To develop a model for the degasification of coal ledges in sublevel underwinning, based on the parameters defining the behaviour of the goal ledge during degasification and taking into account the various phases of mining and the geological and geotechnical characteristics of the deposit.

The starting points for this will be a desorption model, a gas flow model and a stress model, which taken together will provide us with a degasification model.

This model will make it possible to estimate trends in gas content in the workface atmosphere during the various phases of working.

The aim of the project is to analyse the degasification of a coal ledge from the point of view of its condition within the deposit, i.e. ground pressure, firedamp pressure, water pressure, physical and chemical properties of the coal, gas release mechanism, etc.

The results of this project will make it possible to improve safety conditions by assessing the quantity of gas in the atmosphere of workings, both under normal conditions and in breakdown situations, which will make it possible to improve planning in terms of ventilation, mining geometry and the machinery to be used from the point of view of preventing the inherent risks of firedamp, with an emphasis on the risk of using explosives in concentrated high-output faces and in blind end workings more than 100 m long.