Patent ID: 8380345

Claim:
A method for controlling the extraction capacity of longwall operations in underground coal mining, including the steps of: ascertaining the demand, of a respective one of the longwall operations, for air-technology and climate-technology resources, namely air to be supplied, cooling capacity to be made available from installed cooling facilities, and gas exhaust to be provided, as influencing variables for a projected delivery quantity of the longwall operation on the basis of data applicable to mechanical equipment of the longwall operations and to mineral deposit parameters applicable for the extraction areas through which respective ones of the longwall operations are to travel; storing the ascertained influencing variables in a computer as target data; by means of installed sensors, detecting actual data for a raw coal delivery quantity, for air flowing through the respective longwall operation, for the respectively supplied cooling capacity, and for the gas exhaust, during running operation at individual ones of said longwall operations; conveying the detected actual data to the computer; and if an increased demand for air-technology and climate-technology resources is recognized based on the comparison of the actual data with the target data, initiating coverage of the increased demand via a changeover of excess resources available at other ones of the longwall operations, or, if a reduced demand for air-technology and climate-technology is recognized based on a comparison of the actual data with the target data, rerouting excess resources to other ones of the longwall operations that are experiencing corresponding demand deficiencies.