Regulation of air distribution in a system of mine workings using ventilation openings is always accompanied by a decrease in the total air quantity and additional energy losses caused by an increase in the aerodynamic resistance of the system. Naturally, ventilation openings should be installed so as to ensure maximum control depth with minimum energy losses. This issue becomes particularly relevant in connection with the work currently being carried out in the field of continuous automatic control. On ventilation air currents, a device is needed that regulates the air quantity over a wide range ...

During mine operation, the resistance of mine workings continuously changes due to changes in their length, cross-section, obstructions, wall roughness, etc. A change in the resistance of an individual working included in the mine ventilation system is accompanied by a general redistribution of air in the system of workings, which often leads to unsatisfactory ventilation of the mine. The greatest fluctuations are experienced by the resistance of extraction panels and stopes due to changes in their cross-section and length during the extraction process. Observations show that the resistance of stopes can vary by a factor of 7–8 due to changes in cross-sectional area. Naturally, such significant resistance fluctuations lead to instability of the ventilation and gas conditions in longwall faces and in the panel as a whole. As a rule, the greatest resistance of the face, and hence the minimum air supply, occurs during coal extraction, when the demand for air is maximum. During preparatory operations and in non-working shifts, the amount of air supplied to the face is large and could be reduced ...