A biocompatible hybrid approach for the selection of gas drainage methods in coal mines based on the Best-Worst Method and Analytic Network Process

Abstract Methane drainage is one of the main steps in underground coal mining projects. The operation of methane extraction from coal mines/seams is important from the safety, economic, and technical points of view. Selecting the appropriate method for methane drainage is very difficult, and if the method is not chosen correctly, it will lead to environmental problems. The relationship between different influencing factors, parameters, and methods (and how they affect) is significant in choosing the method of gas drainage. In the current study, a hybrid algorithm is presented based on an Analytic Network Process (ANP) and a method based on the mathematical model (BWM). In the presented approach, the weighting of criteria by the BWM method and ranking of alternatives based on effective criteria is performed using the network analysis-based method. “Operating and capital costs” were the most effective criteria, and “in-situ stress” was the least effective factor in the selection process. The results show that the “post ‐ drainage method using cross-measure boreholes” was ranked first with the highest score (0.249). Applying the selected method in the Tabas coal mine (case study) indicates that the proposed algorithm is compatible with real-world conditions and can have various applications in multi-criteria decision-making problems.