), and data storage (3.3.3). Before checking-out (3.5), the user SHOULD return the lab access to the allocated place (3.4).
  • Responsible exception clauses (see 4.1)
  • Radiation safety training MC01&02_Radiation (see 4.2)
  • User Manual for X-ray CT system (see 4.3)
  • Operation manual for CT scan and 3D reconstruction (see 4.4)
  • Training videos (see 4.5)
    • Part 0 Hardware introduction
    • Part 1 CT imaging principle and safety
    • Part 2 Image reconstruction
    • Part 3 Real sample scan demo
    • Part 4 Dragonfly
The appendices provide supplementary information for learning the safety rules and operation of the X-ray CT scanner at the HKUST. All users are encouraged to read the documents to maximise their ability to operate and use the scanner.
Figure 2 Flow chart for using the X-ray CT scanner at the HKUST

NOTE:

  • All users SHOULD read and follow the introduction in this handbook carefully.
  • All users SHOULD be responsible for ANY DAMAGES induced due to any careless operations that violets the instructions in this handbook.
  • All users SHOULD sign and upload an exception clause document to the X-ray CT booking system.