Abstract <p>A detector based on multiwire drift chambers is being constructed at MEPhI to study the near-vertical muon component of extensive air showers (EAS). To analyze EAS by muons, it is necessary to separate them from secondary particles both in air showers and those born inside the detector. To this end, the detector consists of several layers of drift chambers and a steel absorber. This work is devoted to the analysis of the data of modeling the passage of muons and electrons through the detector in a wide range of energies. The simulation results demonstrate that the use of the proposed detector configuration makes it possible to efficiently separate the muon component of EAS.</p>