Controlling the longwall coal mining process at a variable level of methane hazard

longwall panels, have been used for many years. Thanks to their
use, it was possible to reduce the number of hazardous events
(accidents). Until now, the attention was paid primarily on securing
the mine personnel as the most important aspect of the methane
explosion hazard. Recent years show that the number of accidents in
Poland decreased to several cases per year. Such an event can cause
a risk of damage. In order to further reduce the number of hazardous
events, the existing solutions will not be enough, so a new approach
to monitoring and using the methane concentration prediction
methods in longwall panels is necessary to be applied.
The reasons for changes in methane hazard level at the coalmine
longwall faces are discussed at the beginning. Then, the methods for
controlling the longwall shearer's operation depending on methane
hazard level are presented. Dangerous events caused by the sudden
outflow of methane into the longwall panel were recalled. In the
further part, an additional subsystem for monitoring the methane
concentration in the longwall panel in the context of controlling the
operation of the longwall shearer and the run-of-mine transportation
in the longwall area is described. Finally, the importance of the new
way of controlling the mining process and run-of-mine
transportation for work safety and mining efficiency was
emphasized