FIELD: chemistry.
SUBSTANCE: method of predicting methane hazard in a mine includes determining flow of methane from sources thereof on working areas of the mine based on methane hazard of coal seams taking into account the distance between working and contiguous coal seams and residual methane hazard of coal loosened in the backwall. The method also includes determining the output of coal mining equipment, degree of natural degassing of the working and contiguous coal seams and the absolute methane release on working areas of the mine, the maximum value of which determines the category of the methane hazard of the mine.
EFFECT: safer mining operations based on gas content owing to high accuracy of predicting methane hazard of a mine based on content of methane in coal seams from numerical values of absolute methane-bearing capacity of excavations.
